And what a night is was! The official opening night ceremonies of the Red Robinson Show Theatre were a rousing success! Plus there was a who's who of the music and entertainment business in attendance. Milling around the crowd were such recording artists as Chad Allen, the original lead singer for The Guess Who, Terry Jacks, The Poppy Family's Susan Jacks, and many more.This is an impressive facility; the seating arrangement is mind boggling. The physical layout of this 1,200 seat theatre can change from tiered seating (like a stadium) to a flat surfaced floor for cabaret seating with tables in ten minutes. And it's all done hydraulically, quite amazing. And hanging from the ceiling is the world's larget mirror ball! The rest of the facility showcases a ton of Red's personal music memorabilia including photos of Red with so many stars including Roy Orbison, Little Richard, the Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Tom Jones, and so many more. There is even his own original radio production studio, all set up and working for future spoecial broadcasts from the venue.
The opening ceremonies were undertaken with Red Robinson sitting on a couch on the stage and then one by one, in true This Is Your Life fashion, personality after personality came out on stage to salute Red. They included legendary radio and tv personality, Wink Martindale, Elvis Presley's drummer DJ Fontana, who was with Elvis for 14 years and played on over 460 cuts for Elvis' RCA recording sessions. Also present was Elvis' lifelong friend and tour manager, Joe Esposito. The President of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Terry Stewart had some wonderful things to say about Red and his pioneering career. The famous Peter Reveen The Impossiblist flew in from Los Vegas where he manages the famous Lance Burton, one of the world's greatest magicians. There were also local personalities and political dignitaries on stage to salute Red.
There were a number of video greetings sent in by performers unable to attend in person. They included Tony Orlando, Anne Murray, Mike Reno from Loverboy, and Michael Bublé (one of the hottest talents out there today who got his start as part of a stage musical called Red Rock Diner, a musical based on the early dj days of Red).
And when that was done it was time for the show to begin. Paul Revere and the Raiders took to the stage for a high energy and highly entertaining set, filled with all of their hits and the kooky humour of Paul Revere himself. I was so surprised when he introduced the members of his band. His guitarist has been in the band for 33 years (actually 33 1/3 years, as Paul pointed out - just like a record!). His bass player has been a Raider for 32 years, while his drummer and keyboard player for at least twenty years. I was wondering who would be singing the lead vocals, formerly done by Mark Lindsay. I was very surprised to find out that it was Darren Medley, son of the other half of the evening's entertainment bill, Bill Medley from the Righteous Brothers.
Bill looked and sounded great singing all the fantastic hits by the Righteous Brothers, plus a medley of songs recorded by Ray Charles, which practically took down the house when he sang I Can't Stop Loving You. A loving video tribute to his late partner and soul brother Bobby Hatfield took place while Bill sang Unchained Melody, originally performed on record by Bobby. It was very touching to see and hear Bill Medley and his son Darren sing together on the show closer You're My Soul And Inspiration, which resulted in a standing ovation.
What a night and what a phenomenol tribute to my great friend Red Robinson! I am so glad I was able to attend and participate in this special evening celebrating and recognizing Red for his amazing career and contributions to the community. If you're planning a trip to Vancouver, you need to include the Red Robinson Show Theatre on your list. Upcoming performers at the venue include Little Richard, Huey Lewis & The News, Rosanne Barr, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, James Brown, Brent Butt star of the highly successful comedy tv show Corner Gas, John Kay And Steppenwolf, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and a ton more.
Please be sure to visit Red's website soon, as it will be filled with audio and video clips plus lots of photos from the gala evening. It's www.redrobinson.com.
