Red Elvises at the Bank and Blues Club in Daytona Beach, FL
October 23, 2009
By Kayt
One of my favorite towns to see Red Elvises in is Daytona Beach, Florida, because you can’t go wrong when you factor in an awesome band, a party-like atmosphere at a hotel on a beach, a smallish but cool club with a great dance floor and the camaraderie of great friends. Like the previous year, I invited two of my oldest and dearest friends to join in the Daytona Beach festivities. Unfortunately, one of them, Lori J., got sick with bronchitis during the week and couldn’t make it. Nancy joined me for the weekend though, and we had a really fun time, although we missed Lori, who was sick and stuck in Jacksonville. The band had to drive up to Daytona Beach all the way from Key West, which was a really long trip. They made it though… I don’t remember if we got to see them before going to the Bank and Blues Club, but I think we saw them briefly at the hotel.
After Nancy arrived, and of course, after the band arrived, we went to the club anticipating a fantastic show. Chris had the merch set up in the usual spot and I agreed to help him some with it. The crowd was the polar opposite of the folks in Greenville the night before. The Bank and Blues Club crowd was energized and ready to rokenrol and dance! People in Florida who go to Red Elvises shows love the band, in all its many forms, and they know how to have a good time. Bobby and Thaida, from St. Augustine, were there too. They’re the ones who throw the annual Halloween party blasts and had the band play at one of their parties a couple of years ago.
The band got up on the small, high stage and started the show with a lot of energy. That night, Igor wore his red and black suit and Milka wore a short purple plaid dress and boots. They played a lot of the songs they played the previous night but also more, I’m pretty sure. Again, I took notes but misplaced my list for that show too (sorry again). In no particular order, the highlights were “200 Flying Girls,” “Ukranian Dance #13,” “Love Rocket,” “Ticket to Japan,” “Strip Joint is Closed,” “Lovepipe,” “Gypsy Heart,” “Rocketman,” “Winter Reggae,” “Memoirs of a Hooker,” “Sad Cowboy Song,” “Belly Dance,” “My Love is Killing Me” (Chris' favorite song!) and more. I’m pretty sure they also played their new song, “Let’s Get Drunk and Funk” too, but I could have that night mixed up with another night. “Closet Disco Dancer” and most likely “Juliet” were two of the encores. The Bank and Blues stage is too small for girls to get onstage during “Belly Dance,” but we all made up for that on the dance floor. The place was jumping…and waltzing and wriggling and disco dancing and twisting and… well, you name it, dancing and wild times were going on there. Everybody seemed to have a very good time and the happiness was definitely spilling out of the place.
Afterwards, back at the hotel, we hung out deep into the night drinking beer, eating seafood (a huge thank you goes out, again, to Chris Mundwiler for arranging the party!) and talking. The band was going on to Bradenton the next day, but Nancy and I were spending the rest of the weekend in Daytona Beach to relax. Any time you have a chance to see Igor and Red Elvises in Florida, don’t hesitate to go. Great music and warm (usually) weather in October is an unbeatable combination.
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