BUBBAC JOHN "The King Lives'

by jenny heying

I’ve seen BubbaC many times but never had the chance to review him. Finally I ventured over to The Majestic in San Diego to finally do him service. Wow, has his show changed.

Bubba is an easy review, after all who doesn’t love the King? You don’t need a set list, umm, cause everyone knows the songs. What you do need is the desire to have fun.

BubbaC John now has a full accompaniment with him on stage. Joining him are the Bubbettes; Tinkle Pudless and Dedee Wycliffe, both with animated guitars, Jazz Alderton on drums and Taylor McBride on keyboards. And they all wore matching white jump suits. It’s a fun show to watch.

But BubbaC is the key here. Yes he sounds just like Elvis when he sings, but carries it on between songs and you swear you are listening to the real king. The likeness is freaky. His voice is strong and clear and the backing tracks unobtrusive. The King really is Alive!

He opened his show on a lively note with All Shook Up before providing us with the more mellow Elvis. Like I said, you don’t need a song list, but it’s nice that in addition to the usual E songs, he does perform some of the ones you don’t’ get a chance to hear very often. Songs like Big Boss Man and Moody Blue. He even did my favorite, Viva Las Vegas.

With a BubbaC John show, you get more than the songs and voice, although that would be plenty. Here you get a complete show on stage. The Bubbettes dance with their guitars and emit particles like bubbles, green showers and a variety of multi colored thingies. The keyboard player and drummer are also animated and it keeps you busy covering the antics on stage. While live music is a pleasure to hear in Second Life®, it adds so much when you see a complete show, rehearsed and pulled off to perfection.

Back to Elvis, I mean BubbaC. You get the feeling he really enjoys playing his part. Between songs and even during songs, he acknowledges everyone the way only Elvis can. He laughs, jokes and probably even cries during his performance. It’s infectious. He reads the chat and is aware of what’s being said. The 30 or so in the crowd featured a few decked out in Elvis gear and I imagine that happens frequently. Judging by the chat, most were in to seeing the King in Second Life®.

During Great Balls of Fire, which was intensely hot, flames shot up behind the dancers adding to the ambiance. A lot goes in to a BubbaC John show and you really have to keep your eyes front. The performers constantly move about and off the stage. It’s perfectly appealing. At one point, BubbaC rezzes a giant bear and ….well I can’t give everything away. You’ll have to see for yourself.

There is so much going on in BubbaC’s show, that you can’t help but have a good time. He creates that for you. He’s a marvelous singer and does justice to a legend. Every time I’ve see BubbaC, there’s something new and it’s nice to see someone who cares so much not only about what he does, but about what the audience sees and does. He really wants you to have a good time.

BubbaC John is worth every penny, and you should tip him and the venue to keep sensational performers here. For an hour you get lost (and so does Bubba) in a world that only Elvis knew about. We get to be a part of it. The King Lives!