King Size Me, Baby

When Kimplified and the DogSchool 101 Diva divulged their Elvis addictions a few years back, I scoffed with eyebrow raised. Hell no was my initial reaction when invited to a tribute concert. But Kimlified's musical taste palette is superlative, and she lauded the night as an ultimato experience.

Well, color me Elvis sequins and stuff. Born as a small thang in 1996 at the Star Bar, the Kingsized spectaculah sells out the Variety Playhouse bi-annually on the anniversaries of the King’s birth and death.

Red’s tale of a Vegas-style act seemed promising as the scantily clad burlesque Dames A’flame strolled the crowd before the show’s start, including Li’l E (a height-challenged bloke dressed in older Elvis garb, plunging neck line and furry chest hair included).



Curtain opened to an Elvis in utero back drop behind a platform with go go dancers getting’ their King on. The smokin’ 8-piece band, 3 backup singers with great pipes, and the bald, smooth crooning Big Mike grabbed the audience from the start and never let go. Their encore had you wishing Elvis had lived to actually cover Bruce Springsteen’s Thunder Road and Born to Run.

Now proudly on Cheek’s list of how to do Atlanta right, you may find yourself drug to Dames A’flame performances at the Midtown Vortex or Tongo Hiti at Trader Vic’s Lounge. But you won’t be sorry.