Pack away your blue suede shoes, uMhlanga Elvis show postponed

UMHLANGA’S resident Elvis, Doug Weich will have to sing another day as inclement weather has caused him to cancel his show which was set to take place on Saturday, 3 October at the Chartwell Centre parking lot. 

Weich said the show will go on when the weather clears, but has not set a date yet. Audiences keen to see Weich perform as the King of Rock can look forward to his Rhumbelow Theatre show which is set for January 2021.

Weich said he became an Elvis Tribute Artist (ETA) in his 30s.

“My passion for Elvis started when I was a young eight-year-old boy listening to Elvis vinyl records. As I got older, becoming an ETA was always a dream of mine. It wasn’t until I was in my 30s that I realised my dream of becoming an ETA. I now perform in theatres with a live band,” he said.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on performers, said Weich. 

“I know a lot of professional musicians out there that couldn’t pay their bills if they were not performing, so I took the initiative to perform in the parking lot of Chartwell Centre during lockdown and raise funds for people in the industry. I try and do it at least once a month, and it has gained quite a following. The sound company, Channel5 provides the sound and stage at no cost,” he said.

Weich hopes his performance will bring joy to audiences after a tough lockdown period.

“Music is definitely nourishment for the soul. The months that we were in lockdown were extremely trying for all South Africans. We all needed so desperately to find some sort of normality under such abnormal times, and I felt that one way to achieve this was to take the music to the people, and what better way than with the music of Elvis Presley,” he said.

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The show takes audiences back to Las Vegas in the 70s as Weich performs Elvis’s most popular songs such as Suspicious Minds, Jailhouse Rock, Can’t Help Falling In Love, Burning Love, All Shook Up, Hound Dog and Are You Lonesome Tonight.

“Elvis has, and will always be my favourite entertainer. He had it all. The looks, the voice, the charisma and of course the magnificent rhinestone jumpsuits,” said Weich.

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