It's time to make your requests known.
Below you will see individual links. These links will forward you to our offsite request page. For example, if you are attending our upcoming Brampton show - Live at the Rose Theatre, choose it's corresponding link Elvis By Request: Brampton and make sure not to forget the password. Enjoy!
Once there, follow the prompts, and remember the password is case sensitive so make sure it is all lowercase.
River Run Centre
Elvis By Request: Guelph
Password: guelph
Milton Centre for the Arts
Elvis By Request: Milton
Password: milton
The 'King' cometh. BRINGING THE KING TO LIFE. The Champion gets up close and personal with Milton's renowned Elvis tribute artist Stephen Kabakos. Having taken his show across the globe and been named world champion in Memphis, Tennessee, it's fair to say Stephen Kabakos has set the standard among Elvis Presley tribute artists.
The Champion recently caught up with Kabakos to get his take on bringing 'The King' to life, and all things Elvis related.
Nowhere is Elvis tribute artist listed in any post-secondary program. How exactly did this become a career path? And how challenging was it to go from doing the occasional performance to making it a financially-viable gig?
I was in the right place at the right time. There was a need for a 'reinvention' of sorts. The '80s and early '90s were extremely cruel to Elvis' memory, which was raked over the coals by the media, and the tributes to him were less than flattering. Now don't get me wrong, there were some fantastic artists working at that time, but the majority didn't focus on the smaller details that made Elvis who he was. With that in mind, the new tributes rose to the top quickly. We set the bar high for ourselves, and I was lucky to be on the upswing of the business in 1996. Within two years performing became my full-time gig, and has remained so ever since. And every year has been increasingly better than the last.
What Elvis mannerism was the most difficult to master?
All of them. Elvis had a very unique way of reinventing himself throughout his career. Just when you think you've got it, it's back to the drawing board. I've always felt to be the best at something you can never stop learning. I still have a long way to go.
Are there times when you wish you didn't look quite so much like the music icon?
Yes. It would be nice to shave the side burns and cut my hair. But if that's the only job hazard I've got, I shouldn't really complain.
Where are the most die-hard Elvis fans?
I'm not trying to take anything away from the fans here in Canada and the United States, but the fans abroad are really, really crazy. Hong Kong, China and Australia were memorable trips, but I never would have thought India would introduce me to some of the most fanatical fans ever. It just proves that Elvis' appeal is borderless.
What's the bigger risk, neck irritation from those high collars or a dislocated hip from all that gyrating?
It really depends on the circumstances. It's more of a case of zigging when you should have zagged.
Best Elvis movie?
I have two - Follow That Dream and Loving You
Worst Elvis movie?
The Trouble With Girls. Elvis didn't appear until the 40-minute mark. Even Elvis didn't want to be in that one.
What's your favourite lesser-known fact about 'The King'?
Sometimes Elvis was tired of being Elvis. It really proves he was human.
What's the craziest or most memorable thing a fan has ever done at a show?
I was on the Fallsview Casino stage, which stands approximately five feet off the ground, and I was in the middle of the scarf presentation during Suspicious Minds, on a bended knee. A very tiny and unassuming lady, who stood no higher than the stage, timidly worked her way to the front eagerly waiting to receive a scarf. Without a moment's hesitation, 'grandma' pounced, leaping up to catch what seemed to be at least three feet of air and latched herself around my neck. I went down like a sack of potatoes. Overwhelmed with joy, she wrenched the scarf from my neck, leaving a huge red friction burn, flowered me with a fury of kisses, grabbed ahold and continued to mess up my hair and proclaimed her love for Elvis. Then she turned to face the audience, who were in as much shock as I was, and proceeded to raise her hands in the air as if she just won a boxing match. I'd compare it to getting in the ring with Betty White...and losing.
Away from the stage, how are you most like - or unlike - Elvis?
I have had the distinct pleasure to befriend a number of musicians and vocalists who knew and worked with Elvis on and off stage, and have had a number of one-on-one conversations with Elvis' best man and road manager Joe Esposito. They've told me at one time or another that I share a number of the same mannerisms as their longtime friend. Not the ones that can be studied or mimicked, but rather the ones that define you as an individual. That's very cool to hear.
If Elvis were alive today, what would his reality show be called?
In all honesty, I don't believe Elvis would have partaken in such a thing. If he did, however, I think he'd be more of a mentor to young talent. John Lennon said it best, "Before Elvis, there was nothing."
What's the best thing about Graceland?
Having the opportunity to say 'Thank You.'
How do you keep an Elvis show fresh after 15-plus years?
Creativity.
How do you explain the longevity of this music icon, even 34 years after his death?
He was taken far too soon.
What is it that still appeals to you about performing this one person's music after so many years?
For me it's that I'm able to bridge the gap between what Elvis fans still watch on TV and what they may have seen on stage if Elvis was still here to continue his legacy.
The ultimate high is to look into the audience and see couples holding hands singing to one another - a tissue in hand to catch a tear, a kind smile or simply a look of bewilderment saying that they've seen this before.
An update, our Oct 20th performance of TWIST & SHAKE, a unique concert performance inspired by the iconic meeting of Elvis Presley and the Beatles will be on sale Thursday, March 15th.