The True and Amazing Adventures of an American Girl Seeing Red Elvises in Russia
September 5-16, 2003
By Sarah Savoy
With this brief introduction (and title!) by Kayt:
Here's a very cool write up that not only comes
to us all the way from Russia but also gives a glimpse into life there as well as an account of
seeing Our Favorite Band play in a Moscow club. And I can't believe I was talked about all
the way over there! Wow, thanks Sarah and Red Elvises! And now on to Sarah's story...
My Vlad and I first went out to meet the guys Friday
night, September 5th, to see Russian rock legends
Aquarium. Vlad and I were shopping when Igor called
me and told me I had an hour to get to the club and
that we’d be on the list with Red Elvises. Well, it
takes an hour to get home from where we were and we
had been at work all day so we first had to go home,
drop off the huge bag of clothes and our heavy
work-bags with computers and such, scramble into the
shower and then into clean clothes, then take the
metro another half hour to B-2 to meet up with the
guys. This should have taken two hours at the very,
very least and we somehow made it in an hour and a
half with me putting on mascara and shoes at the same
time I was cheering Vlad through his coffee like an
impatient one-girl pep squad.
We made it, anyway, which of course is the important
part, and we walked up to the third floor and found the
guys. After introducing Vlad, Oleg immediately pulled
me over to the bar for shots of tequila. (There
really is a Red Elvises-show point to this, I
promise!) This was the start of it all. We got beers
and the show began. I haven’t heard a whole lot of
Aquarium’s music, but I’ve liked what I have heard. I
don’t know most of what they played but I remember
that one of the first songs (I think, to be specific,
it was the third song, but I really can’t be sure) was
“You Belong to Me,” a song that, as I announced to the
guys, always makes me cry. It didn’t this time,
however, because Oleg kept staring at me and grinning,
demanding that I cry. Okay, you guys aren’t
interested in this part so I will move on...Vlad went
down to watch the show and Oleg, Aileena and I kept
drinking. Igor wasn’t drinking and I couldn’t figure
out why, so I made him come to the bar to get a shot
of tequila with us. He took it, then went home,
explaining that he was feeling a bit flu-ish. The
night went on and after the show the rest of us tried
to get backstage but they wouldn’t let us. This was
weird to me, because first of all, I can usually just
walk backstage like I know what I’m doing and no one
really tells me anything. I didn’t try that. The
second thing that’s weird is that here I can normally
say, “Look, I don’t speak Russian. I’m an American
friend of [insert appropriate friend's name here].
Can you go get him?” And then
they just let me in. So I don’t know what the hell
that was all about. I know Aquarium is “legendary,”
but still...Oleg tried too, explaining that he is in
Red Elvises and they still didn’t, so I guess God or
Putin or somebody was hanging out back there. Who
wouldn’t let a Red Elvis in somewhere? Ignorant!
Anyway, we then all went to a sushi bar on
the...um...I think it was probably the second floor,
but I’m not entirely sure about this part
either...with some other guys (friends and fans, one
who was wearing a little woolly white hat with sheep
ears on it) and had sushi, saki and more beer. We
hung out there laughing and talking a lot and taking
lots of pictures until really late but I don’t
remember when we left. I know we all left together
and that Vlad and I took a car home, but I fell asleep
in the car and I don’t remember what time we got home.
This always happens to me when I meet up with these
guys.
Okay, so the first of the two Red Elvises shows in
Moscow was to be at a club called B-2 at 10:00 on the
following Saturday, September 6th. Vlad and I woke up
around 1:30, had a late breakfast, I re-dyed my hair
(just black, because now I have to be a
professional-looking working lady), we cleaned the
apartment a bit, then decided to take a one-hour nap.
We fell asleep around 4 and didn’t wake up until
8-freaking-45. We had had plans to meet up with
friends at the club to watch Russia battle Ireland in
soccer on the television in the bar at 5:30!! Okay,
so again with the rushing through the apartment (and
“Where the hell is my red skirt? Oh, screw it, I’ll
just wear this red sweater.”) I called Igor and they
were already there and I was practically crying into
the phone, “Oh, my gosh, we’re so f***ing out-of-it!
We over-slept! What time are you guys really
starting? Oh crap! Okay, can you PLEASE, PLEASE just
wait for us? PLEASE?” He just told me to hurry up
and get there.
