Seeing an Elvis Show: Travis Hudson
Following a 200 mile drive to see another Elvis Tribute Artist1 NOT perform as Elvis, I figured that was a good point to end this particular side-quest of mine. You're not going to just run into an Elvis tribute these days, and I made peace with that.
The reason being is that tributes are heavily gig-based. I figure once you've made a name for yourself in well-paying circles, you could be successful without ever having to perform at a public venue again. And that's perfectly fair: it's a job, not a charity, but it is unfortunate that schmucks like me are out of luck unless I hire one or am part of an organization who can.
However, what I didn't realize was that a special day was on the horizon. On Elvis' birthday, you can guarantee that at least one local tribute artist will come out of the woodwork to celebrate. One such person would be an Elvis MUCH closer to home (thank goodness) by the name of Travis Hudson.
I don't even remember how I found the listing for his show, but what I DO remember is that once I did, I just knew I had to go. I bought a ticket as soon as I could... The research into Travis would come after.
Two things would jump out at me looking into him: first, that by all accounts, he genuinely loves what he does. And second, he's kind of performer who makes sure everyone feels included.
Everyone.
What does that even mean??? I didn't know, but there's only one way to find out what'll happen, and that's to wait until January 8th.
Before the Show
That day would come, and so would I to the Hard Rock Cafe where it was being held. I walk up to the front desk, where a printout advertising the show was propped up. I was in the right place.
The hostess found my name and let me pass, letting me know that I can sit anywhere as long as it wasn't the VIP tables with red paper.
The venue was a small stage surrounded by tables, with very very little room to maneuver. By the stage were the VIP tables marked in red as was mentioned, and separated by these two HUGE columns further away, was the general seating. I tried sitting at some of the vacant general tables, but to my horror, the stage was constantly being obstructed by these EYESORES. There were maybe one or two tables where you could see, but they seated 4-5 and I wasn't going to be that person.
…Then my eyes would rest on two rows of chairs in the very back, centered to where the columns wouldn't block the stage.
I didn't eat before this because I was expecting to have dinner there, so I wasn't jumping for joy that I wouldn't have a table to eat at, but I was there to see this show and that's what I'm going to do.
It took some repositioning, but I found myself a seat at the front row where I had a decent view, though one of the columns did block a significant portion of the audience. (Keep that in mind for later.)
Over time, said audience would file in, and two parties in particular caught my attention: two families with one of their children dressing up as Elvis, a boy and then a teenage girl, I'd say. They had the same thought process as I did where they tried to find tables to sit at and realized they wouldn't be able to see the show (which was clearly important to them), so they'd come to sit in the back rows near me.
I always love sitting by people in costume. There's something inherently funny to me in how my aggressively plain clothes contrast with somebody dressed as Elvis or Colonel Sanders (which also happened). But this time, it's TWO Elvises and therefore it's twice as funny.
The other people who were there surprised me too, though. Most people in attendance at shows I've been to in the past skewed older and were mostly couples. This time it was mostly families and friend groups of various ages, which got rid of the "fish out of water" feeling I was used to.
I had maybe 20 minutes to kill, which is a dangerous thing as all I could do was wonder how this was going to go.
I would look around the stage and wonder where Travis would come from considering the venue's cramped quarters. Would he burst through the back of the stage like the Kool Aid Man? No, he couldn't do that—there were lights lining the back.
I made a lot of crazy guesses, but none of them included fog spilling out onto the stage as the famous opening theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey began to play. That would be precisely what happened after the overhead lights dimmed around us.
The Show
The music and the fog continued to build, as did our suspense. It was clear everyone was on the edge of their seats like I was, their phones filming the stage as the lights flashed and pulsed spectacularly to greet the person who'd stand before them.
I'll admit I wasn't aware of how long that opening took (around a minute and a half), so I kept looking around whenever the music lulled, wondering if that would be the moment Travis would come in, but nothing. The music would then resume and I would deflate ever-so-slightly each time.
The moment I started to get annoyed, there was some motion that caught my attention off to the side. It was Travis!
He had jogged in from the direction of the entrance, though he didn't go straight to the stage. Instead, he took the scenic route, taking a upside-down "U" path through the crowd (which happened to be near where I sat) before reaching his destination. Him running by caught me off-guard, but that would be one of the many things that would surprise me that night.
He wore an orange-accented white jumpsuit and cape lined with round, brass studs. In my pedestrian opinion, it seemed pretty stripped-down for how crazily extravagant Elvis jumpsuits are known to get. However, don't mistake it for looking cheap, of which it certainly did not.
Once Travis hit the stage, he slung a guitar over his shoulder and opened up with a cover of See See Rider.
The backing track already had guitar in it, so all he really had to do was mime playing it, walking around the stage and eyeing several people at the front. He'd keep the guitar for several songs and accompany his "playing" with little shimmies and jerks of his shoulders.
