RED BIRTHDAY
July 14, 2007
By Lee Sapaden
Birthdays for me tend to be very spectacular, or very low-key. There’s no middle ground. My birthday party on the 14th of July definitely landed smack dab in the realm of the spectacular…
But first, May 19th…
It was the day after I had seen my first Red Elvises show (May 18th at Rusty’s Surf Ranch in Santa Monica). After years of missing them for one reason or another, I finally made it to a show. I was hooked. I was stunned. I was feeling everything that I’m sure most of you felt when you saw your first Red Elvises show…
Mostly…I wanted MORE.
I bought a CD at the show, got the bumper sticker, and got the postcard with upcoming tour dates: “July 13th: San Diego…July 15th: San Francisco. What, no LA show on the 14th or 16th? Not even Sacramento?” (My parents live in Sacramento; a trip to see them is always a good option.)
And then a few weeks later, the band posted their revised schedule. Which included a July 14th show in Santa Monica…
My birthday is on the 15th, a Sunday…people have to work on Monday so we shouldn’t party then. But Saturday… It was all too perfect. My favorite band, my birthday, a wild summer Saturday night…
Now I had to convince my friends…and family.
I was in Sacramento for the first few weeks in July and told my parents that I would be leaving them right before my birthday. As an only child who’s close to his parents, it was kind of hard for me to do. They love spending my birthday with me.
But they’re good, supportive parents…who are very fun-loving people themselves. They told me to go south and have fun…
Besides, I had already begun the task of trying to convince my friends to go. Most of my friends are fellow actors, writers, and artists…the “financially light,” aspiring, and yet-to-be established kind. A night out is something to be scrutinized very, very seriously.
I figured that I was going to have a great birthday no matter what: No one shows up? I’m still watching my favorite band do their thing. Everyone shows up? Instant Party + Red Elvises Concert = Unforgettable Birthday!
I sold my friends on the experience…how a Red Elvises concert is like nothing else that they had ever seen. There were crazy blogs written and crazy e-mails sent with crazy lists of reasons why they should go. Including:
- They play surf, rock, disco, Russian, and "other" music...Surely you must like one of those?
- They put a billion of their best songs on their website...ready to download. Any band that does that should at LEAST deserve to have you head down to the Santa Monica pier on Saturday night to see them perform.
About 500 miles and a few days later, I was on the Santa Monica pier with my eclectic bunch of friends…
I was in high spirits and was overjoyed to see friends from all far corners of my world (only two of them actually knew each other). Brimming with excitement, I wanted to tell them about everything that they were about to experience, but that would have ruined the surprise…
Admittedly, I was still a little bit nervous as to whether my friends would like the band or not. It can be hard to sell your friends on a band that you can’t describe.
One thing I said to some of my friends leading up to the concert was: “You have to go. They have a song called ‘Drinking with Jesus!’ Any band that has a song like that has to be fun, right?”
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Very fittingly, Igor opened the show with:
“First song is ‘Drinking with Jesus’…”
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About 30 seconds into the song, I looked behind me and saw my friends. They all had the same look of pleasant surprise and awe on their face: the cool “What the Hell did we just stumble in to?!?!” look. They were loving it… By the second song, “Love Rocket,” they were all jumping up and down like it was their fifth Red Elvises show instead of their first…
For me especially, it was a phenomenal night. I got to hear all of my favorite songs (“Venice Beach,” “Ukrainian Dance #13,” “Ticket to Japan” and so many others). And I was able to share the experience with my very happy friends… We conga-lined through the “Sad Cowboy Song.” We did the bizarro hand motion during “Rocket Man.” We Travolta’d through “Closet Disco Dancer...”
We loved every second of it...
Some of my friends’ random observations during their first concert:
- “Oh my God, they’re amazing!”
- “They can PLAY! They’re not just eye candy…” ( Regarding Elena and Beth)
- “Where did they get those clothes?” (Regarding Igor and Oleg’s animal prints)
- “He can drum…” (My cool rocker friend’s assessment of Adam)
- “They’ve got great charisma…”
Lee and a few of his friends at the show.
We had planned to take a billion pictures, but we were too busy dancing. Needless to say, my friends are now fans of Red Elvises.
And the day after, we pored over the updated tour schedule. Road trips to Phoenix and Sacramento are being seriously considered. Also, my friends and I are trying to find “gaps” in the schedule where more L.A. shows could be added…
It was one of my better birthdays. I think my 2008 birthday has an impossible act to follow...
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