The spirit of Elvis was brought to life on Saturday (Feb. 9) at Olde Walkerville Theatre in Windsor when local Elvis tribe artist James Gibb and The Silvertones pulled out a Presley escapade that held nothing back. Performed over three different sets with three completely different looks, Gibb’s Loving You brought a young Elvis to the mainstage of the city’s grand old lady for a show that lasted nearly two and a half hours.
The epic high energy performances packed in a whopping 34 songs than spanned the 1950s, Elvis’ movie years and his infamous ’68 Comeback Special.
For the 1950s portion of the show, Gibb was dressed in a vintage jacket that was manufactured by the same company that made Elvis’ 1958 jacket that was worn when he was sworn in to the military. The authentic heavy wool jacket seemed to give Gibb an honest vintage vibe as he plowed his way through the hits like That’s All Right, Blue Moon of Kentucky, Heartbreak Hotel, All Shook Up, Don’t Be Cruel and Hound Dog. It was great to see songs like A Fool Such As I and It Is So Strange make it to the vintage playlist.
During the Movies set, Gibb came out looking like Elvis from King Creole and heavily relied on material from that movie (including Crawfish, Dixieland Rock, As Long AS I Have You, Young Dreams and King Creole) as well as the concert’s title track Loving You. The film set was rounded out with a few choice tracks like Blueberry Hill and Treat ME Nice, but the coolest song of the entire night went to Rock-A-Hula Baby from the 1961 movie Blue Hawaii. The live band made this section of the show as lively as the movies.
Gibb and the band closed out the evening with a lively tribute to the 1968 Singer Presents…Elvis television show (commonly referred to as the ’68 Comeback Special). The Comeback Special was an interesting time in Elvis’ career when there was a hunger to perform music again, after making more than 30 films in Hollywood. As expected, Gibb came out dressed in a leather outfit that resembled the same one The King wore on the TV show.
The energetic Comeback portion was highlighted with a mini sit-down session in a semi-circle of band members as they tore through Blue Suede Shoes, Lawdy Miss Clawdy and several others, including a touching rendition of Memories.
Gibb is at his absolute best when he performs with The Silvertones and its easy to see why. This band is hot. They nailed the music and gave it a vintage vibe that sounded like it was hot off the vinyl itself. Chris and Joel Mayville have assembled an amazing band and a lot of the show’s feel and vibe were clearly because of their relationship with Gibb.
It was certainly a night of Elvis Presley moments that would have made the King proud. Gibb and The Silvertones went above and beyond to give one hell of a performance spanning those incredible years of high output and insane energy. He really seemed like he was touched by the King for this performance. His voice was stunning and he nailed the shakes, quakes and hand movements as if he got lessons from Elvis himself.
It’s Gibb’s attention to detail and his sense of storytelling that makes his Elvis show so entertaining. From the desire to get the same vintage clothing to knowing the exact details of every song he performs, it’s a night of Elvis brought to you by someone that loves Elvis with that same passion he exudes. Watch for Gibb in the future and check out why his fans are raving about it.
For now, Elvis has left the building, but he returns in a different form when Norm Ackland performs his tribute at the Scottish Club of Windsor on Feb. 23.
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