Vic Trevino Jnr. may be one of the world’s top Elvis Presley tribute artists, but his love for what he does goes beyond his admiration for the music icon.
“I do it because I enjoy Elvis, but I also love mid-century America and a lot of the music and the culture of that time,” Vic explained.
“A lot of things started changing in the 1950s and 60s. There was a strong focus on human rights movements, in particular civil rights.
“I think Elvis really helped pushed that with his music because he was kind of the crossroad between white music and African-American music at the time.”
Vic will be bringing those early Elvis years to life on the Evan Theatre stage in the show ‘Elvis – An American Trilogy’, which is currently touring Australia for the first time. This ultimate Elvis experience will also feature fellow tribute artists Gino Monopoli, who will recreate Elvis’ movie years and his comeback, and Steve Michaels who will channel 70s Elvis in that famous White Eagle jumpsuit.
During Vic’s time performing in some of the biggest tribute concerts in the world, including ‘Legends in Concert’, he has come across all different types of Elvis fanatics.
“You get people that get so lost in the performance, they act like they really have Elvis in front of them, they’re screaming and they’re on the floor going nuts,” he said.
“But then you also have some really passionate Elvis fans who just really don’t like Elvis tribute artists,” he laughed.
While Vic’s main focus is on the music he admits there’s often a strong drive amongst tribute artists to perfectly recreate the classic Elvis look, with some performers even going as far as plastic surgery.
What often gets forgotten is what made Elvis famous in the first place.
“You have to remember that Elvis didn’t become famous based on the way he looked,” Vic said.
“People weren’t looking up his YouTube videos or following him on Twitter or looking at his selfies on Instagram, people were buying his records.
“He became famous around the world because of his voice.”
‘Elvis – An American Trilogy’ will be on at the Evan Theatre at Penrith Panthers on Saturday, April 29 at 8pm. Tickets to the show are $54.25. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.penrith.panthers.com.au or call 4720 5555. You can also visit www.facebook.com/victortrevinojrfan.