Again, we miraculously made it. Some things are just
meant to happen, right? We ran through the streets
and ran through the metro and hurried security through
checking our bags for weapons or potato chips (Vlad
was quite upset because we hadn’t had dinner and he
wanted to at least have his potato chips before
drinking) and rushed the currency-exchange guy to
hurry up and give us rubles (most ATMs just give
dollars which is nice since it means you can find a
better exchange rate and sucks because you have to
find a currency-exchange place) and ran up to the
third floor again and almost ran straight into Igor,
who was just on his way to get dressed. Oleg came up
and roared some sort of greeting at me and was off in
a red streak across the room. We then had a few
minutes to catch our breath, greet my friend Zhenya
who had caught us running in (and had to follow us
because we weren’t stopping), get beer, and get down
to the stage.
Actually, it was all in perfect timing. We met
Aileena sitting with her friends at a table on a
little level up from the dance floor, put down our
things, I got out my camera and talked to some girls
from California who have seen the Red Elvises at the
Santa Monica pier and had spoken to them on the plane
on their way here, and the show began.
OKAY, IF YOU’RE SCROLLING THROUGH ALL OF THIS TO GET
TO THE PART ABOUT THE SHOW YOU CAN STOP NOW...
Oleg was wearing my-favorite-of-all-favorites-of-Oleg’s-outfits, the
shiny red suit with the gold-thread embroidery and
gold piping. He wore a red satin shirt under it and
his shiny gold shoes. He was beautiful. Igor was
equally captivating, however, in his tiger-stripe suit
and shirt with red-and-yellow checkered Creepers-style
shoes. Joining them for this show were a guy named
Oleg on drums (My friend Zhenya says that he
recognized him because this Oleg performs with one of
the best contemporary female voices in jazz every
Friday night at the M Bar) who was sort of hiding
behind his blue and red drums in a black-and-blue
striped shirt, a grey-and-white striped tie and black
jeans. Misha, who was playing sax, was dressed up a
bit more for his place out with the Red Elvises
in black slacks, a black satin shirt with a red
collar, a yellow tie, a blue coat with black lapels,
and shiny, heavy-looking black shoes. They had also
found a keyboard player who was really great and took
some totally wild solos, but he only wore a white
shirt with a dark tie and dark pants. I didn’t notice
his shoes. That’s okay, though, because it’s our guys
who absolutely must stand out the most, right?
On to the songs...
The first song was “200 Flying Girls,” one that I
haven’t heard them play in at least two years. I was
really excited to hear it (Okay, and just generally
freaking out to be seeing them in Moscow...) and I
danced and sang along and didn’t take pictures for
that one. The best thing about a really dedicated
musician is that you can never tell he’s feeling
anything but absolutely thrilled to death to be
exactly where he is doing exactly what he’s doing. As
mentioned previously, Igor wasn’t feeling well (the
weather here has been just awful--no summer
whatsoever), but he rocked the place from the start.
The next one was Oleg’s “Boogie on the Beach” and the
crowd was just insane and singing along on the chorus
and dancing wildly.
Now, here’s the thing -- I was drinking, so I don’t
remember the order from there on out. I stole the set
list at the end of the show, but some girls had
written a note to Igor on it so I gave it to him and
forgot to get it back to copy down the order. I know
that they performed “Kosmonaft Petrov,” “Gypsy Heart”
(first half in English, second in Russian which
excited me because the second verse in Russian is my
favorite), “Closet Disco Dancer” (and the crowed
disco-ed right along), “Lovepipe” and “Blue Moon.”
I’m pretty sure they also did “I Wanna See You
Belly Dance,” but I don’t really remember and I know
that there were no girls on stage at any point during
the show.
Ah hah! I found the set list so I guess I DID
actually remember to take it back after all. See?
Okay, it goes like this: “200 Flying Girls,” “Boogie
on the Beach,” “Gypsy Heart,” “Night Butterfly,” “Love
Pipe,” “Love Rocket,” “Disco Dancer,” (“Jerry’s Got a
Squeezebox” is scratched out here), “Blue Moon,”
“Jerry’s Got a Squeezebox,” (“Disco Dancer” is
scratched out here -- these boys know their stuff),
“Kosmonavt Petrov,” and “Belly Dance.” Below the whole
thing is written the number twelve, so on the back of
the set list I wrote “#12 My Darling Lorraine” but
they didn’t play it. By the way, since it’s nothing
personal, the note that was written (virtually
illegibly) says in Russian, “Igor sing I Wanna...” and
then a scribble that looks like Cryllic for a word
that would sound like balto. I don’t know if that’s a
word in Russian or English or any other language, but
that’s what it looks like even to Vlad, who is
Russian.
This was my first time seeing the guys without Zhenya
and, while I didn’t see the new line-up, I was really
wondering how everything was going to sound.
