The Elvis Big Band Tribute Show
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Date Reviewed: 30/11/2024
The Elvis Big Band Tribute Show is touring Melbourne and regional Victoria, so for all of you Elvis-loving fans out there, head out and enjoy a night of music dedicated to The King.
Being an Elvis tribute show, you’ll get the songs you love, but don’t expect an Elvis impersonator; that’s not what this show is about. The 14-piece band back up ‘Elvis’ on stage, and the high callibre of talent across all musicians is evident. If you close your eyes, you could sometimes be mistaken for thinking the King is still alive (perhaps he is?!).
Whether you’re an Elvis ‘mega-fan,’ or just like his music, this show is an enjoyable evening out for all ages. How lovely to look around the audience and see all kinds of Elvis fans, not to mention a range of ages from children to our elders, all under one-roof, enjoying the music of The King. There were the clear ‘die-hard’ fans; decked out in Elvis costumes or custom-made Elvis tribute outfits (mostly sitting in the front rows and belting out every song with doe-eyed looks towards ‘The King’).
And then you can spot who I like to refer to as the ‘quiet appreciators’; singing along quietly to the songs with a tender smile and glint in their eye, or simply tapping their feet with their eyes fixated on the show, perhaps reminiscing about anther time or place where the music of Elvis left an impression on their life.
Not many people over the course of history affected so many with their music like The King. And with his history of so many hit songs, most of the better-known Elvis songs were covered throughout the evening. But as is often the case often with time restraints, some were omitted (I had been looking forward to ‘Love Me Tender,’ but it was not to be). With such great energy on stage from all the performers, it is hard not to start tapping your feet, clapping your hands to the beat, or belting out the lyrics yourself.
Technically, the show ran quite well but hit a couple of noticeable snags. There were some minor sound issues in the first couple of songs, meaning that the band overshadowed ‘Elvis’ purely in volume levels, drowning out The King and making it hard to clearly hear the lyrics. The lead guitarist seamlessly changed half of the broken guitar strings during the performance, with great professionalism and without affecting the show. Kudos to him!
I felt the need for a troupe of dancers was not necessary for this show, and to a degree, it reduced the high standard that the band and Elvis otherwise brought to the stage, with most dance numbers coming across as quite amateur. However, the costumes, energy, and enthusiasm abounded. When we saw everyone on stage having fun (which they were!), it brought a certain kind of joy and variety to the energy on stage, which I am all for.
A distraction to the audience in the form of an enthusiastic stage manager/roadie popping his head out of the wings throughout the entire night was just that: distracting (albeit very entertaining in its own way). A large portion of the audience could easily see him, as he didn’t shy away from looking out into the audience several times or just standing basically on stage with the band. But in its own quirky way, it also added to the charm and enjoyment of the show. And at the end of the day, it’s the music of Elvis that we all came along for, and we got a really solid show in that regard.
If you love Elvis, this show will give you fantastic vocal and instrumental performances across the board. And who doesn’t love a Big Band live music show?! Go and see The Elvis Big Band Tribute Show when it tours near you!
For tour information please check https://www.elvisbigband.com/