Neil Zaza and Connor Bogart O’Brien Bring “One Dark Night” to NPR’s Shuffle Podcast

Guitarist Neil Zaza and vocalist Connor Bogart O’Brien sat down with NPR’s Shuffle at Ideastream Public Media’s studios in Cleveland for an in-depth conversation about their careers, their long friendship, and the Halloween rock spectacle they have built together, One Dark Night: A Rock Symphony of the Macabre. The interview arrives just ahead of the production’s hometown performance at Akron’s Goodyear Theater on Friday, October 23.

Hosted by Amanda Rabinowitz for Ideastream Public Media’s Shuffle series, the wide-ranging conversation, now available as a nearly 26-minute episode, traces both artists’ musical roots before turning to the concert that has become a seasonal calling card for Northeast Ohio.

Two Careers, One Stage

Zaza, a Stow resident, left classical guitar studies at the University of Akron for a life in rock. After fronting the 1980s band ZAZA, he built an international career as an instrumental guitarist, recording with members of Journey, Peter Frampton’s band and keyboardist Jordan Rudess. His song “I’m Alright” has found a worldwide audience of fellow guitarists, and this fall it anchors a guitar competition leading to a concert in Shanghai.

O’Brien began on violin at age five, played in Northeast Ohio youth orchestras and moved into singing as a teenager, later studying opera at the Eastman School of Music. An early recording, “Inside Out,” became a No. 1 hit in France. He has since toured with Mariah Carey, Huey Lewis and the News, Hall & Oates, Rick Springfield and Richard Marx, and has spent sixteen years headlining aboard cruise ships.

How “One Dark Night” Came Together

The production traces back to a performance of Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre with the Akron Symphony, where Zaza heard how well a rock guitar could sit inside a full orchestra. Working with Akron Symphony violinist and arranger David Kempers, he turned the idea into a Halloween concert that debuted in 2018, guided by a single question: “What would the soundtrack of Halloween sound like?”

Early versions leaned on rock arrangements of classical works, but audiences responded most to songs they already knew, so the program grew into a full rock show. A recommendation from Akron Civic Theatre programmer Val Renner led Zaza to O’Brien, and a few clips of O’Brien tackling Aerosmith’s “Dream On” convinced the guitarist he had found his frontman.

A Theatrical Halloween Spectacle

Today the production re-imagines rock favorites through a darker lens. Material ranges from The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” and The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” to David Bowie’s “Fame” and Alice in Chains’ “Man in the Box,” while The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” is recast as the menacing song it always was. O’Brien plays a devilish ringleader, including an entrance in a custom coffin, with dancers, aerialists, video and lighting building a full theatrical experience. Zaza has described the aim as a Halloween counterpart to the holiday spectacle of Trans-Siberian Orchestra, with a symphony-orchestra version also in development for the future.

Hometown Night in Akron

The touring band features Zaza on guitar alongside guitarist Marc Bovee, violinist Scott Young, keyboardist Mike Schirch, drummer Adam Hradisky and bassist Brandon Covey, with vocalist Casandra Carson joining O’Brien. The production recently made an October 17 stop in Springfield, Missouri, before returning to Akron.

Listen to the Interview

The full Shuffle conversation, with Zaza and O’Brien’s story told in their own words, is available from Ideastream Public Media at ideastream.org, and on podcast platforms wherever Shuffle is available.

Watch and Listen

The 2026 teaser

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by One Dark Night (@onedarknightshow)

Highlights from a previous One Dark Night performance

One Dark Night on Spotify

American Greetings Smashup Recordings

Tags: Halloween, Interview, Neil Zaza, NPR, Podcast, Radio

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