Long after most students escaped the halls of their dormitories for the comforting safety of their homes, something else was afoot at Southwestern University. Hidden among university notices and Facebook posts was an event that would make most college students’ brows raise: Elvis and Friends. An hour of Elvis impersonation headlined by Bill Harris – better known as Mr. Thrill. What college student would dare stay another day after class to watch a middle-aged man gyrate to “Hound Dog”, you ask? I would. And considering Mr. Thrill’s perfect five stars on Yelp, I had high expectations. According to this same Yelp, he also DJs, and does tributes to other musical artists like Neil Diamond and Tom Jones. 

Upon my arrival, I was none too surprised that I seemed to be the youngest person there of my own free will. After all, Elvis is a titan known best by those of a different generation. Despite the name of the event, the first ten minutes or so were dedicated to Neil Diamond. This performance struck as a true deep cut considering how in August of 1970, Diamond invited Prestley onstage for a joint performance of “Sweet Caroline”. Harris’ performance as Diamond was true to fashion, though I could see the signature Elvis shimmy trying its hardest to escape at times. As promised, Mr. Thrill’s performance as the King of Rock and Roll left little to be desired. He danced around with ease, even pulling audience members to dance with him or to have a scarf playfully draped around their necks. Mr. Thrill even suggested teaming up with Southwestern again to teach Elvis impersonation classes. And although it was just a joke, I do hope an “Elvis-ing 101” course opens up in the future, it sounds like so much fun. 

Personally, one of the highlights of my night was meeting all the amazing people who came out to see the show. Even though there were no other college students in sight, I spoke with many attendees who shared their love of both the university and Elvis himself. I even got to meet a lovely woman who impressed the REAL Elvis with her chicken fried steak so much that he tipped her 50 whole dollars and invited her to his show! I also spoke with Mr. Thrill’s sister, commiserating over the fact that the impersonator must have taken all the family talent for himself (quite rude if you ask me). 

In the future, Southwestern hopes to host similar events for the Georgetown community while students are off enjoying break. Elvis and Friends was a stepping stone towards future outreach and entertainment for the Southwestern alumni and surrounding community. Such events allow Southwestern to showcase its beautiful campus and hopefully inspire people young and old to come to SU for a once-in-a-lifetime experience like this one. I mean, when else would you get to see an Elvis impersonator at 7 PM on a Saturday?