Valencia Marketplace
Aug. 23, 2002
By Kayt

"Valencia? Where's that?" was the most frequent answer I got at 14 Below when asking various Red Elvises devotees if they were going to the Valencia show the following Friday night. It wasn't the first time the guys had played the Valencia Marketplace Summer Music series, but no one seemed to know anything about that little "planned community" in the Santa Clarita mountains approximately twenty minutes north of the San Fernando Valley (just shy of the Six Flags Magic Mountain exit). So on August 23rd, I wasn't too surprised to see no one I knew other than the band and Vladimir at the show, not only due to the slightly remote north-of-L.A. location but also because it was an early show, 6:00pm (in Southern California, home of Legendary Traffic, rush hour lasts from around 3:00pm to approximately 7:00pm, especially on Fridays but really every weekday!), and a lot of people aren't as lucky as me to get off work at noon on Fridays.

Valencia Marketplace is basically a shopping center with some really good restaurants, a Jamba Juice store and a Starbucks coffee shop. My roommate and I go up there once or twice a month to shop and buy the dog food our dogs have grown accustomed to eating, which is sold only at Petsmart, the closest to us of which just happens to be across from Valencia Marketplace. So Valencia is not only a town the Elvii play just about every year, but also a pleasant place to toodle up the 5 Freeway to every now and then. It's quite clean and scenic, with mountain views all around and air that is usually about ten degrees hotter than even that of the Valley, where it's usually about seven to ten degrees hotter than say, Santa Monica. Inland, you know, far from those ocean breezes and surfboards. Whoever designed the shopping center wisely built a special open-air area for bands to play, complete with a small amphitheater-type (actually more concrete step-like) seating area and plenty of room for dancing space and for even the largest band to set up. I once saw Chris Isaak play in San Diego and he had tons of band members up there onstage - there would be room enough for all of them at Valencia Marketplace, and Red Elvises too, at the same time, especially since there is actually no stage at Valencia, it's all just flat concrete. There's also plenty of scenic grass out in front for people who'd rather bring lawn chairs and sit on something more organic, behind the band. A Wild Thyme restaurant resides right next to this area that has excellent food and a guy who was nice enough to give me change for Vladimir's merchandise table, and way at the other end of all the shops is a big ol' Wal-Mart! So you've got it all there, music, healthy fruit drinks, caffeine, great food and discount shopping - who could ask for more?

When I got there the guys were already set up and a crowd had formed, always a good sign! It was, as always, great to see them again even though I had just seen them the Saturday night before (twice in one month is a huge treat for the home turf this year!). This was a family show with thousands…okay, I'm exaggerating, but not much… of little kids running around, and it's always fun just for a change of pace to see the guys play a show like that. You can just shake off the shackles of dark overcrowded alcohol-smelling bars and dance under the….well, the sky until it gets dark, and then under the stars. They played a lot of older songs intermingled with some newer ones, and if you think I wrote any of them down, well… I only had my digital camera with me, no paper or pen, so that didn't happen. You know their songs by now anyway, and which ones they're likely to play live, so you can imagine how great they were! So there! They did play "I Wanna See You Belly Dance," and I think "Space Cowboy," "Sunshine," "Sad Cowboy Song," and a bunch of other terrific songs, but not "Juliet…" you know, that "f-word" thing, with the little kids and all… yeah, the ones who'll know that word and worse by the time they hit second grade…oh well. Still a great song for more grown-up audiences. Oleg did sneak in the word "ass" instead of the more kid-friendly "bottom" in "Sad Cowboy Song," and nobody appeared to have any fits, as far as I know. All of this is, as you've probably figured out, a clever(?) way of saying I don't remember exactly which songs were played, even though I loved them all and had a very good time. All of you would have too if you could have been there, and maybe one of you would have a better memory than I do. But anyway, it was two hours of pure fun and great music, very pure because there was no beer and the majority of the dancing audience during the first set consisted of the cutest, tiniest little girls who couldn't take their eyes off the guys playing the music. We're talking the kindergarten set and even younger here, it was absolutely adorable, as you can see from the pictures. Zhenya especially seemed to get a big kick out of the tiny tots' attention, and thrilled the tiny music aficionados by playing right to them several times.

During the break everyone milled around and talked and a lot of people with good taste bought merchandise. I was standing between the merchandise table and Igor and a couple who were talking with him, and the woman asked him if he watched "American Idol." He said he hadn't seen any TV in a year or so. (The busy life of a traveling musician and all). As soon as they finished talking, another person came up to him and asked if he had been watching "American Idol." That was pretty funny in a "been there, had that conversation" kind of way. I wonder if Kelly Clarkson, the winner of "American Idol," could sing any Red Elvises songs (probably - that girl could sing a grocery list and sound good!). Wouldn't that be a hoot?

Oleg was on a quest for drum-repair materials and didn't make it back in time for the second set to begin, so a guest drummer from the audience offered to fill in. I believe his name was Mike, and he wasn't bad, even banging away with one broken drum (I know squat about drums, it was a small one, not the big main one with the band name on the front, but I don't know what any of them are called so I can't tell you any more details on that). After a little while, Oleg returned, quickly fixed the drum and took back his throne…uh, seat. The crowd cheered for Mike's playing and Oleg's return. Then followed a lot more great music, Igor and Zhenya each taking a turn on the drums and a lot more people of the taller, adult variety dancing on the concrete in front of the band. I was really tired and feeling somewhat fragile since earlier that day I'd been officially diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (it's manageable, not too bad actually), but I couldn't resist some light dancing for a song or two, in between helping Vladimir a little and just enjoying this year's first outdoor Los Angeles-area Red Elvises show. Just so you know, the next LA-area show, which also happens to be outdoors, is the Lobsterfest in San Pedro, CA on October 5th. And don't ask me where San Pedro is! (There are maps online, it's at the end of the 110 Freeway).

So this goes to show that whether or not you may have heard of the place where Red Elvises are playing, it's still very worthwhile to find out where it is and go there directly from work or from Santa Monica or Outer Space or wherever else you live…unless of course you live several states away, and there are planes to solve that problem! Seriously though, the Valencia show was a lot of fun and I wish everyone could've been there to enjoy it. Be sure and check out the Tour Dates page to see if and when they're coming to a town near you! You'll be glad you did.