Organ player for Chicago Cubs to perform at game Saturday in Paxton | Music

PAXTON — When John Benedeck sits down at the Lowry organ to play at Chicago Cubs home games, he often has an audience of about 40,000 fans. A “slightly” smaller group will be on hand Saturday evening when he performs for a game in Paxton.

As a favor to some area friends, Benedeck will tickle the keys for a Pinto League game at Nelson Field. Pregame ceremonies start at 6:30 p.m., followed by the game at 7.

Jordan Chapman, Paxton Park District recreation director, said this is the first year a pitching machine will be used for the Pinto League youngsters, ages 6-8. Previously, coaches pitched.

It could also be the season opener, depending on the weather.

Benedeck, who lives in McHenry, said his wife, Leslie, is good friends with Paxton native Kara Kinzinger, who with her brothers, Brock and Victor Johnson, coaches her son Teddy’s Pinto League team.

Benedeck said Kinzinger and her husband, Wil, “kind of brought it up in passing” that it would be cool for him to play for the special game.

Kara Kinzinger said they mentioned it “as a joke because of this awesome job he has. My husband said that would be awesome if you could play at one of Teddy’s games.”

They were surprised when Benedeck readily agreed.

Benedeck said he won’t be playing just a few numbers, such as “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

“As far as I’m concerned, I’ll be playing the whole game,” he said. “It’s essentially to bring the feel of a big league park to a Little League game.”

Benedeck will bring his own keyboard, which will be plugged into the Nelson Field sound system.

There’s no word if a celebrity will be on hand to sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” as is the case at Wrigley Field.

Benedeck, who has been a Cubs fan all his life, has been the man playing the music accompanying the celebrity renditions at Wrigley Field. He said some of the singers are confident “and others timid.”

“Always different kinds of people” with one thing in common, he said: They’re singing in front of 40,000 fans.

Benedeck said he always tries to remain composed despite performing with well-known people. One of the early highlights was Bob Odenkirk.

“He’s very well known,” Benedeck said. “I’m a fan of his work in ‘Breaking Bad.’”

Topping it off: Standing around the corner was a woman whom Odenkirk introduced to Benedeck — Susan Tedeschi, guitarist for Tedeschi Trucks Band — “one of my favorite bands,” Benedeck said.

Benedeck, who is paid on a per-diem basis as the Cubs’ organist, works as a real-estate photographer for his day job, including using drones.

He has also provided music for weddings.

“It’s giganomics,” he said. “You do a little of everything” as a job. “I think I’ve found enough stability with the real estate.”

It must have been written in the stars for Benedeck to land the Cubs job. He just had no idea it would take such a twist.

While at the home of an avid Cubs fan who owned a pricey collection of team memorabilia, including one of the original organs played at Cubs games, he asked the fan if he could sit down and play it.

“No problem,” was the reply.

Someone took a video of him playing, and it was seen by Cubs brass, who reached out to him: “Interested in trying out as an organist for Cubs games?”

After countless phone calls and interviews and playing for a simulated game, he was hired.

“Right before St. Patrick’s Day, they called and offered” the job, he said.

Then, shortly before the season was to start, “the world closed,” he said — the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were no games with fans for a while.

Benedeck tries to play tunes, when appropriate, that are thematic and at times tongue-in-cheek. For instance, if there are runners at first and third, he might play Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Down on the Corner” or Genesis’ “Man on the Corner.”

“People usually catch on” to what he’s playing, he said: “It’s a win to me if one (fan) out of 40,000 catches it.”

Benedeck intends to keep it light Saturday.

The Paxton Fire Department will present the U.S. flag in center field on a ladder truck. Local first responders will also be in attendance to honor the flag.

Paxton Community Nursery School will hold a bake sale, and the concession stand will be open.

One of the people who can’t wait for Benedeck’s visit is Crawford, an avid Cubs fan who, ironically, used to work in the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum.