Happy Birthday to Dan!
Milwaukee, Racine and Green Bay, WI
October 5th - 9th, 2007
By Dan and Lisa Pollack
What better way to spend a birthday (50th, sheesh!) then seeing the Red Elvises perform four times?
Lisa and I started my whirlwind extravaganzical Birthday week on Friday, October 5th seeing the Red Elvises at the Northern Lights Theater at the Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee. And it’s a great venue. It’s the closest Milwaukee has to a Vegas showroom and the acoustics are great.
We got the word out and had 20 of our friends and family join us in the booths right in front of the stage. We told everyone that it was my Birthday party. At the show I was telling everyone the B-day party thing was just an excuse to get everyone to come see our favorite band. Even my mom came to see the show. (And she said she enjoyed them a lot. Way to go, Mom.)
Lisa and I spent the whole time up on our feet dancing, taking photos and mingling. And the Red Elvises even sang Happy Birthday to me. What a great Birthday present.
Oleg introduced me to Chris [Mundwiler] and his family, who had come up from Florida to help out and see them perform. It really doesn't amaze me the lengths people will go to experience the Red Elvises. The experience is just that good. Even better.
The band put out their usual 110% and had everyone dancing, clapping, yelling, screaming, tapping their feet and bopping their heads to the music.
Igor picking out those whimsical riffs and high kicking in his improvisational dances, Oleg mugging for the audience with his neverending smile and thumping his bass-balalaika like there's no tomorrow, Elena, with fingers flying over the keyboards, hair flying fantastically as she jams out a solo, Adam pounding out the beat and flowing with fantabulous flare, Roman jamming on the sax and flute, and all of them singing their hearts out with the whimsical and captivating lyrics. What's not to love about the Red Elvises?
At the end of the show, Adam came to the edge of the stage and handed me his drumsticks. What a thrill and another great B-day present.
Saturday night we went down to Racine and saw them at McCaluiffe’s. It’s a cozy little bar, and again they band worked their magic and had the audience in the palm of their hand.
At the beginning of the first set, I turned on my video camera and didn’t turn it off until the end of the set. It was quite difficult trying to keep the camera steady while my whole body wanted to dance and move to the music. I think I did all right though.
Again, we met Chris and his family. We hung out with them during the show and had a great time.
Sunday, we wanted to see the Red Elvises in Green Bay, but couldn’t get a room. The Packers played the Bears there and there wasn’t a room to be found in the city. So we stayed home, watched the Packers lose, waaaa, and listened to the Red Elvises on CDs to console ourselves. You just can’t be anything but happy listening to their music.
We got up to Green Bay on Monday, watched the band, and had dinner with them afterwards.
I have to tell you, even though we’ve gotten to spend time with them, and have gotten to know them, Lisa and I are still in awe and a little bit shy when we do get to spend time with them. After all, they are International Rock Stars.
Tuesday was my Birthday. And it was bittersweet. Getting to see the Red Elvises perform again, and knowing that it would be the last show before they left the area and were on their way.
So, four days hanging with the Red Elvises and getting to watch and hear them live. Can you think of a better way to spend a Birthday?
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