In Florida with Red Elvises!
December 22-23, 2005
From Scott Davis’ Blog (reprinted with his permission)
Intro by Kayt:
I had the pleasure of meeting Scott Davis at the Johnstown Folk Festival on Labor Day weekend
this year when Red Elvises played there. Luckily for Scott, his work sent him to Florida just
in time to see the guys play Sarasota and Tampa on December 22nd and 23rd so it was great that
he could enjoy seeing the band again at those shows. Timing is everything! When I read these
two Red entries in his blog, I had to ask him if we
could share them with everyone...
Puttin’ on the Red
By Scott Davis, December 23rd
I went to see The Red Elvises at the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota on Thursday night. It was my
fourth show, and I had an amazing time as always. The venue seemed a little stiff for an
Elvises show, but they didn’t hold back at all. The House manager asked them to keep it quiet
for the first couple of hours, but the traditional Love Pipe opening threw that out the window.
I was surprised by how receptive many of the oldtimers were to the Elvises, and many of them
were tearing up the dance floor.
Oleg remembered me from the Johnstown show, asking if I drove all the way to Florida. He
introduced me to some Elvises superfans, and I hung around with them throughout the show. Kayt,
who runs the Red Elvises fanzine, was at her 99th show and Chris was at his 25th. Everyone was
very nice, and they will all be at the show tonight in Tampa.
After the show, I got to hang out with the Elvises for over an hour. I mostly talked to Adam
about drumming, and he gave me some tips on using the Moeller technique and performing the
“fake twirl.” Schramm entertained us with stories about playing in Siberia with Limpopo, and
everyone was talking about some really interesting side projects. The band and the fans were
excited about the show at Skipper’s in Tampa tonight because it’s supposedly a great venue.
I’ll be sure to post plenty of photos.
You can see Scott's photos in the "Photos" section!
Red Christmas
By Scott Davis, December 24th
After a fantastic Red Elvises show in Sarasota on Thursday night, I got to see them again in
Tampa on Friday. The Friday show blew Thursday’s out of the water, and it was probably the best
show I’ve seen. The venue was Skipper’s Smokehouse where the Elvises had played before, so
there was a definite fan base present. Skipper’s was a really cool place, and the ambiance in
the outdoor venue was amazing.
At this show, the Elvises did not have to announce that they were a dance band because the
floor was packed before they even took the stage. Everyone started crowding in as the opening
act, The Vodkanauts, wrapped up their set. The Vodkanauts were okay, but not at all what I
expected. They played a lot of cheesy covers and unimpressive instrumental pieces. Back to the
Elvises.
There was a huge ovation when the Elvises started setting up their equipment, and an even
bigger one when they returned in full costume. Love Pipe was the opening song, as usual, and
the entire place yelled “Love Pipe” during the first break in the music. This was quite a
contrast from the previous show at the Ritz where I was the only one participating during the
song.
Musically, the Elvises were on point and they solicited more crowd participation than ever. The
guys appeared to be having a really good time, maybe because of the constant supply of Corona
to the stage. During “I Wanna See You Bellydance” girls kept piling onto the stage to the point
where I was wondering how much weight it could hold. The first set closed with Sad Cowboy Song
and a tremendous drum solo by Adam Gust.
The second set was even more electric, and included favorites like Rocket Man, Juliet and
Jerry’s Got a Squeezebox. Everyone in the crowd was participating by the end, and the Elvises
played 3 encores. I am so happy that my travel with work corresponded with these shows. I asked
the guys if they were going to return for the Johnstown FolkFest this year, and they said it
depended on their booking agent. Cross your fingers!
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