EDDIE O’ROURKE…REHEARSING IN NEW JERSEY
by eddie on Jul.21, 2009, under E
I’m currently in the midst of my “Elvis Summer Festival”, which runs June through September, here in New Jersey. However, my performing schedule fills the entire year. When I’m not giving a concert, you’ll often find me rehearsing for the next one.
Even though I work from a set program…I still believe in the need for rehearsals. Although I perform the various renditions of my concerts often, I rarely repeat the same show twice in a row. I’ve always felt that alternating programs helps to keep the performances fresh. Since I’m not always singing the same songs, my rehearsing gives me that extra edge that makes my delivery sharper. In an effort to give my voice a chance to rest up, I prefer to have several days between performing. During the “Vegas” years, Elvis developed a large amount of production numbers that can be quite taxing on the vocal chords. Unfortunately, scheduling doesn’t always cooperate…leaving me to make do with whatever time I have between performances. I try not to be complacent, when it comes to the format of my shows. When you do an Elvis Tribute, it’s so easy to fall into a rut. I like to think if Elvis was still performing he would have progressed to things we can’t even imagine. He was forever changing. The image he projected in the fifties was different from his look and style for most of the sixties and different again as he moved through the seventies. There’s no reason to assume he would have stopped growing and experimenting with new material at that point. In that spirit, I’m forever tweaking each program so the structure and musical arrangements can vary as I move forward. Bottomline…I’m never finished rehearsing!