The sound of classic 1960s rock music filled the SURC ballroom with excitement and noise as Danny Vernon, an Elvis Presley impersonator, put on a Vegas-themed show. Although Campus Activities continuously advertised a guest performer who would impersonate Michael Jackson, he never showed up because, according to Campus Activities Program Manager Grace Pearsons, the Michael Jackson actor’s flight got canceled.
Many students expressed disappointment about the absence of Michael Jackson, especially Law and Justice student Kally Buerkle. “I did have fun. [Vegas Night] was better than I thought it was gonna be. It was pretty entertaining. I would go see it again, but if they do do it again, I’m gonna need some Michael Jackson. If they’re advertising it with Michael Jackson, I need him there,” Buerkle stated. “Bring back Michael Jackson. We want Michael.”
Construction Management student Keira Fleenor also expressed a similar type of disappointment when she never saw Michael Jackson show up. “I was waiting for him the whole time and I was really sad when I found out he missed his flight,” Fleenor said. “I love Michael Jackson, so I was gonna sing along, but then I was a little sad when he didn’t show up.”
Vernon’s Vegas Night show was the main event of Family Weekend. The 90-minute show took place on the evening of Saturday, May 9. Campus Activities scheduled Family Weekend to align with Mother’s Day.
Pearson counted a total of 316 attendees at Vegas Night. She said she felt proud of the diversity of the attendance. “We had so many different age groups. We had so many different families come,” Pearsons said. “We had great-grandparents all the way down to little tiny siblings that were three or four years old. To be able to see multiple generations all enjoying shows together was really wonderful.”
On the homepage of his website, Vernon described himself by saying, “From the many years of admiration of Elvis Presley, I’ve sought to create a show that would hold the excitement of the King of Rock and Roll on stage throughout the various stages of his career. I also try to show respect and support the integrity of the man and his music.”
The Elvis Presley impersonator followed that mission statement with the help of his band, Danny Vernon and the Devilles. He performed many of Presley’s most famous songs, including “Viva Las Vegas,” “You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and more.
One of the Devilles was Vernon’s red-headed wife from Texas, Marcia Soule Smith, who prefers to go by her stage name, “Ann-Margret,” according to Vernon’s website.
Ann-Margret danced and sang backing vocals throughout most of the show. But while Vernon changed costumes the first time, Ann-Margret served as the lead vocalist for the Devilles’ cover of “Great Balls of Fire,” a 1961 song by Jerry Lee Lewis.
During Vernon’s second costume change, in which he wore a sweater with an American eagle on it to celebrate the United States’ upcoming 250th birthday, Melanie Vail, the other backing vocalist for the Devilles, sang a few solo covers, including a song by Linda Ross.
Despite missing Michael Jackson, Fleenor and her friend, Social Studies and Secondary Education student Kaden Thompson, said they still enjoyed Vernon’s performance.
“[The Devilles’] costumes were all very Vegas-like and [Vernon] had a couple different costume changes, but it was all very good. It seemed very realistic,” Thompson said.
Fleenor added that she thought the costume changes brought the show together. “I just thought it was a great interpretation of the real Elvis,” Fleenor said.
While some Vegas Night attendees said they felt quite upset that the Michael Jackson impersonator never showed up, Jim Ayers and Sue Ayers, the parents of Wildcat Shop Director Angela Johnson, said they did not mind as much.
“We didn’t have Michael with us last night, so Elvis had to carry the whole show,” Jim Ayers said. “I think he was a little nervous at first, having to take the whole show on, but as you can see, he relaxed more and really got into it as the show went on. And it was good. It was entertaining.”
Similar to how Jim Ayers thought the performers kept improving throughout the show, his wife, Sue Ayers, felt the same way about the audience’s energy level.
“[The audience] got better as the night went on, too. It was really fun. I think people relaxed and had fun at the show, which was great,” Sue Ayers said. “Parents and grandparents and students all together. So that was fun. It was a full house.”
