|
Rusty's Surf Ranch |
 |
This was the first Rusty’s Surf Ranch show of the year and the only one listed so far on the tour schedule, so I had a feeling it would be well attended. Happily, I was right. Rusty’s shows have sadly become fewer and farther between with each passing year, making each one more special than usual for its rarity. There were tons of people there that night I’ve never seen at Red Elvises shows before, which is terrific because it means more and more people are coming over to the Red side. Welcome, comrades old and new!
It was really great to see the guys again at this second So Cal show of the year after Oleg and Igor’s two-month stay in Thailand. And that night we had special guests, Stephen Schnee and his wife Gena, both seeing Red Elvises for the first time. Stephen is the Executive Producer of the tsunami relief double CD, “Of Hands and Hearts” that features “Ticket to Japan” as track number six on its first disk. Stephen also sold copies of “Of Hands and Hearts” during the break but if you couldn’t be there to get your copy, it is available at many fine record stores or can be ordered from: www.cheap-cds.com, www.idealcopy.com or www.notlame.com.
I strongly recommend getting "Of Hands and Hearts" because not only are Red Elvises a really cool part of it, proceeds from the sales go to help people in a part of the world that Igor and Oleg really love as well helping other countries where so many people’s lives were devastated by December 2004’s deadly tsunamis. You also get a lot of wonderful exposure to other terrific music on this double CD set you may not hear otherwise, including some unreleased tracks from a few bands. It’s really an amazing collection of music and well worth the very reasonable price, and I do apologize if I sound like an infomercial for it but it really is worthwhile so check it out. “Ticket to Japan” fits in very nicely with all the other songs on the CD...I found myself smiling uncontrollably while listening to it. I would have been dancing except that I was strapped into an airplane seat at the time.
I had fun hanging out before the show, talking to Stephen and Gena (although I had been in touch with Stephen via email since January but this was the first time we’d met in person) and also with people I regularly see at Red Elvises’ shows, and soon the first set got started.
The guys got onstage and started playing and the crowd went wild… The first set songs were “Venice USA,” “Love Rocket,” “Juliet,” “Ticket to Japan,” “Strip Joint is Closed,” “Sad Cowboy Song” and “I Wanna See You Belly Dance.” Girls filled the stage immediately on that last one and it was, as always, very enjoyable dancing on Rusty’s small stage right in the middle of the music… Really, everyone should try it some time if you haven’t already – you’ll feel like a new VH-1 special, “Inside the Music!” (As opposed to “Behind the Music…” Get it? Yeah, ok, nevermind…but trust me, it’s way too much fun to even attempt to describe! Aw, come on, I'm allowed one lame joke per review, aren't I?).
During the break I was recruited to sell merchandise (actually I think I was recruited to do that before the show even started but it’s all good…) so I had a very exciting merchandise-selling session. This being a night when a lot of new fans were in attendance, a lot of them wanted to buy CDs and t-shirts, which is a great way to keep on experiencing a great night with Your Favorite Band. Rock on, everybody, keep those purchases coming, you won’t be sorry!
The second set was equally amazing and by this time there were so many people crowded into the rapidly decreasing amount of available space around the stage that I couldn’t even get back to the front of the stage after putting the merchandise away, so I hung out on the side and took photos from there. The songs played in the second set were “Night Butterfly,” “This Music is Wasted,” “Winter Reggae” (a.k.a. “Natasha Loves Reggae” but the English version), “Rocketman” and a very special treat by special request, as Oleg announced from the stage; someone had traveled a long way to be there and requested “Blue Moon.” We haven’t heard them play “Blue Moon” at Rusty’s in such a long time and we all ate it up like a hot fudge sundae on a meltingly hot summer day...yummy! Igor put on his special Elvis-style glasses and turned his collar up as the music of that song began and the girls started screaming and didn’t stop. Another amazing performance! They played two encores, “Closet Disco Dancer” and “Your Love is Killing Me,” another song we haven’t heard in quite a while and thoroughly enjoyed.
As the last notes of the second encore faded from the air I was again behind the stage opening up the merchandise ready to do more selling. People crowded around, deciding which CDs, t-shirts and posters to buy. (Remember you can order merchandise online if you forgot to buy something at a show…just go to www.redelvises.com and click the “Buy Stuff” link). Then there was much socializing and before long it was time to pack up and go to the after party at Oleg’s. It was a really fun night… To experience all the wondrous details yourself, be sure to plan a visit sometime if you can to Santa Monica when they’re playing at Rusty’s, their home venue, because it is truly an unforgettable experience.