Valencia Marketplace

Valencia, California
August 8, 2003
By Kayt

It’s a long way from the ocean, but we boogied on the beach…or actually, the concrete! Of the four August Red Elvises shows in the Los Angeles area this year, this one in Valencia Marketplace is only one far from a wide expanse of water and sand. And the Valencia Marketplace show was really hot this year! No, I mean temperature-wise, in addition to the guys playing there! It was hotter than any year previously that I’ve been up there. The town is about twenty minutes north of the San Fernando Valley, tucked away in the scenic mountains anyway, so one can safely expect it to be hot in such a place in August, but this year the temperature seemed to top itself…and Red Elvises were playing there too, so of course the place was practically an inferno!

As I drove on the exit ramp off the 5 Freeway I glanced in my rear view mirror and noticed something red and yellow and very familiar coming up the ramp several cars behind me. Big Red, of course, the van containing Our Favorite Band! It’s always a nice feeling to know the band is nearby, on the same road as you, headed to another great show. Each year for the past four years Red Elvises have played the Valencia Marketplace Summer Concert Series and their popularity there has grown. This year there were more people there than ever before, both in front of and behind the stage spread out on the grass. There was more dancing too, by adults as well as the tons of little kids who usually stand and stare or jump up and down in front of the band. Some of the kids started a train-like conga line, walking around rather than dancing, as they made their way across the area between the mini-amphitheater type seating and the spot where the band plays. And then later, some of the adults did their own conga line:



So it looked like people definitely came prepared to have fun, and that, along with terrific, kick ass rokenrol and tons of charm, is what Red Elvises gave them. It was a very high-energy show, for an outdoor early-evening family-style gig. The only thing laid back was the band’s clothing; it was way too hot for the red animal print suits, so t-shirts ruled the day – in fact, Oleg and I were wearing the same white Red Elvises shirt…well, not the exact same shirt, just the same design, of course -- although Schramm did don his top hat with his regular clothes.

They began with, I think, “200 Flying Girls” and urged everyone to come down front and dance. Slowly, people, beginning with the kids, started to give in to the urge to “shake it, baby!” Sometimes, especially without alcohol, it takes people a little while to get rid of their dancing shyness. But once they do, they don’t stop! We had Jamba Juice and Starbucks frappachino style drinks to cool us down…it was just about too hot for beer anyway. They played two sets with a short break in between, and some but not all of the songs, totally out of order as usual, were: “Lovepipe,” “Gypsy Heart,” “Rocket Man,” “Sad Cowboy Song,” during the drum solo of which the other three guys joined Adam in pounding the drums before Schramm went back to his tambourine, “Jerry’s Got a Squeezebox,” “Natasha Loves Reggae” (in English), “Boogie On the Beach,” “Telephone Call From Istanbul,” “Belly Dance” (which ended the first set nicely), “Love Rocket,” “Closet Disco Dancer,” “Blue Moon,” and for a special treat, a medley of the Elvis songs “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Hound Dog.”

I’m sure a lot of people who haven’t seen Red Elvises before probably came away from this show glad they were there. I saw one little punkish girl who I remember seeing last year, so obviously a lot of people make sure to attend each year because they know they’ll have a good time. And maybe even a budding career was begun this year; I noticed a young boy avidly watching Igor’s fingers flying over his guitar while the boy rocked out playing air guitar…he may be a future member of a kick ass rock band someday himself.

It was really really hot in Valencia, but Red Elvises can still rock and make people have fun…and they can almost make you believe that an ocean is…well, just beyond that mountain over there!


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