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A seven-hour tribute to the King of Rock 'n' Roll will include 25 local bands performing acoustic rock, rockabilly, Zydeco, industrial gothic and more.
By BRIAN ORLOFF
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 15, 2002
TAMPA -- Elvis may have left the, um, planet, 25 years ago, but his presence is still felt. Douglas McCarthur does his bit to make sure of it.
McCarthur channels Elvis' energy in his live tribute show, "Sing with the King." Appearing in venues around the Tampa Bay area, McCarthur pays homage to the Vegas-era Elvis in a revue bursting with showmanship.
At a recent performance at the Grand Court Assisted Living facility's quarterly party in Tampa, McCarthur made a dramatic entrance to the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Onlookers whooped and hollered as McCarthur, in a fiery red, gold-studded suit with plunging neck and white scarf, worked the lobby.
"I try to get the audience involved, because I think that's more enjoyable for everybody -- for me, too," he said after the show. "I encourage the people to sing. I put my arm around them, and go into the audience."
One stop on McCarthur's tour is Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa, where WMNF-FM 88.5 will hold a marathon Elvis tribute concert Saturday. (After he makes his appearance at Skipper's, he'll run down to Stumps Supper Club in Channelside for another show that starts at 8:30.)
The WMNF bill boasts 25 local bands and will span seven hours and genres including acoustic rock, rockabilly, Zydeco, industrial gothic and more.
WMNF music director and Elvis extravaganza coordinator Flee says the show is all about diversity.
"It is a wide range -- it kind of represents what the radio station's about," he said. "I even have a classical violinist (booked)."
Among the bands scheduled to play are local favorites Barely Pink, the Gita, Robert Wegman Band and Shana "Banana" Smith. No band is designated as the headliner.
"Everyone gets equal treatment. We leave a little room at the end, and the band that ends, I tell them that they might have more time . . . It's definitely going to rock harder as the night goes on, but I'm spicing it up."
In addition to the Elvis-related events planned, there's another Elvis activity that no doubt will be popular: wondering if the King is really dead.
"I've read so many different things," McCarthur said. "There's one rumor lately that they said he's in Texas -- that he was a little, white-haired old man."
"What I think is that he would have gone on a diet, and he would have come around full circle almost back to . . . his early days with his weight."
Flee offered his theory.
"I've always heard that he's flippin' burgers in a Stuckey's off I-95."
A WMNF-FM 88.5 tribute to the King of Rock 'n' Roll, 5 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Skipper's Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road, Tampa. $10 advance, $13 at the door. (813) 977-6474. Douglas McCarthur performs at 5:30 p.m. All those who arrive before 6 p.m. will get a free concert poster.