More Jekyll Than Hyde

She's not your standard standards singer.

The night air of Burns Park was alive with the music of Linda Eder Tuesday, courtesy of the Town of Oyster Bay's Music Under The Stars.

An estimated crowd of over five thousand people packed into the park to listen to the beautiful voice of the actress/singer who preformed a wide range of music spanning her 20 year career.

Eder won acclaim early on, playing the leading role of Lucy in the 1990 world premiere of "Jekyll And Hyde" at the renowned Alley Theater in Houston. She would also appear in the show on Broadway. In 1991, she released her first album as a solo artist and has made music her career ever since.

Linda opened her set with "Bells of St. Paul," a song from her 2000 album "Christmas Stays the Same." The song appeared to especially strike a chord with Linda's fans, who were quite vocal with their approval.

"I've never been here before!" Linda exclaimed, genuinely touched by the warm welcome of the Massapequa crowd. "This is wonderful...amazing! What a beautiful night."

"I've been a fan of Linda's since her first album," said Jessica Hopkins of Levittown, who had come down to Burns Park by herself to take in the concert. "She has such a beautiful, expressive voice, and covers so many different types of music."

Linda's next piece, "I Will Wait For You," was from her 2009 album "Soundtrack," a collection of reworked songs from numerous classic films.

A strong level of intimacy was brought to the evening's proceedings, as Eder often chatted with the audience in-between songs.

"A lot of people might have heard of me because I was in a Broadway play," she told the crowd, "but I've only been in ONE Broadway play, despite popular opinion...Jekyll And Hyde."

The reference to her role in the musical stage adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novel triggered a cheer from the audience. Linda used the reaction to segue into a song from the Jekyll And Hyde soundtrack, a haunting melody entitled "Someone Like You."

"I was exposed to her Jekyll And Hyde recordings as a child," said Judith De Monte of Bellmore. "As a result, I've seen the play 5 times, but I'm upset I never got to see it when Linda was playing Lucy. But at least I got to see David Hasselhoff as Hyde."

Eder and her band, which included guitars, a bass, and a grand piano, surged into energetic versions of "Lifted" and "If I Could," with the latter being dedicated to the children of the audience.

Eder took another break between songs to convey the back story of the next item on her set list, "A Nice Day For Flying," a tune she wrote as a form of tongue-in-cheek therapy in regards to her fear of air travel.

"It makes me realize how wonderful it is to be able to get in my car and drive here like I did tonight," she joked.

Eder also preformed cover versions of famous hits, including "Help" by The Beatles, "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" by Elvis Presley, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" by Bryan Adams, and "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel. Linda's stunning and unique vocals made each song all her own.

"I've really enjoyed Music Under The Stars so far this year," said Beth Gaspari of Farmingdale, who was with her husband and teenage daughter. "I've been a Linda Eder fan for years and I finally managed to get my daughter into her as well, so this is the highlight of the summer concert series for me."