cullmantoday
Elvis Tribute Artist Stephen Freeman Endears Cullman Civic Center
A crowd of 250+ concert goers filled Cullman Civic Center Friday night for the King Tribute Live.
King Tribute Live is the traveling concert show headlining Stephen Freeman, the definitive Elvis Presley tribute artist of our generation. The theme for this all-Elvis, all-the-time event was ‘Christmas with Elvis’.
Utilizing the outstanding Cullman musicians of the Horizon Band for musical accompaniment and back-up, Freeman took the audience through a diverse and varied roster of Elvis Presley hits, emotionally touching favorites and somewhat obscure gospel tunes that were close to the King’s heart and ear.
The mood was certainly nostalgic, if not vintage memory triggers, for the older members of the audience. At the same time, many younger members of the crowd were able to experience Elvis Presley music for the first time, albeit from a retrospective and posthumous perspective.
The audience was perhaps surprisingly comprised of a number of people from outside of Cullman County. We met fans who had traveled from Georgia, Mississippi, Tennesse and Florida to see Freeman and touch the musical, if not physical, heritage of Elvis Presley.
As an example, we spoke with Rhonda & Mary. These two delightful ladies came in from Tupelo, MS (the birthplace of Elvis Presley) to attend Friday’s Tribute to Elvis. They saw Elvis Presley in-person back in the 1950’s:
While the show at the Civic Center was Stephen Freeman’s first appearance in Cullman, he seemed to feel right at home.
We interview him just prior to going on stage:
Freeman’s spot-on renditions of classic Elvis tunes was expected based upon his well-documented history and reputation. What came as a surprise to many was his personal touch with the audience. As an example, earlier in the concert, he moved from the stage into the audience singing directly to audience members and kissing several female attendees on the cheek ala Presley himself:
Beyond Horizon and Stephen Freeman’s performance, we were most struck by the audience themselves. It was both endearing and striking that people of all ages would be so devoted and interested in the music delivered by a tribute artist memorializing a man who has been dead for almost 40 years.
The word ‘respect’ that Freeman used in the interview above to describe his translation of Elvis Presley’s music and persona applied perfectly to the audience as well. While they came to hear and witness an Elvis impersonator (albeit a world-renowned, high-class and skilled one), it quickly became apparent their respect, adoration and enjoyment of Presley were the primary reasons for their attendance Friday night.
That ‘respect’ makes the phenomenon that is Stephen Freeman both possible and sustaining.
Full story with images, interviews and concert footage, please see: cullmantoday.com/2016/12/13/elvis-tribute-artist-stephen-...
Elvis Tribute Artist Stephen Freeman Endears Cullman Civic Center
A crowd of 250+ concert goers filled Cullman Civic Center Friday night for the King Tribute Live.
King Tribute Live is the traveling concert show headlining Stephen Freeman, the definitive Elvis Presley tribute artist of our generation. The theme for this all-Elvis, all-the-time event was ‘Christmas with Elvis’.
Utilizing the outstanding Cullman musicians of the Horizon Band for musical accompaniment and back-up, Freeman took the audience through a diverse and varied roster of Elvis Presley hits, emotionally touching favorites and somewhat obscure gospel tunes that were close to the King’s heart and ear.
The mood was certainly nostalgic, if not vintage memory triggers, for the older members of the audience. At the same time, many younger members of the crowd were able to experience Elvis Presley music for the first time, albeit from a retrospective and posthumous perspective.
The audience was perhaps surprisingly comprised of a number of people from outside of Cullman County. We met fans who had traveled from Georgia, Mississippi, Tennesse and Florida to see Freeman and touch the musical, if not physical, heritage of Elvis Presley.
As an example, we spoke with Rhonda & Mary. These two delightful ladies came in from Tupelo, MS (the birthplace of Elvis Presley) to attend Friday’s Tribute to Elvis. They saw Elvis Presley in-person back in the 1950’s:
While the show at the Civic Center was Stephen Freeman’s first appearance in Cullman, he seemed to feel right at home.
We interview him just prior to going on stage:
Freeman’s spot-on renditions of classic Elvis tunes was expected based upon his well-documented history and reputation. What came as a surprise to many was his personal touch with the audience. As an example, earlier in the concert, he moved from the stage into the audience singing directly to audience members and kissing several female attendees on the cheek ala Presley himself:
Beyond Horizon and Stephen Freeman’s performance, we were most struck by the audience themselves. It was both endearing and striking that people of all ages would be so devoted and interested in the music delivered by a tribute artist memorializing a man who has been dead for almost 40 years.
The word ‘respect’ that Freeman used in the interview above to describe his translation of Elvis Presley’s music and persona applied perfectly to the audience as well. While they came to hear and witness an Elvis impersonator (albeit a world-renowned, high-class and skilled one), it quickly became apparent their respect, adoration and enjoyment of Presley were the primary reasons for their attendance Friday night.
That ‘respect’ makes the phenomenon that is Stephen Freeman both possible and sustaining.
Full story with images, interviews and concert footage, please see: cullmantoday.com/2016/12/13/elvis-tribute-artist-stephen-...