Gig pick
Picture Elvis Presley at 74, a milestone he would’ve marked this month. Would he still have the pompadour? If so, would he be dying it or letting it go gray? What about the all-important sideburns? The “TCB” belt buckle? The sequined jumpsuits? Just what kind of senior citizen would the King have made? A Phil Spector-type ensconced in a dark mansion, shooting pearl-handled pistols into his collection of flat-screen televisions? Or a perpetual smirking visage on the lucrative casino circuit?
No matter how you slice it, Elvis in his 70s lacks appeal. Far better to remember the man via the music and let that music be of the, say, pre-1970 variety.
This year, the Sportsmen’s Tavern (326 Amherst St.) will mark the royal birthday with the help of the Elvis Birthday Bash Band — that’s the moniker the Lustre Kings and friends Johnny Rabb and Eddie Angel have chosen to operate beneath when in their Elvis-worshipping mode.
The Lustre Kings name is an established brand in the roots rock idiom, based on appearances accompanying the likes of Wanda Jackson, Bill Kirchen and Robert Gordon. On Tuesday, the ensemble will shake its collective pelvis inside the Sportsmen’s, beginning at 8 p. m. Tickets are $10; more info is at www. sportsmenstavern. com.•
jmiers@buffnews.com
