AIKEN — The Etherredge Center, at USC Aiken, is expanding its musical horizons this weekend, with the music — and sometimes the wardrobe and stage style — of Elvis Presley at the forefront, amid Burning Love Fest, featuring tribute artists from around the country for competition and a chance to air songs that helped define American culture from the ’50s through the ’70s.
Friday evening’s show had a Hawaiian theme, and Saturday evening shifted the focus to Las Vegas. Visitors were invited to dress accordingly, with floral designs Friday and plenty of flash and sparkle 24 hours later. Sunday is to have a gospel touch, and the four-day package is a production of tribute artists Jason Sikes, from Graniteville, and Travis Powell, one of his most frequent neighbors on stage.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been to an Elvis event like this, and it’s absolutely fantastic,” said Greenwood resident Jennifer Cathcart, who was part of a group supporting Abbeville-based competitor Jacob Eder, who was the opening act in Friday evening’s fun.
“They’re doing a really good job here,” she added, describing the end result as “very professional.”
Performers on hand for Friday morning’s festivities included Landon Haren, from Corryton, Tenn., a suburb of Knoxville. He won first place in the “Little E” competition, a chance for young performers to put their skills to the test in the spotlight. In Landon’s case, that meant singing “It’s Now or Never” (“the ’77 version,” he noted) and “Unchained Melody.”
It’s familiar territory, he noted, recalling that he started singing Presley songs at age 3. “I just sing Elvis all the time, but I started contests and stuff about a year ago. I just listened to Elvis all my life, so it’s in me.”
“Karaoke joints and places like that” are among his venues of choices, along with Elvis festivals in various states. “The most we’ve probably ever traveled is … New Orleans one time,” he recalled.