Elvis is coming to Prince George from Las Vegas, then he'll be able to say the same thing after his P.G. show. One of the world's top tribute acts to The King has a feature showcase in Vegas after his tour stop here.
Donny Edwards is so committed to carrying out the Canadian leg of his latest tour that he is even forgoing a prime-time international television appearance offer in order to keep his promises. Popular pop-culture program Inside Edition called Edwards earlier this month to set up a live interview because their research concluded he was the most authentic of the Elvis honour acts. They are still giving him the TV shout-out, but he opted to carry on the tour - specifically the Prince George show - instead of flying down for the cameras.
Once he's done that P.G. appearance, though, Edwards is off to Vegas, the capital city of Elvis, then his own hometown show at the massive Dallas State Fair.
Co-ordinating this tour is Mike Schell of Schell Shock Entertainment. He also plays trumpet in Edwards crack band (it's an eight-piece, for this upcoming show, including a horn section) - a band officially sanctioned by the Elvis Presley Enterprises organization.
"Donny, to me, is the closest there is to the real Elvis," said Schell. "My job is to take him all across Canada, and that's why we included northern B.C. on the tour schedule, because I know northern B.C. and I know the audiences there have never seen anything like what we're going to bring."
He knows the area because Schell is a Prince George boy from a Prince George family.
"I'm going to be playing in Prince George, the place of my birth, on my birthday. My dad was also born there. After the show we will do some birthday cheer," said Schell.
But there's more. Fate's hand had some strong cards. "I am turning 40 years old this year, and this is the 40th anniversary of when Elvis died."
Schell said Edwards takes his commitment to the Elvis show far beyond jumpsuits and some swivelling hips. "It's his voice," he said. "He has the charisma, he has the moves, but he works hard on the vocals and it really sounds uncanny.
"Donny is the only Elvis tribute artist ever to perform on the estate grounds of Graceland, Elvis's home in Memphis, Tennessee," said Schell. "At that show, he was also made an honorary Tennessean by the governor of Tennessee."
You can't make an impact in the rich Elvis tribute industry by only committing halfway on the stage presentation, which is why Edwards insists on the large backing band and the authentic jumpsuits for the latter segment of his Elvis homage, depicting The King's Vegas years. Those jumpsuits of Edwards weigh 17 pounds and they are tailor-made especially for him by the same clothier company that made the actual suits for Elvis himself, B&K Enterprises.
The Donny Edwards tribute show covers all Elvis eras, from the breakout 1950s years when Presley altered the course of western culture with his groundbreaking presentation of blues and country pepped up into a new genre called rock 'n' roll.
Edwards morphs into the 1960s Elvis when he was simultaneously a figure of rebellion and blowing up the oppressive establishment, yet rooted in time-honoured music traditions. He also added "movie star" to his legend at that time.
Finally, the Vegas finale, the 1970s range when Presley reinvented himself for the modern music scene, proved he could shift just about any show-biz gear there was, and was nowhere near creative exhaustion when his personal addictions turned fatal and took him when he was still sending musical rockets up the charts.
Donny Edwards, Mike Schell and the rest of the show will be on the Prince George Playhouse stage on Sunday night. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased instantly online at the Central Interior Tickets website, over the phone at 250-596-0020, or in person from Central Interior Tickets (3540 Opie Cres., inside Enchainement Dance Centre). They will be available at the door only while supplies last.
