Celebrate the Holidays with Legends
By Christina Knauss
The Christmas dream of many an Elvis fan down through the decades has likely been to hear the King himself croon his soulful, mournful holiday tune "Blue Christmas."
Fans can come the closest they ever will to seeing that in reality if they check out the Christmas show at Legends in Concert in Surfside Beach. It's the perfect holiday event for people who want to see some of the country's most talented celebrity tribute artists - and get a good helping of holiday cheer in the bargain.
Other Christmas shows along the Strand give you all Christmas, all the time, for more than two hours. Legends dishes up plenty of holiday spirit, but it's mixed in with the rest of the regular show.
The "Blue Christmas" duty is handled very effectively by Nathan Belt, who portrays Elvis in the holiday show. Many fans will remember that Belt, who originally hails from Texas, won the Myrtle Beach Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest held at Legends back in July.
Other performers include Doug Brewin as Alan Jackson, Robbie Howard as Frank Sinatra, Kenny Barrett and Tim Stamper as the Blues Brothers, and Jasmine as Whitney Houston.
The Legends stage is tastefully decorated with wreaths, poinsettias and a tree on one side of the stage. For the Christmas show, each performer initially includes one Christmas song in their regular set, and then at the end everyone comes out together for a chorus of standards such as "O Holy Night," "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and "Joy to the World."
A little dose of full-on, fun Christmas kitsch happens during one interval number when three of the Legends dancers interact with three others dressed as over-sized snowmen who "come alive" and do a little dance of their own.
Brewin as Alan Jackson is one of the most effective tribute artists you will see on a Legends stage. His resemblance, both physical and vocal, to Jackson is almost uncanny, and anyone who has seen Jackson perform live will realize that he even replicates Jackson's way of handling a guitar and gesturing during songs. His set includes a good dose of Jackson's greatest hits including "Chattahoochee," "Good Time" and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere," as well as a warm rendition of "Let it Be Christmas."
Howard as The Chairman of the Board offers up a strong, fun set that had Sinatra fans in the audience on a recent Saturday night grinning from ear to ear. He performs Sinatra standards such as "Fly With Me" and "That's Life," and throws in a hefty dose of good-natured stage banter that touches on Sinatra's Hoboken, N.J. roots. His holiday song is "Mistletoe and Holly." And yes, you do get to hear a performance of "New York, New York" as well.
http://www.mbsun.com/assets_c/2009/12/Legends box-thumb-350x262-2539.jpgBarrett and Stamper are Legends regulars portraying the Blues Brothers, and they do a great set that combines some topical humor with standards such as "Soul Man" and a bluesy version of "Santa Claus is Back in Town."
Performer Jasmine gives a very strong performance as modern soul diva Whitney Houston, beginning with her '80s-era hits such as "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and including favorites from the '90s and later, including the inevitable smash hit "I Will Always Love You." As Houston, she performs a moving rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear," which has become one of the soul singer's holiday standards since she performed it on one of the "Very Special Christmas" anthologies.
The Legends Christmas experience provides just the right mix of holiday spirit and celebrity glitz, offering audience members the chance to get ready to deck the halls while also singing along with some of their favorite performers.
I bow down hmulby in the presence of such greatness.