DETROIT – As the Detroit Tigers prepare to take on the Cleveland Guardians for a three-game series, fans can listen closely to a special sound of tradition inside Comerica Park.
Dave Calendine, the ballpark’s first organist in 42 years, is in his second season focused on getting the music and timing just right.
“This isn’t a job. I’m a kid going into a candy store,” Calendine said. “I mean — the scoreboard’s right in front of me. I’m right over home plate. I mean, it’s just, this is awesome.”
Calendine spends Tigers home games in the press box, not as a reporter, but playing the organ — once a staple of stadiums and arenas across the country.
“I’m the first one in 42 years that the Tigers have had an organ. So, Comerica Park never had an organ until last year. You had to go back to the old ballpark at Michigan and Trumbull to find when they had the last organist,” Calendine said.
The number 61 on his jersey represents the number of keys on a piano or organ.
Calendine has played the organ for more than 30 years with the Detroit Red Wings and at the Fox Theatre.
He also works as an accountant during the day for Delaware North, the company that handles food, beverage, and retail operations at the arena.
“My day job is accounting, you know, with Delaware North. So during the day, I’m about four floors underneath here in the office or at the arena, doing my accounting job. Then it’s just like, ‘Okay, time to put on my jersey. And here we go,’” Calendine said.
The organ Calendine plays at Comerica is a digital Hauptwerk organ, essentially a large theater pipe organ connected to the stadium’s sound system.
The instrument comes apart into many pieces, which Calendine jokingly calls the “Organ from IKEA” because of how it’s assembled.
Calendine’s love of music began as a child in Ohio, starting piano at age three and organ at 15.
He heard a theater organ at the age of 16 and knew he had to play one.
After attending Ohio University and working as a radio DJ, he moved to Detroit in 1993 to play at the Fox Theatre.
Calendine later played keyboards for Red Wings games at Joe Louis Arena and eventually secured the organ at Little Caesars Arena.
A couple of years ago, he was approached about bringing the organ to Comerica Park, where he will play his first game on May 4, 2024.
There was one challenge: Comerica didn’t have an organ. “I said, well, I do! So there’s a big gaping hole in my living room because this is actually mine. I bring it here for the season and take it home in the off-season,” Calendine said.
Playing during baseball games differs from hockey.
Calendine must watch his timing carefully, playing between innings and during stoppages, but stopping before the pitcher’s delivery.
“I can also see out by the Chevy Fountain where the pitcher’s clock is, so I can see when I have to stop. And that’s the main thing, making sure that I’m done playing so I don’t get the umpire looking up. The last thing I want to do is get ejected,” Calendine joked.
Calendine continues playing at Red Wings games, the Fox Theatre, and even at his church.
He clearly loves what he does and being part of the Tigers experience.
“I’ve always had fun doing what I do. Yeah, I play the same thing over and over a lot, but I make it fun for myself because if I make it fun for myself, somehow that plays out through the music that I play,” Calendine said. “It’s just amazing what some simple notes on a keyboard will do to get people into the game.”
A little baseball history for you, the first known organ at a stadium was played in 1941 by Ray Nelson at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Other famous organists include Nancy Faust, who played at Chicago White Sox games from 1970 to 2010, and Audrie Garagiola, the mother of former Local 4 Anchor Steve Garagiola, who spent years playing the organ at Busch Stadium in St. Louis