Preshow Photos
The Polish Hall on Fairview Street in Burlington, Ontario, is a splendid venue for an ETA show. Tastefully decorated, the hall has a large stage that offers visitors sitting at the large round tables an excellent view of performers. On Saturday night, June 2nd, 2018, ETAS Anthony Joseph, Colin Dexter, and Aidan Iannandrea, backed by Rudy and the Angels, used the stage to its full advantage and put on a well-organized, entertaining show that was enjoyed by all. Some moments before the show were captured in the following photos.
Slideshow of Performances
ETA Anthony Joseph
I saw ETA Anthony Joseph compete at Flaming Star last October, but Saturday was the first time I have seen him headline in a show as an Elvis tribute artist. Dressed in a beautiful gold jacket decorated with rhinestone trim, Anthony came on stage ready to delight the audience. Still in his twenties, his vocals, moves, and comfort on stage reflect the time Anthony has put into studying and practicing in preparation for shows like last Saturday night since he first became interested in Elvis at 10 years old when his mom, Cathy, took him to the Tivoli Theatre in Hamilton, Ontario, where he gained inspiration from ETA Anthony Von.
With each costume change, Anthony stepped up his performance, and during one set, belted out the vocally challenging song, “Hurt”, hitting every note with ease. In a touching moment, Anthony dedicated the song “It’s Now or Never” in memory of his dear grandmother who recently passed away. “O Sole Mio” is such a beautiful song sung by Elvis in the English translation, but when Anthony sang some of the lyrics in Italian as a tribute to his grandmother, he touched many hearts.
After asking audience members if they knew that his dad, Mike Carbone, is a drummer, Anthony welcomed his dad on stage to take Rudy Salerno's place on the drums. Mike did a great job backing his son as the temporary drummer with Rudy and the Angels. Mike also did great job during the evening as tech director, looking after sound and lights.
Entertainer Cathy Carbone, Anthony’s mom, who helped with hair and makeup (as seen in the preshow photo with Aidan Iannandrea) was also the photographer for the evening. Anthony, wearing a splendid black, white, and red jumpsuit for his final set, gave credit to his mom for putting together the jumpsuit that took hours of reconstruction to turn it into a jumpsuit that received deserving “wows” and applause when Anthony walked on stage.
As reported in his bio that was posted on SIDEBURNS a few months ago, Anthony completed the Applied Music program at Mohawk College. Anthony is currently pursuing his education in music at McMaster University. We wish the multi-talented Anthony much success at McMaster and look forward to seeing him again in upcoming shows and competitions.
ETA Colin Dexter
Those of us who have only seen Colin Dexter on YouTube videos were looking forward to seeing the 19 year old ETA from Jackson, Michigan perform live. In his first set, Colin, dressed in a smashing red velour shirt and black pants, entertained with Elvis songs from the Early Years. Colin exhibited a great stage presence, and his vocals were spot on. All our expectations were met with this talented, young performer. A couple of ladies were so delighted with Colin’s performance that they rewarded him with some cash. It was such a lot of fun, and Colin seemed pleased, and a little surprised, at the attention from his reputedly reserved Canadian fans.
In his second set, Colin wowed the audience when he appeared in black leather. He sang songs from the ’68 Comeback, commanding the stage with his confident performance. Colin made several costume changes during the evening—a black and white floral shirt, worn under a black suit decorated with silver grommets and red pleats, a red jumpsuit, and a white jumpsuit—costumes representing all the decades in Elvis’s career. And with each set, Colin performed brilliantly, which accounts for his growing popularity on both sides of the border.
In his last set, standing solely at the band’s keyboard, Colin paid tribute to Elvis’s memorable performance in 1977, six months before his death, by singing “Unchained Melody”. It was one of the highlights of an evening that had many wonderful surprises, including a special moment when Anthony, dressed in a white suit, joined Colin on stage to sing Elvis’s favourite song, “If I Can Dream”.
