Double Trouble: Scot Bruce and Mike Albert ARE the King, as the tenth annual Elvis Birthday Bash returns to the Basie on Friday night.
Hard as it may be to fathom the fact that the son of Gladys and Vernon Presley would have turned 80 years old this past Thursday, it’s even more mind-blowing to consider that our own Count Basie Theatre is home to a Kingly homage that marks a full 10 years of burnin’ love this Friday.
Scheduled for 8 pm, the annual Elvis Birthday Bash teams two masters of Presley-digitation — Scot Bruce and Mike Albert — for a two-act tribute concert that examines the many ages of Elvis, from his early days as a shockingly loose-hipped punk kid out of Memphis (channeled by LA-based actor and theme-park performer Bruce), to the King who reigned supreme over the Vegas strip (as embodied by Albert).
The two entertainers maintain separate careers and schedules throughout much of the calendar year, but always make time in January to cross paths in Red Bank — a place that Scot Bruce has described as “a beautiful town… it’s a great place to play. The King is alive and well around there.”
Following the format of past Birthday Bash programs, Bruce (who’s done his King thing everywhere from The E! True Hollywood Story to a Faith Hill music video) opens the show as 1950s Elvis: the stylistic savant who changed the course of mighty rivers way more than Superman ever did. He’s followed on the bill by Albert (a First Prize Winner in the Hawaii Elvis Impersonator Contest) as 1970s Elvis — he of the rhinestoned jumpsuits, championship belts, oversized shades and jet-black helmet of lacquered hair.
Tickets for the 8pm concert are priced from $20 to $40, and can be reserved here through the Basie’s online box office.
