Centrestage - Entertainment Port Elizabeth

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Next up - Dinner Theatre at Old Grey - Fri 7 & Sat 8 October Tix R120 including meal
Call 041-3683093 to book (8am to 4pm Mon-Fri)

"Tribute to Vintage Rockers had keen crowd on its feet - After watching – or more fittingly “interacting” – with Centrestage’s Vintage Rockers show, an overwhelming sense of nostalgia and a raw-from-all-the-clapping pair of hands is what you can anticipate from this well-orchestrated display. Two very enthusiastic thumbs-up !! "

Amy Cornish EP Herald Fri 6 May

"Centrestage's Vintage Rockers is a class act which makes quick work of getting its audience up and rocking!"

Shaun Gilham Weekend Post 7 May

Centrestage’s “Vintage Rockers”, a brand new tribute to the working class rockers who came to prominence in the 80’s, will be staged next up - Dinner Theatre at Old Grey - Fri 7 & Sat 8 October Tix R120 including meal - Call 041-3683093to book (8am to 4pm Mon-Fri)

The show features American rockers John Cougar Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Huey Lewis, Journey’s Steve Perry and Canadian Bryan Adams, who are joined on stage by their British compatriots Eric Clapton and Joe Cocker.

A “smacking good evening of consummate rock n roll favourites” is promised by a group of singer-songwriters who, along with their acoustic guitars and raw up-front vocal energy, imbued their music with a timeless stand-alone melodic simplicity and personality which still remains the true today.

Eschewing synthesizers and other artificial sounds which were introduced in the 80’s, this group focused on organic instrumentation with commercially accessible songs which often celebrated finding grandeur in the struggles of daily life.

A new-look Centrestage band features fellow Port Elizabeth singer-songwriters playing guest roles to pay tribute to their own personal idols:

Wordsmith and vocalist extraordinaire Anton Calitz makes a rare appearance in front of the Centrestage All-Star Band in the guise of John Cougar Mellencamp, who was known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock with much loved anthems such as Jack and Dianne, Cherry Bomb, Pink Houses and Hurts So Good included in the lineup.

Himself a vintage rocker from the early Centrestage staging of Born to Be Wild, Francois Hugo became synonymous with the distinguished gritty voice of English rock/blues musician Joe Cocker, replete with his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing.

Hugo fronted his own celebrated tribute to Cocker With A Little Help From My Friends in 2001 and he includes classics such as Civilised Man, Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood and Unchain My Heart in this 10 year look back at his icon.

Now firmly in the new role as fronting guitarist he took over from Donovan Hattingh, Alan Kozak brings his fast fingers and exemplary voice to Slow Hand Eric Clapton’s rockier selections, such as I Shot the Sherriff, Cocaine, Lay Down Sally and Layla.

The multi-talented, multi-dimensional and extremely popular musician Joe Van Der Linden takes over from Pietie Kruger on bass, while the equally dynamic Khanya Matomela performs as Huey Lewis (from ‘the News’ fame) on songs such as Heart of Rock n Roll and Power of Love, as well as tinkling the ivories. Russel Snead completes the lineup on drums.

Venerable vocalist, ace Centrestage front-man and musical director Wayne Kallis takes top honours in the show.

First as Bryan Adams, for which he is a vocal dead ringer on songs such as Cuts Like A Knife, You’ve Been A Friend to Me and Cant Stop this Thing We Started, then later he appears as the roots rocker with the classic, raspy voice Bob Seger, on evergreens such as Roll Me Away, Against the Wind, The Fire Inside, Like A Rock and Old Time Rock N Roll.

Kallis also appears as one of the most readily identify-able voices of the 80’s – that of Steve Perry on Don’t Stop Believing and Oh Sherrie.

Rounding off proceedings is none other than ‘The Boss’ Bruce Springsteen, with masterpieces such as Born in the USA,
Cover Me, Dancing in the Dark and Glory Days, all exemplifying the popular style of vintage musical selections making up this show.

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