Sunday, September 03, 2006

 

Danny Vernon's Illusions of Elvis show

On Thursday, Aug. 31st I attended another show with Danny Vernon presenting his "Illusions of Elvis" show in the large bingo hall of the Northern Lights Casino near Anacortes, WA. This is my second time seeing his show and it was as enjoyable as the first time, but I did like the smaller room that it was in back in May better as it was a lot more cozy. This room was just too big, the seats too uncomfortable, no table in front of each of us and there were too many people (around 600.) This time I took my camera along and I learned it is hard to take photos with stage lighting of moving performers. Getting good focus was hard and they tend to move enough that there is some blur introduced from their movements. I have selected about nine photos that kind of cover the event and are for the most part fairly sharp. These are all with just the stage lighting, no flash. Flash would have been a lot sharper but I think it looses the feeling of the performance.

This show also had two other performers, one as Buddy Holly and one as Ritchie Valens. I have a photo here of the Ritchie Valens singer but the other was not on long, I didn't go up front near the stage while he was singing and so I don't have any decent photos of him. There are a pair of dancers, "Double Trouble," who are good and dance along with some of the Elvis songs. Danny's wife, Marcia, also performs on stage with him singing backup. Now off to the photos, with a brief description of each:

Here is Danny in his portrayal of Elvis in his middle years. He breaks the show down into three eras- early Elvis, the middle years and the final years. That is his wife, Marcia, in the background singing backup:
Elvis 01

Danny is performing with the dancers, "Double Trouble" in this photo:
Elvis 02

Here they are again. The nearest dancer reminds me a lot in appearance of SW, except SW is not a blond:
Elvis 03

I am sorry that I don't have the name of this performer who is in the role of Ritchie Valens, but he was good & really got the audience participating:
Elvis 03a

This is Danny's late Elvis part of the show, with Marcia in the background:
Elvis 04

Danny's whole show is a high-energy performance:
Elvis 05

Elvis loved the ladies in the audience and Danny seems to also. Here he is presenting scarves to some of them while singing. My DIL was in this position at the show we attended in May but Danny came to her in the audience, plus she also got a kiss:
Elvis 06

Danny does get pretty emotional during his performance. You get the feeling he loves doing this and really gets into his role:
Elvis 07

This is the conclusion of the show with all the performers on-stage. This is the only decent photo I have of "Buddy Holly" and it does not include the drummer nor the two guitarists. The musical backup was by live performers and it was good:
Elvis 08

I have included a link above to Danny's offical web site. You can hear some of his music there and check out his performance schedule as well as see more photos. Most of his shows are in the northwest but I understand he has performed in Las Vegas and other places. If you have a chance to go see him, do it, especially if you are a fan of the music of Elvis Presley.

It was a learning experience for me as far as the photography is concerned. I deleted four times as many photos as I kept due to them not being up to the quality I prefer and really none of them are really great. But, I am learning.

Edit: 5 Sep 2006 - "Buddy Holly's" actual name is Ray Sanchez. "Ritchie Valens'" actual name is Ray Anthony.

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Comments:
Those are great shots Dick, I can understand how difficult it must have been to get more that were as good though.

Glad you enjoyed the show!
 
Well ok, I have to admit, it looked like a great time. I love Ritchie Vallens and Buddy Holly too!! I bet the music was great! I think I might have gotten up to dance......well, maybe not! I used to dance the night away in my younger years.
 
Great site Dick. Funny that you metioned photo classes in your comment on my blog. I was thinking about taking a photograhy class this year.. or belly dancing. I'm not sure yet...
 
Dick...I've come to you by way of Saz Secrets. I'm delighted to have found your blog!

A couple of neat coincidences: My Dad is named Dick and just turned 63. In fact, you even look a wee bit like him so I read your profile extra-carefully just in case Dad was blogging and I didn't know it. LOL!

Sounds like you had a wonderful time at the concert. I (thanks to Dad) was raised on Elvis, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly so it would have been a great time, indeed. Great pictures! As a bit of an amateur photographer myself, those dark shots are best done with the shutter open a little longer (which generally means using a tripod...a bit big for a concert, right?). However, one can get little desktop tripods or even mono-pods (a one-legged stand for keeping the camera steady to prevent blur). Maybe something like that would have helped?

I'll be back to visit again. This was fun! (and before I forget to mention it, Huggy is handsome! I love Russian Blues).

One more thing...we're almost neighbours. My husband Brent and I live in New Westminster (a suburb of Vancouver) and visit his family in Bellingham on a very regular basis. Mount Vernon is just lovely! We've been there a few times and I like the 'small town' feel to it.
 
Hey Dick,

not a big Elvis fan either, but it looks like this guy enjoys himself. Hope all is well with you. Hubby and I are going to an RV show this weekend, but with gas prices the way they are, we are only going to look. :(
 
I love Elvis suits.
 
Dick, you don't give yourself enough credit ... they are great photos. It is very difficult to get good pictures with the lighting in the venues, so you did a very good job. It sounds like a wonderful time. There are some fabulous Elvis impersonators around.
Thanks for your comments on my Steve Irwin post.
Have a great week.
Take care, Meow
 
Hey Dick! I came here by way of Chelle P. and SAZ. I thought the shots were great too. I have so much trouble shooting moving object and shooting in low light. But you did both pretty darn well. Great blog too!
 
Just popped into say hi Dick.
I'm a fan of Elvis and loved the
pictures
Good Blog
 
It looks and sounds like you had a great time Dick.
I am not a big Elvis fan but that is just me. I live
around plenty who are and I appreciate their excitement
at certain time.

You do not give yourself enough credit with your pictures
though because I think these are good. Thank you for sharing.
 
Hey Dick, I also come by way of Chelle and Saz.

My parents are also full time RVers. They've spent a lot of time in La Connor and Blaine. So you may have met them without knowing it!

It looks like you had a great time at the concert. The photos are fun!

I'm also just re-discovering my love of photography. Always on the quest for a "portfolio shot" as my husband calls them! I've even started a city blog in order to make sure I keep taking those photos!

I'll be visiting again.
 
Hey Dick...

Some great photos. I thought you did well. It is hard to get good photos of stage shows but yours turned out really well.

I checked out Danny's site. Really had some good music. Seems to have the early sixties Elvis voice.

And finally, I should call to your attention to the fact that we Elvis fan bloggers have had trouble in the past with "Saz" bashing Elvis. I noted others have followed her lead here on your post. I have repeatedly contacted the "Memphis Mafia" to look into this situation concerning her continued outbursts but it would appear no real progress has been made on the problem. But like Chief Dan George has taught us....we must Endeavor to Persevere!

Thank you....Thank you very much!
 
I think that's you in the Elvis suit. You can tell me, i won't tell anyone else.
I think the shots are great, very real, and i know how hard they were to take.
 
Hi Dick,
Thanks for spreading the word of Danny Vernon's "Illusion of Elvis" show! - www.dannyvernon.com -

Elvis is gone but his memory lives on.
Sincerely,
Danny
 
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