Elvis still King in rock tribute

FORT WORTH -- It was the night of the living dead in the Fort Worth Symphony-sponsored Concerts in the Garden series Friday night.

A show called Rock and Roll Heaven featured singers paying tribute to Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. It was a night off for the symphony, so all three imitators were backed by the same nine-piece ensemble that included a three-piece brass section and a pair of female backup singers.

Kraig Parker, who closed the concert, was a dead ringer for Elvis. Sporting a Vegas-era white jumpsuit and an authentic hairdo, he walked the walk and talked the talk as the King. His vocals were eerily similar to their source, and he punctuated his numbers with snappy karate moves.

Parker's set was impressive for its delivery and its structure. He honored many of the biggest hits that everyone wanted to hear (an extremely high-energy medley of Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock was among the show's highlights), but he also included some songs that are buried deeper in Presley's catalog, such as My Way, You've Lost that Loving Feeling and Hurt.

The quality of his efforts led the crowd to treat him like the real thing. There were audible squeals as Parker tossed out what seemed like dozens of sweaty scarves out to adoring female fans at the stage's edge.

John Mueller as Buddy Holly was something of a dead end. He looked the part in his big glasses and vintage suit. And he often sounded like Holly at the beginning of a lyric. But by the time he reached the end of the line, all resemblance to the Lubbock icon had faded. Mueller delivered Holly's biggest hits faithfully enough, but he never convinced you he was anyone other than John Mueller.

But he was more effective than Al Nelson as Roy Orbison, who was just dead wrong. His reedy, nasal voice seldom recalled Orbison in any way. He had some big notes, but they were not Orbison's notes.