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After the show, we went back to the hotel and… I think… hung out for a while(?). That’s what happens when you’re way past 21 and have a few beers… plus wait two and a half months to get a chance to actually write the concert review. But I know most of us had no worries… a good time was had by all, as far as I know.
On the afternoon of October 31st, Igor, Jamie, Alex, Adam, Sonia (Adam’s girlfriend), Chris, Hitomi, her friend whose name I unfortunately cannot remember (sorry, dude!) and I gathered at Skipper’s to have our traditional seafood and beer lunch. It was delicious, of course, and lots of fun. The kind of experience you wish could go on forever… or at least for several hours. After we ate, I thought we were about to leave. Igor and I were walking around in the concert area looking at posters and whatever, and then someone (Chris? Alex?) brought a tray of beers out to a table for us. So Igor, Alex, Chris, Jamie and I hung out there for a totally indefinite period of time (timekeeping devices just don’t go with beer, sunshine and conversation!) drinking and talking some more.
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Later, it was time to get ready for the show, which meant the costume must be completely and finally figured out. I personally had the challenge of trying to top my 2008 costume, the hula girl lamp that everyone loved so much. For 2009, I decided to go as a Red Elvises song title, a decision born of inadvertently finding a gold sequined dress at a Ross store in Pennsylvania while up there for Musikfest. Metallic platform sandals helped the look, and disco ball earrings and a purse to which I glued vinyl Bee Gees LPs completed the disco portion of my costume. For the closet portion of the concept, I bought one of those plastic wardrobe hanging things and cut the bottom out so I could step inside. Oh, and small wooden hangers went well with my clear-plastic (very very hot, temperature-wise!) closet costume. My song title idea was shared by a couple who dressed all in red and attached bluebirds and butterflies to their clothing – they were “Sex in Paradise,” a really cool idea! More great costumes included “Octomom,” a girl with long dark hair who dressed in black and had a cloth bag full of eight plastic baby dolls hanging around her neck, Magenta and Riff Raff from “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” a man wearing pitcher-of-beer headgear, Sonia as a red devil, Hitomi as a sexy FBI agent, at least one "Elvis," a cavewoman, various witches, fairies, pirates (including Chris’ red pirate costume… aye!), Jamie as Marilyn Monroe again and Alex again wearing his rasta wig, which interfered unmercifully with his camera gear.
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Soon it was time to begin the show. The area in front of the stage was packed with people, many in costume, some not, ready to have a great time. They started with "200 Flying Girls," then played "Ukranian Dance #13," "Into the Sun," "Love Rocket," "Ticket to Japan," "Flaming Cheese," "Strip Joint is Closed," "Sad Cowboy Song," "Susanna," "Drinking with Jesus" and "Belly Dance" for the first set. They opened the second set with "Lovepipe," then played another old favorite, "Gypsy Heart." They then finally played Milka's new song, "Grape Jelly and Chili," followed by "Better Than Cocaine, "Winter Reggae," "Memoirs of a Hooker," and "Closet Disco Dancer." I was at the merchandise table helping Chris when they started playing "my" song, and Chris told me, "Go up there, they're playing 'Closet Disco Dancer!'" It was so hot I no longer had my plastic "closet" on, and there was no time to put it on, so I ran up to the front with my little wooden hangers hanging from the front of my disco dress. Igor invited me up onstage and put a microphone in front of me to sing the "Oh oh oh oh oh ohhhh" part. Yes, sing... me. Yikes! But I was up there, and knew I had to rise to the occasion. So I danced, finger pointing up, up and up... and sang the best I could... (Is this thing on? Unfortunately, I think it was!). I guess I did all right, didn't notice anyone putting their fingers in their ears or running away in horror. I enjoyed my moment, anyway... 5.15 or so minutes of fame. Right after "Closet Disco Dancer," they started playing "My Love is Killing Me," so I ran back to the merch table to let Chris go up front, since that's his favorite - and signature - song ("Don't call me Chris, my name is Elvis..."). They finished up the second set with "Rocketman," "Juliet," "Sex in Paradise," "Jerry's Got a Squeezebox" and new one, "Let's Get Drunk and Funk." During "Sex in Paradise," Igor called for the couple dressed up as the song title to come up onstage, so one got on one side and one on the other. It was very visual and lots of fun. Did you notice I somehow managed to keep up with my set lists for this show?
After the audience left with happy memories and everything was packed up, I caught a ride in the band's van for the half mile or so trip back to the hotel. Hitomi had asked me to drive her to the airport for her early flight, at 4:30 a.m., so she was going to stay in my room, where we planned to take a nap of maybe a couple of hours. A few of us hung out in Chris' room, drinking and talking, winding down from all the festivities. It was "veerrry nice" as Borat would say.
I wished I could have made it to the Orlando show the next night, where Milka was playing with her band, The Little Debbies, to open. But I had to make the long drive home. My Halloween weekend with Red Elvises was great!! Well worth the drive, of course, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Halloween with Red Elvises is not to be missed! It'll be time to start thinking of a cool costume soon, in case they play a Halloween show again.
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