Red Elvises at Rusty's, May 2001
By Kayt Owens

May 12^th:

This was a really fun show which was like going back in time to a couple of years ago, because Rusty’s Surf Ranch was strangely uncrowded. Maybe because it was a Saturday night instead of the usual Friday night show there, or maybe because the Elvises had played there a couple of times in the recent past, thereby somewhat satiating the kick ass rock ‘n roll appetites of some people who normally go see them there. The show in late August should be packed to the rafters then, following that logic, because June 15^th is cancelled and there’s no July Rusty’s date scheduled.

"Come up to the front! People usually fight for these spots!" Igor said to the crowd not long after the show started, so then some of us did. I’ve overcome my old shyness for the most part (yes, believe it or not, it took years to outgrow and still kicks in at the worst possible times sometimes!) but dancing alone in public is still not something I jump right into unless I’ve had a few drinks already. But with friends and others who I see at the shows all the time up there with me everything was fine, and very soon there were plenty of people filling the dance floor.

Well, what can I say…the show kicked ass as always and there were good vibes all around. They did the usual mixture of new and older songs, including "San Antone," "Who’s Your Daddy," "I Will Come Back," "Spacecowboy," "Scorchi Chornie," "Telephone Call From Istanbul," "Sad Cowboy Song," "I Wanna See You Bellydance," "Lovepipe" and many others. Again, not the longest show in history but a tight and terrific one anyway.

May 25^th:

This show was the best one of all during May, that I saw. Rusty’s was crowded again but not overwhelmingly so; it was fairly easy to get to the front of the stage during each set. The energy level was high, the atmosphere was happy and fun and I think it’s safe to say that everyone there had a great time!

The show began with "Red Lips Red Eyes Red Stockings" and included "Spacecowboy," "San Antone," "Who’s Your Daddy," "Meltdown," "Sex in Paradise," and others including a lot of the older songs we know and love. It was wrapped up, after everyone screamed for "one more song!!" – which by the way isn’t totally true, because we never just want one more, we probably want at least three or four more - with a rousing encore of "Romeo & Juliet," fast becoming a favorite. The two most popular questions asked of the audience at their shows are: "Would you like to hear one more?"" To which the answer is always "Yeeeeessss!" and "The louder you scream, the better we play….so would you like to hear one more?!" To which the answer happens to be "Yes!" again.

This time they filled the stage with gyrating belly dancing girls and I got pulled up there to join in too, which is always a lot of fun even though my gyration is probably out of step with most everyone else’s. It was incredible to have so many people on that tiny stage. They fold up the stage and put it away after each show, so you know it can’t be TOO solid or indestructible…yet it held up amazingly well to what we put it through this night! It felt like an earthquake up there when people started jumping up and down near the end!

There were many Russians at this show too, including the girls who were at the last Blue Café show and plenty of other people, including a friend of the band’s who celebrated his birthday not only by being sung Happy Birthday to onstage but by playing drums on a song with them, and very well I might add. The crowd screamed and applauded for him too once he finished.

Zhenya surprised us by wearing a very interesting silvery full-head mask onstage for a couple of songs, and waving his tongue at us through the mouth-hole several times! Just something he thought he’d try, he said later. People seemed to like it, especially the sticking-out-tongue parts.

As I told Igor after the show…."another great show!" And it was! Red Elvises truly are the makers of a good time.