The thing I remember the most from that guitar section is how he'd end each song by dramatically holding the guitar out to the side and then stabbing the air with it like a spear. It was in those moments that, clear for all to see, "Elvis Presley" was inlaid in metal across the fingerboard of that guitar.
You think it would be ridiculous in concept, but in execution it was visually striking more than anything.
"Thank you, thank you very much," he drawled in a Southern accent, the catchphrase met with our collective 'hey, he said the thing!' chuckles.
Eventually, he put the guitar away to open things up, asking us to raise our hands if this was our first Elvis show. I was somewhat relieved to see about 80% of people raising their hands (including myself).
Other stuff was talked about, but what stuck out to me the most was how he ended up reverently bringing up the jumpsuit he was wearing, which was owned by one of the first Elvis impersonators in the 70s while Elvis was still alive.
He encouraged us to Google "first Elvis impersonator" to find the guy (and therefore the jumpsuit). However, when I actually tried later, turns out it's quite difficult to tell white jumpsuits apart in low quality, so the identity of the "first Elvis impersonator" remains a mystery.
Update: It was the late Alan Meyer. Travis has very kindly let me know!
It seemed kind of out of pocket to bring up the jumpsuit of all things, but from what I understand, they can be EXPENSIVE. Like I'm talking thousands of dollars EASY2, so I'm sure it's a big source of pride to own one, let alone one with so much history behind it.
But enough about the jumpsuit, because Travis would soon go back to singing more songs. It was then that I began to notice these recurring moves he'd pull. Generally, there was a lot of emphasis on dramatic poses and flourishes rather than detailed footwork or choreography.
While I'd love to detail every one, I know it would bog the whole piece down too much, so I'll name the two most relevant to this:
First, there was a move that I'll be calling the "knee-bend" (until someone corrects me), where Travis bends one knee while keeping the other extended in front of him, often accompanied by a lassoing motion.
And second isn't really a move as much as it's this thing that he did, and that was when he'd turn around and wordlessly bop to the music. I have no particular reason why, but something I can say is that it was visually satisfying to me to watch his cape sway alongside his movements.
Travis took another break between songs to mention when his next public show would come up. He does two each year: one on Elvis' birthday, and the next on the anniversary of his passing. Here's what's special about this year… Travis recently turned 42 (the age Elvis died) so he joked about needing to be careful until then.
He also took a moment to shout out a loyal fan of his sitting at the front who drove hours to see him (heh, absolutely can't relate), then the Elvis kid sitting to my left who has been to every show for the past couple years. It was cool to see how this was an event for some of the people here.
As he kept going through his set, I'd say it was around this point that he began handing out and tossing scarves to the people at the front.
The funny part about where I was sitting was that I kept missing when a new scarf would materialize around his neck to hand out. I mean, I knew new ones were being put on him by an assistant, but I wouldn't actually see the handoff being done for a long while. As far as I was concerned, those scarves could've been coming out of thin air.
I really had to admire this guy's commitment to involving the audience, as he was always searching for opportunities to bring in the people around him in on the fun. There was stooping down to sing to various people, singing into the phones people were holding up, hugging people he knew, making dedications, celebrating birthdays, taking people's hands, even putting a leg up on one of the tables.
It was very enjoyable to watch, and I was happy just watching. Like I said, the tables were VERY hard to move through, so while I knew he was someone who involved the audience, logistically it wouldn't be easy to come down and-
He then announced he was coming down to give out scarves.
To the song Falling in Love with You, he stepped down from the stage and worked his way through the audience. There must've been some very funny moments going on when he did, because I heard laughter at things he must've done with several people from behind the COLUMN, which I COULDN'T SEE.
He did briefly emerge at one point to lightly dab his forehead with one of the scarves and handing it to a lady two tables away… Then it was back behind the column.
I figured he would run out of scarves or something before he got to the area I was at, so I didn't set my hopes very high. Then he emerged again, for real this time, scanning my section for people to hand more scarves to.
Time slowed as he started to walk in my direction, a white scarf draped around his shoulders. I knew I needed to give some indication that this was something I wanted to happen (because it was), so I locked eyes with him briefly. Before I knew it, there was this white scarf around my neck.
Oh my god, it actually happened… I GOT SCARFED!
I looked to him one more time and put a hand over my heart with a small smile, and so ended the exchange. Once he started walking elsewhere, I abandoned all pretenses of restraint and was grinning so wide my cheeks hurt.
I excitedly looked to my left to see Elvis Kid jumping to get his scarf, but Travis had already began to return to the stage. I turned behind me to look at Teen Elvis as well, and same thing.
