Red Elvises Live at the Sawdust Festival
Laguna Beach, California – July 8 – 9, 2000
By Kayt

The Sawdust Festival is a small but fun arts and crafts festival in lovely Laguna Beach, California, featuring artisans with wares to sell as well as live entertainment that ranges from comedy juggling and belly dancers to the ultimate entertainment of Red Elvises. I don't know about the Festival's winter version, but I do know that no summer in the Los Angeles/Orange County area is complete for any Red Elvises aficionado without seeing the band there on the weekend they appear.

The first thing I noticed, as we arrived during the first Red Elvises set of the day on Saturday, was that there were a lot more people up on the main entertainment deck than there were last year. And between sets a lot of them did not leave but stuck around, not only to get autographs, merchandise and conversation with our favorite band but also to get good seats on the benches for the next set. Those benches are hard, wooden and fond of giving people splinters…but there's not really much room on the entertainment deck for dancing, especially with as big a crowd as there was this year, so, as unnatural as it feels to sit the whole time at such a kick-ass Siberian rock ‘n roll show, the benches are the way to go. A good many of this year's Sawdust Festival attendees braved the benches, grooved to the music, laughed and smiled and came away with a new favorite band, since it goes without saying (although you can be sure I'll say it anyway!) that Red Elvises kicked ass as always.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Red Elvises! We are Red Elvises, and we'll be your entertainment…for the rest of your life!" Who could refuse such an offer? The second-best thing about festivals and other outdoor shows the guys play (the best thing being the music and general good time) is that people of all ages come together and enjoy on a level that transcends everyday cares and worries. Everyone gets to enjoy what I call the "kid-friendly" version of "Sad Cowboy Song" and all their other wonderful (no editing needed) songs flying across the warm, ocean-cooled air and rolling hills of Laguna Beach, as little kids stare with wide-eyed innocence and seem just on the verge of trying to dance. The young-at-heart and even younger-at-heart clap along in rhythm with the band, tapping their feet and loving the Russian surf rock, swing, rock ‘n roll belly dancing goodness of it all. And yes, there were belly dancers! You wanna see some people belly dance? Just come to next year's Sawdust Festival and there's a good chance you will. On Saturday we enjoyed watching J.J. & the Habibis belly dancing entourage enhance the famous (as seen on TV!) song "I Wanna See You Belly Dance," and on Sunday we had another treat as longtime friend of the band, Sandra, and a couple of friends, belly danced for the crowd.

They played old favorites and songs from "Shake Your Pelvis," several of them repeated during various sets for benefit of new arrivals. On Sunday there were fewer repeated songs and an even higher energy level than on Saturday, and at risk of repeating myself, it was truly kick ass! For me personally, it was a huge thrill hearing them play "Colors of Rainbow" because it was the first time I'd heard them do it live. Don't ask me how that was because I'll admit that I can't give much of an objective answer…I love that song. Well, okay, I love just about all their songs, that's true, but that is my very favorite on "Shake Your Pelvis." It was also a weekend of old friends and new, for me, so that, combined with the joy of seeing our favorite band play again made it well worth two trips down to Orange County.