September 7, 2001
Red Elvises at Rusty’s Surf Ranch
By By Kayt
What can I say about this show, in this bar? Only that it
was a truly inspired night, celebrated together by Our Favorite Band and many
happy dancing and drinking people. I’m not advocating drinking to excess….well,
not as a frequent practice, anyway…but I have to admit to having a few…oh all
right, quite a few, White Russians, coincidentally my favorite mixed drink of
all time, that night. So the entire evening is not crystal clear in my memory,
but I know I had a very very very good time! Vodka is good.
A
good friend was back in town after pursuing higher education in another city
for quite a long time, so we were celebrating. And Red Elvises were back at
Rusty’s for the first time since May, so we were celebrating even more. They
started even later than normal at Rusty’s because the night got started slowly
attendance-wise. This gave us more of a chance to hang out and talk beforehand,
which is always nice. And more of a chance to order drinks too. So my friend and I grabbed a table on the
back patio and were soon joined by various Russians, including Vladimir, Igor
and Oleg, at one time or another. The week before, the Rusty’s ad in the L.A.
Weekly had proclaimed incorrectly that “they’re baaaaaaack” and were playing
there August 31st. But on the 31st they were actually in Seattle,
nowhere near Rusty’s. So that may have caused confusion, but after a while the
place did start to fill up more. People in L.A. have a way of finding out when
Red Elvises are playing…maybe they checked the website or called for info. Once
started, the show was fantastic, as always, and the guys’ joy at being home
again was evident. Not that they don’t love performing for everyone they see on
the road just as much, but they see their homes so seldom, and of course it’s
always nice to be home again after a long, or even short, trip.
They
played a lot of older songs and some popular, as yet unrecorded, newer ones too
such as “Long Way Home” and “Space Cowboy.” During the first set I watched from
the side of the stage, but when it was time for the second set, I was more than
ready to dance so my friend and I got out in front with some of the regular
crowd and shook our pelvises (and various other body parts!). And when they
started “I Wanna See You Belly Dance” and Igor invited me onstage, I went
willingly…others had to be coaxed and practically airlifted up there (I won’t
mention any names!). But it was all good fun and we had a great time. I even
ended up with a souvenir – one of the drumsticks Oleg was tossing out to the
front edge of the stage. In spite of my heady pursuit of all things vodka,
kahlua and crème that night, I still managed to take a bunch of pictures, and
some of them turned out nicely, as you can see in the Photos section.
I
sincerely hope that everyone who lives outside Southern California can someday
have the experience of seeing Red Elvises play at Rusty’s. It’s a wild time,
and I also hope the tradition continues for a long long time to come!
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