I could only think about how unfair that was that they didn't get their scarves, but it turns out it was because he had something else in store for them… Some songs later, he'd invite them to the stage; the kid went up immediately, but Teen Elvis took a bit of convincing from her family to go up with them.
Travis first asked to give them a round of applause for coming up, of which we did not hesitate to offer up.
Then he turned to talk to them directly. "We're all gonna do a song together, so have fun and show us your moves, alright?"
Teen Elvis nodded sheepishly while kid Elvis did vigorously, and that's all Travis needed to launch into Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On. (Very spot-on song choice, by the way.)
…And then something amazing happened. Before my very eyes, the shy Elvis girl at the beginning was no more, and in her place stood this absolute powerhouse who stole the spotlight. Travis, realizing this, transitioned seamlessly into taking on a more supportive role, giving her that space to take the stage and do her thing.
I distinctly remember seeing the two playfully knee-bending at one another, with Teen Elvis coming up the victor, sinking the lowest while Travis nodded to her approvingly.
Travis even gave her the mic and she took over for a few verses, lowering her voice to hit those notes. I felt bad for Elvis Kid because I absolutely could not take my eyes off the pair.
For the lack of a better term, it was beautiful: these two people of different ages and genders just connecting and sharing the same language despite (presumably) never meeting before. On that stage, Teen Elvis had found her people, and we all had the privilege of witnessing this weirdly profound moment of mutual recognition.
When the song ended, the shy (but giddy) girl was back, and Travis gave her and Elvis Kid each a scarf of their own.
As they were returning to their seats, I wanted to do something to make Teen Elvis feel even more like a star, and well, her hand was just there as she walked by, so I made sure to give her a high five on the way back.
I then turned around after she took her seat. "You killed it up there!" I recall saying.
"I always wanted to do that!!" She exclaimed through the music. She was practically glowing.
Not wanting to overstay my welcome, I gave her an 'I'm so happy for you!' smile and turned back to the direction of the stage. And I really was happy for her.
Growing up, I was surrounded by people like that—the nerds, the cosplayers, the theater kids who find that they can be their fabulous selves through the figures they inhabit. They put on this costume, and suddenly what's fake is real and what's dead is alive again. Quite simply, it's magic.
That magic was definitely happening in the room, but if I had to pick a point when it really took hold of the audience, it was when Travis began to sing Sweet Caroline.
Sweet Caroline is just one of those songs that feels absolutely timeless, and it's for that reason it's one of those songs that everybody knows, even Elvis himself who had covered it, apparently... Which just feels wrong somehow? Like it shouldn't be possible that Elvis died thinking Star Wars was a single movie but lived to cover Sweet Caroline, I don't know.
Anyway, I digress. THIS was when the crowd became one, everybody singing in unison. After that, we were completely won over.
Throughout the show, the lighting setup was simply phenomenal, and it did a lot to elevate an otherwise suboptimal venue. Travis took a moment to give Michael a shoutout for his work on those lights.
Here's the thing about Michael, Michael was more than that: he was also the guy who had to run around to hand the scarves to Travis. He also had to have been the guy doing all the other effects and behind-the-scenes stuff too.
In short, we could all use a Michael in our lives. Michael was awesome.
And then this drunk guy (who had been shouting words of encouragement to Travis throughout the show) started to chant Michael's name and the rest of the crowd followed suit. From that moment onward, whenever Michael had to go in and do something, we'd cheer for him.
When things died down, Travis would briefly bring up his time doing Elvis competitions, describing them as "basically a male beauty pageant but all the hair and makeup is to look like Elvis, and nobody ends up looking like Elvis."
That's one solid pitch if I've ever heard one, and I won't lie and say that I'm not intrigued. If it's anything like that profound dual-Elvis dance moment from earlier, maybe I could go to one myself… Not as a contestant, obviously.
Before I could get lost in the logistics of where and how I'd find such a thing, I was yanked out of my own head as when he moved on to cover a famous remix of A Little Less Conversation (which slapped, by the way).
When I thought I'd seen all the stuff Travis had up his sleeve, I kept being proven wrong.
"I'm gonna throw out some teddy bears," Travis announced after. "We only have one– three?" He looked to Michael. "Okay, so three teddy bears. Make some noise if you want one!!"
This was his signature. I've heard of him doing it in the research I've done, but I simply thought he only did it for private bookings, but oh no. Travis began throwing teddy bears into the crowd like a bride with a bouquet.
I saw that one landed near the Elvis Kid, and some woman snatched it before he could get to it. I guess she didn't listen to what Travis was singing—Don't be Cruel. Like seriously, give the kid the bear, c'mon...
Next was another round of Travis going into the crowd to scarf more people. Now that the audience knew what to expect, they were a lot more hyped to get one. It was hilarious seeing several friend groups furiously pointing at one particular member who had their heads in their hands.
