Third time is a charm as Joseph Hall's Elvis returned to The McPherson Opera House this past Saturday night. Hall was in fine form, as always. His show is high energy and he covered Elvis Presley from three different eras and even sang a couple of songs that I had never heard before. I'd provide the titles of the songs, but it caught me so by surprise to hear unfamiliar Elvis songs, that I just went with the flow and enjoyed them.
There was Elvis of the 50's, clad in white slacks and a silk print shirt. Hall's second song, he sang "Teddy Bear" and tossed bears to the audience. At the end of this song he tossed a giant teddy bear up into the second balcony and an enthusiastic fan reached out way to far over the banister to grab for it; after a few tense minutes while Hall and his announcer waited for the inevitable that thankfully didn't happen, she didn't fall over the railing into the crowd below, the show continued on at a fever pace. McPherson takes Joseph Hall as Elvis very seriously, especially if you're willing to risk your life for a teddy bear. Of course, no one knew about what had happened. My photographer found out this little tidbit during intermission. Hall also sang a variety of other songs from this era which included "Don't Be Cruel", and of course, "Blue Moon".
This lead to Elvis of the 60's, clad in black leather. Check out this photo of Joseph Hall, yes, Joseph Hall not the actual Elvis, hard to believe. I think he must have channeled him because I swear it's Elvis reborn. Hall sang "Satisfaction" "Heartbreak Hotel", "All Shook Up" and one of my favorites, "Stop, Look and Listen". While Hall sang there were photographs of Elvis, his fans, places he recorded at and a variety of other pictures on a screen at the back of the stage which added to the overall effect of the show. Hall does a terrific rendition of Elvis and his entire show causes you to suspend belief that this is someone other than Elvis performing. Before you know it you're drawn in and that's Elvis on stage.
After a short intermission, where Hall met his fans and had pictures taken with them, it was time for Elvis of the 70's in the infamous white jumpsuit. "CeCe Rider" started off the set and then it was time for "Suspicious Minds", which is one of my favorite songs. I always feel like I've hit the trifecta when he sings "In The Ghetto" Suspicious Minds" and "Kentucky Rain". My only complaint, is that Hall always puts his all into "Suspicious Minds" and it's always way to fast. I know that he puts his own spin on the songs and he always comes off a fast up-tempo song when he moves into "Suspicious Minds" and that's probably why it's always so fast, but I wish he'd slow it down a little bit when he sings that particular song.
All in all it was a terrific show, Hall always does Elvis proud. In December, Joseph Hall returns to The McPherson Opera House with his Elvis Christmas show. What a treat! He's never performed Elvis Christmas tunes in McPherson, so I'm eagerly awaiting this show. Check with The McPherson Opera House regarding when tickets will go on sale for this show. I also found out that Hall's Branson show has come to an end, so if you want to see him perform live, The Opera House is one of your best bets. Check out Joseph Hall's website to learn more: http://www.josephhallelvis.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment