Chris MacDonald’s introduction to the King of Rock and Roll, came from watching old Elvis movies on TV with his Mom, who was a fan.
“Elvis was cool in those movies – he beat up the bad guys and had cute girls in bikinis chasing him – it looked like a good gig,” says Chris, who has been touring the country with his Elvis tribute act for 12 years.
Celebrating Elvis’ career has turned into a good gig for MacDonald too. He’s the only tribute artist hired by Elvis Presley Enterprises to perform at Graceland’s Heartbreak Hotel for seven consecutive years and he also starred in the Legends In Concert tours that took him to Las Vegas and Branson, along with tons of other stops.
Based in Miami these days, MacDonald is returning to the Palladium for the second year in a row. He played to a capacity crowd last year and he’s back with his full production band with horn section, rhythm section and female dancers.
In a world too full of cheesy Elvis impersonators, MacDonald’s show is more a tribute than an attempt at direct impersonation.
“I try to do it as naturally as possible,” he told me. “The image is close, but still in a natural way – and the singing is close but also very natural, not forced. I tell a story through the music of the eras of Elvis’ career.”
His audiences are all ages – including kids who were born after Elvis’ death. The iconic Elvis image continues to resonate in the new century, he said.
“Elvis was the first American idol – actor, TV star and recording star,” Chris said. “He had the look and the raw charisma and that’s the same thing they are looking for on American Idol today.”
Chris’ show will run the gamut from Elvis’ rockabilly ‘50s hip-shaking style through the glittering, high-production 1970s shows.
This romantic show is a perfect Valentine’s gift. See it Saturday, Feb 16, 7 p.m. at the historic Palladium Theater. Tickets are going fast. For tickets and information you can follow this link or call the box office at 727 822-3590.
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