Courtesy Photo
By David McLain
Staff Writer
Students who are looking to show their parents Waco beyond the confines of I-35 and LaSalle Avenue can look into Jubilee Theatre’s Saturday night event “The King In Concert.”
Nationally acclaimed Elvis tribute artist Vince King will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday. Performing with him will be Waco native and former Branson, Miss., performer Royce Montgomery.
Vince King, a Houston native, has performed across the nation as the revolutionary music legend. His shows include a recent performance at “Legends in Concert,” an acclaimed live celebrity tribute show in Myrtle Beach, S.C. His talent has been recognized and endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises.
“It is most definitely a family show and I know everyone who attends will walk away wanting to know when Vince will be back,” said Sue Smith, a close friend of King’s and president of his fan club.
King’s performance will take the audience through decades of Elvis’ greatest music. Fans say King’s shocking physical similarities to Elvis, the costumes and his talented voice tend to put the audience 30 years in the past — in to the glory days of the king of rock ’n’ roll.
“Vince King is one of the few [Elvis Tribute Artists] that can perform all eras of Elvis Presley’s history-making career. Starting in the raw-edged ’50s, he moves to the light-hearted movie years, on to the electrifying 1968 Comeback Special, and then to the powerful and glamorous Las Vegas years of the ’70s,” King’s biography on his fan club website, www.visionsoftheking.com, said.
Malcolm Hale, one of King’s newest and most exuberant fans, is traveling to Waco to see King live at Jubilee Theatre Saturday.
Hale has traveled all over the world to see Elvis tribute concerts and said King is the best.
“Vince has the charisma that Elvis had,” Hale said. “Vince portrays Elvis in the truest respect of him and the moves Vince does are identical.”
After the performance, King will take time to pose for photographs, sign autographs and visit with the audience.
“He is much like Elvis in this regard — he loves his fans and audiences,” Smith said.
Smith, a family friend of King’s, expressed a some concern about the size of the crowd in Waco. King’s nationwide performances tend to garner awards and accolades that the size of the Waco crowd has not yet indicated, she said.
“The biggest hurdle in Waco may be that they just don’t know him,” Smith said. “Wherever he goes it is standing room only, and we still have plenty of room here.”
Reserved seat tickets are available for $15 and VIP seats are $20.
For more tickets or more information about the event, call Sue Smith at 936-321-1244.
Jubilee Theatre is located at 1319 N. 15th St.
The theater is owned and run by Mission Waco, an organization focused on empowering the poor of Waco.
