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The Annex website said - pre-game and post-game show by the Red
Elvises with times TBA. I could not make it before the game, and so I
arrived right after the game, a little bit after 3:00pm. Parking was
a challenge, as was walking upstream into the fleeing fans for about
five blocks.
I arrived at the Annex to see Oleg, Adam and Igor mussing about on stage. I asked Oleg if they were breaking down or setting up. He said "setting up." Oleg said they' d start playing at 8:00pm. I baited him a little about the pregame show posted on the website as an Annex employee walked over. The employee said "we always do that" and took off with Oleg to talk about the |
Eight o’clock I re-arrived, and soon after the band started playing a number I'd not recalled, "My Baby Likes to Rock and Roll." I enjoyed the song but looking at Igor in his street clothes, I presumed I'd be in for a scaled down show. I was wrong. After the "warm-up song" Red Elvises headed off stage for a fifteen minute break. One song and a break? Trust me, they'd earned it by the end of the night.
Red Elvises returned back to the stage in full print suits regalia and with Elena in a red dress that often kept most male eyes glued to her.
Opening with familiar rock sounding Red Elvises classics left nothing to wonder in the initially small crowd. I used the words that night, and I'll use them again: Elena's playing looked like she was having a catfight with the keyboard. Hair flying, her red dress fluttering, and flashes of nearly too much skin accompanied thunderous keyboard action. When Elena's strap popped off – No, not her dress strap! I know what you guys would be thinking; it popped off her keyboard - Igor filled in for her playing very smoothly while she buttoned it back on there.
"Strip Joint is Closed" - which I never understood why is played midshow - really sounded great with the accordion, maybe not as haunting as some versions, but so crisp and staccato. Oleg's raspy singing seemed a little less raspy with Madison's "No Smoking" ordinance, but on the plus side I didn't smell of smoke when I got home.
Belly Dance, great group showing how they belly dance. An addition not many fans get to see - Adam's mom joined them on stage and danced away. You'll see pics of this taken by others, but my camera is put away during Belly Dance so people can have unbridled fun. Adam was a great showman throughout the show and certainly brought his seat in the back to the forefront with his skills.
| If I recall correctly: a waltz, "Drinking with Jesus," and eventually the
closing song "Baby Likes to…" that they opened with put it at more than
three new songs. I gotta think I forgot one somewhere in there. With
all that new stuff you know some regular favorites got left out, and
I missed "Not That Kinda Guy" the most, others
missed "Hawaii.” "Kegga Beer" would have fit the crowd very well.
I bought the Red Elvises DVD after the show. I watched it at home and it will be a regular spinner in my DVD player. Varied production values always captured the feel and style of the Red Elvises’ performance. The whole family liked the short segments between the |
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 Oleg's shadow |
 The famous drum |