The Burr in the Burbs

What really cool thing did you do this Memorial Day weekend?  We went last night to see The Million Dollar Quartet at the intimate Apollo Theater in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago.  It was a roaring great time and you must go see it right now today.

On a December day in 1956, four young musical geniuses met at Sun studios in Memphis for a jam session.  Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley were gathered by legendary producer, Sam Philips.  True story.  The photo to the left is a record of the occasion.

The musical is a showcase of many of the early hits of these four incomparable artists.  Each of the actors/musicians were spot on, for the most part.  David Lago didn’t look a whole lot like Der Koenig, but then, who does?  He did, however, capture Elvis’s sound with crazy accuracy.  Lance Lipinsky was more Jerry Lee Lewis than Jerry Lee Lewis.  Sean Sullivan had Johnny Cash’s look and signature style of movement down pat, but the vocals were maybe only about 85%.  Still really good.  I think Joaquin Phoenix spoiled me for any other Johnny Cash impersonators.  And I’m sad to say that I cannot judge how well Gabe Bowling covered the real Carl Perkins because I’m just not that familiar with the original.  But my loss.  The stage performer was fantastic.  I’m sure Mr. Perkins would be proud.  The supporting parts were also very solid.

Favorite songs of the night included: Hound Dog, Great Balls of Fire, and Folsom Prison Blues. There were many others, all of them crowd-pleasers.  I’d say my favorite piece was the opener, Blue Suede Shoes, with all four performers filling the Apollo with sound and presence.  Today, I just want to go to my iTunes account and load up on these golden hits.