Once he was done, he also let us know he'd have spares after the show if he missed anyone, and it was back to more songs… It was at this point that I had the most issues trying to catch the lyrics to search the songs later.
This may be surprising, but I don't actually know most of the songs I hear in the moment, so I just scribble down the lyrics.
It was straightforward enough when I did it for Sinatra or Tom Jones songs in other shows, but Elvis songs proved to be a bit more of a challenge: I think I wrote some variation of "Ooh baby" like 5 times. I wondered why I even bothered, it's like trying to narrow down a boy band song that uses the word "girl" in it: not gonna happen.
Eventually, Travis had to break the news that this was the last leg of the show.
"Nooo!!!" shouted Drunk Guy.
"…Well then come back in six months," Travis quipped, much to the laughter of the crowd.
"Alright," he continued, "Any veterans in the crowd today? This one's for you."
Oh no.
So a small story: I was watching footage of other Elvis tributes in preparation for this, the one song out of all the Elvis songs that ricocheted in my head for two whole days was friggin' G.I. Blues of all things, and if Travis sings it for the troops, it's gonna get stuck in my head AGAIN.
Fortunately for me, it was An American Trilogy (which I did manage to identify!)
It went normally at first, then at the end, Travis lowered the microphone with a pensive expression before turning away from the audience... And PYROTECHNICS went off on either side of him! (More specifically they're called gerbs which are basically giant sparklers-)
I mean I already made it clear that I liked it when he turned away, so you add FIRE to that?? Absolute cinema.
"...This is the first time we've done this, by the way," Travis finally spoke up, twisting around proudly. "Was worried they wouldn't go off."
He let the audience sit a little longer in what they just saw before announcing he'd finally do Suspicious Minds. He didn't do it earlier so that we wouldn't leave immediately after singing it—as if we would've!!
The wonderful thing about Suspicious Minds was seeing the grandmas of the audience awash with fond memories and whispering to their children/grandchildren about them. I could only imagine what this song meant to them.
I looked back to Travis to see that he had taken his cape off at some point, and who else but Michael would come up to put it back on?
"Michael! Michael! Michael!!!" We all cheered again.
Travis' last two songs were My Way and a reprise of Falling in Love. I really loved how he ended it, where he kneeled and held out his cape like wings while the gerbs erupted once more. It gave a very Egyptian kind of visual, which is something I'd never expect to have elicited in an Elvis tribute show of all things, but it worked! And it probably made for my favorite moment next to him bringing the Elvises up.
Once the applause died down, he stood up and waved as the lights around us turned back on. The people at the front began to give him gifts and he disappeared behind the column once more to do who-knows-what. I did know one thing happening behind that column: the show being over.
I needed to make sure I paid for my drinks and everything, and once that was sorted, I had lost track of Travis... Only to see a trail of people leading to THE OTHER COLUMN! What is with these columns today??
This time around, I was determined to at least interact with Travis in some way without other people to talk me into it. I had all these things I wanted to say: to thank him for the show, to ask him all these questions; but then I looked at where I stood in line. I was pretty much dead last save for a group of guys who caught one of the teddy bears from earlier.
With this group behind me, I didn't want to take too long, so I basically had to scrap all the things I wanted to say, save for me trying to be all smart asking him if he'd "do the honor" of autographing my scarf.
We took a picture, I quickly thanked them, and I moved to the exit. I really rushed through the whole thing…
I remember taking one last glance at everything before I left, which included Travis. Looking back at it now, it seemed like he may have been thinking to ask me something, but he also could've just been tired which would be understandable.
The meet-and-greet didn't go as cool and poetically as I hoped, but I DID engage instead of making a beeline for the exit like I did the last time. Baby steps.
Afterwards
Driving home, I was stunned in all honesty. Like it was one thing to know generally what the beats would be through my obsessive research, but it was another to see it for myself. As I'm writing this now, I feel like I'm selling this all short. Like I said, magic was out there, and no words in the English language can effectively describe what Travis was able to do.
I didn't know where to include it while talking about the show, but after getting that scarf, I was clapping and whooping and giggling… That's not how I am at all usually! And how?? I have no nostalgic attachment to any of this, and yet there really was something special that transcended all that.
I wasn't the only one either: part of what took me so long to get into the photo line was me talking to my server about the show. He too was shocked by how amazing the show was, as this was the first Travis show he'd seen.
I feel like I'm not in a great position to gauge Travis amidst other Elvises at this point, but if I had to say what his particular gift was, it's his well-earned ability to rally a crowd of people (including ones with no business of caring about Elvis) behind him. That's an incredibly valuable skill to have, especially with younger generations like mine.
I can't believe I had my doubts coming into this as it was an absolutely wonderful time, and I'm so glad I went.
So anyway, I’ll come back in six months.