It is wonderful to see young, talented ETAs carry on the tradition of Elvis by paying a true tribute on stage. It is, however, equally important that they pay tribute to Elvis off stage as well. Elvis was humble, polite, kind and generous, and always appreciative of his fans. When I had a chance to speak with Colin after his show, I found that he embodies many of Elvis’s fine qualities. Colin was polite and remained engaged in our conversation as we spoke. He was very kind to his grandparents as he explained that he would help them with the computer so they could see his bio we posted. Colin was attentive to his girlfriend, Ariel, who travelled with Colin and his grandparents from Michigan. He chatted with fans, posed for photos, and signed scarves. With much talent and a pleasing personality, Colin certainly has a bright future as an ETA.
ETA Aidan Iannandrea
ETA Aidan Iannandrea is relatively new to the world of entertainment, and I understand from the comments of others who have been following his career thus far, that his performance and comfort on stage are growing leaps and bounds with each appearance. Dressed in a smashing white jacket and tie, black pants and shirt, and black and white shoes, the tall sixteen year old from Welland, Ontario, made quite an impression when he stepped on stage. Aidan received a great response from the warm and friendly audience for his solo performance. In the last set of the evening, Aidan appeared on stage with Anthony and Colin for a final song that topped off a great evening of entertainment.
Aidan’s dad, entertainer David Iannandrea, who goes by the stage name David Ian Andrea, was on hand, not only to support his son, but to act as emcee and sing a couple of songs. David, who pays tribute to Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and others, often brings Aidan along to his own shows to sing a few songs. In his bio, Aidan, who performs as Ricky Nelson and other singers in addition to Elvis, said that he thinks performing is a lot of fun, and he has met a lot of nice people. Aidan’s mom helped out on the door and recorded Aidan’s performance, making the evening an Iannandrea family affair. It is always such a pleasure meeting the family, friends, and fans who support young ETAs as they make their way in the ETA world. Best of luck, Aidan, with all your endeavours.
Fans, Friends and Family Photos
I always look forward to seeing fans I know and those whom I am meeting for the first time. I very much enjoy hearing stories about their past ETA experiences at shows, at home, and at competitions. At Saturday’s show, I had the pleasure of meeting Annette and her husband, Fred. Fred, who was celebrating his 84th birthday, told me he has his own Elvis jumpsuit, wig, and sunglasses and that he and Annette often dress up on Saturday nights just for fun. He showed me several great photos of him in costume, with Annette wearing a striking purple wig.
Danette, joined her friend, Irene, to experience her first ever Elvis tribute show on Saturday night. Danette’s comment at the end of the evening: “I’m hooked!”
Sandra and Sandy, ETA show regulars, always have great stories. Sandy, who lingered after Sandra left Niagara Casino, said that ETA Gino Monopoli jumped the fence to give her a hug and a kiss when he spotted her after his Silver Aces show. Both Sandra and Sandy have been big fans of ETA Gino Monopoli (and ETA Anthony Von) for years.*
ETA and HamiltonTiger-Cat fan, Marian, was very happy to receive purple and white scarves from ETAs Anthony Joseph and Colin Dexter. As of Saturday, Marian has collected eight scarves from eight different ETAs.
It was nice seeing Jeannine and Dan Buckingham (third to last photo in album below), who travelled for the second week in a row from the USA to attend an ETA show in Ontario, enjoying the company of Cathy Wood (first photo in album below) from Hamilton.
Rudy and the Angels, a band of amazing musicians and backup singers, was the main reason why Irene Lobsinger came to the show on Saturday. Irene knows drummer Rudy Salerno and the Angels from their many appearances backing Canadian icon Bobby Curtola. Sadly, this past Monday, June 4th, 2018, marked the second anniversary of Bobby’s passing. I had the pleasure of seeing Bobby Curtola in the 60s when he performed at a dance at Saltfleet High School in Stoney Creek, Ontario. Hearing Bobby's songs played on Zoomer Radio brings back fond memories of that wonderful night. In memory of Bobby Curtola, I wish to share the photo of lifelong fan, Irene Lobsinger, and Rudy Salerno, drummer with Rudy and the Angels, who worked so closely with Bobby in his shows these past few years. Rest in peace, Bobby. You are dearly missed.
Until next time, best regards, Carolyn.
*It is always nice hearing about ETAs who demonstrate their appreciation to loyal fans in a meaningful way. If you have a story you wish to share, please send it along, with photos, to sideburnsmagazine@gmail.com to be considered for posting.
Credit for all photos posted: Carolyn MacArthur.