The second time they played (or were supposed to play)
was at Club Zeppelin. Why the hell would anyone on
earth book a show here? I can’t figure out what Igor
was thinking, but I guess he just didn’t know. I was
reading about the club three nights before the show in
an English-language magazine here called “Lifestyle”
and they had done a section on Moscow clubs. The part
about Zeppelin said something about how you need “at
least $200 in your pocket” and should “brace yourself
for the face control.” The description of the club
focused on little more than money (“VIP corners that
would shock even the most prosperous Muscovite”) and
beautiful girls (“good luck getting into this one
unless you’re famous or an up-and-coming model -- the
place is crawling with them”). Right. So, I get
there dressed in a nice, short red skirt, black 3”
heeled sandals (and I’m already 6’1”) and a black top
with my makeup, nails (red) and hair as perfect as I
can manage and befitting jewelry and have to stand
like a dog at the front gate because they wouldn’t let
me in. Now, I’m not an up-and-coming model, nor do I
look like I could be, but I don’t think I’m ugly,
either, and no one has ever made me feel that I am,
so... I don’t know. I’ve accidentally been in some
of these “face controlled” places and there’s been no
problem getting in (had I known that they were, I
honestly wouldn’t have gone and spent money there in
the first place because I think the idea is bullshit)
but this night was an entirely different story.
Anyway, Aileena and her friends got in and I was on
the guest list (plus two) and they still didn’t let me
in. Aileena is really beautiful and so are the
friends of hers that I have met, but they even hassled
one of her friends telling her that Aileena didn’t
have any extras on the list with her. I think that
was eventually sorted out, though, and it was
discovered that they were only being assholes.
So, this guy that had played sax at the first show
showed up and I spotted him and spoke to him. He was
saintly enough to let me use his phone to call Igor
and ask what the hell was going on. That led to
nothing, but I did eventually see Oleg’s bright red
head bobbing out of the backstage door and he tried to
get them to let me in. Still nothing! They told him
I was too drunk. I said I wasn’t and he said, “Yes,
you are.” I wasn’t, though, because I managed for the
first time in my life to get a car home in Moscow all
by myself without being killed (or worse) on the way.
Oleg told me that night, “We’re not playing anyway, so
don’t worry about it. Come to see us off at our
dinner Tuesday night.”
Tuesday night was actually really great. I didn’t
know what time everyone was going to be at the
restaurant so Vlad and I got home from work, took our
showers and had dinner, and were just relaxing at the
kitchen table (well, I was working and he was
relaxing, anyway) when Aileena called asking us why
we weren’t there yet and telling us they were waiting
for us. I had to beg Vlad to get dressed all over
again and come with me, but he did because he’s a
sweet boy. Getting there was much more difficult. We
took a car (actually, we took a real taxi instead of
just hailing a car on the street and the whole idea of
it was that I figured we would save time by not taking
the metro) and we just happened to get stuck with
someone who knows Moscow even less than I do. We
should have figured this out when he turned away from
the center toward Moscow State University but we were
kind and decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
STUPID! He drove us all over the center, ignoring
Vlad’s suggestions as to where we really should be
going, until finally Vlad had him pull over and let us
out somewhere about a forty-minute metro ride from
where we actually needed to be.
I thought the whole ordeal was just so stupid that it
was absolutely hilarious but Vlad was in a grumpy mood
after having to deal with the poor idiot. We got
another car and the guy took us directly to the
restaurant. We were about an hour later than we would
have been had we just taken the metro, but we got
there all the same and found the table where everyone
was drinking beer, having shots of vodka and eating. I
didn’t see the guys and worried for a second that we
might have missed them until I just got into the fun
of hanging out with Aileena and her friends. Vlad
cheered up and Oleg showed up and danced for us and
made witty comments. We all hung out and drank and
laughed and talked. Igor eventually stumbled out of a
back room where he had been sleeping, but he stayed
downstairs most of the time. Oleg and I talked about
the Red Pages and how great Kayt is and just had a
really nice conversation about writing, marketing and
promotions. Aileena is obsessed with one of Zhenya’s
songs and she sang it for us into a piece of bread
that I stuck on a fork for her to use as a microphone.
So, we all left together and Vlad and I managed to get
another intelligent driver home. I was a bit hungover
and exhausted for work the next day (the night was one
of those, “No, no vodka for me tonight, thank you. I
have to work.” ...a minute later...”Oh, okay, well,
just one, okay? Please don’t ask me again.”...a
minute later...”Wooo! Okay, another one!!”) but it
was all well worth it. I only got to see Red Elvises
perform once in Russia, but I guess I’ll still be here
next year and I’ll see them at least once more. It
was great. Next time they’re here, I think all Red
Elvises fans should get together and fly here, rent a
hotel in Moscow and enjoy the supreme energy of a Red
Elvises crowd in Russia.
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