Introduction
Ingrid Gockert with her daughter, Cassandra.
I wish to thank Elvis/ETA fan, and our friend, Ingrid Gockert, for sending her reflections on her evening at ETA Steve Michaels’ recent show in Brampton, ON, that she attended with her daughter, Cassandra.
Ingrid has been an Elvis fan since she was 15 and an ETA fan since she saw her first ETA Martin Fontaine in 2007. In 2010, she saw ETA Steve Michaels for the first time and has been an ardent fan of Steve’s ever since.
Today, June 22nd, is Ingrid’s birthday and we wish her all the best on her special day. Hope is the start of a wonderful year, Ingrid. Happy birthday from me and everyone at SIDEBURNS Magazine. Cheers! C.M.
An Evening with ETA Steve Michaels
by Ingrid Gockert
Friday, June 17th, 2022
A few months ago I saw on Facebook that Steve Michaels was doing an up close and personal show at Spot 1 Bar and Grill in Brampton, Ontario. I asked my daughter, Cassandra, if she would like to go with me to her first ETA show. I figured if she was going to see her first show it should be by one of the best.
The evening started off with a lovely bottle of white house wine which went down very smoothly. We sat at the first table in front of the stage. I had requested this when I bought the tickets a few months ago. Cassandra ordered the veggie burger which came with sweet potato fries—a huge delicious burger that she could not finish. I opted for vegetarian fettuccine in a carbonate sauce. It came with two slices of garlic bread and a huge Caesar salad. The fettuccine was delicious with broccoli on top and definitely not lacking carbonara sauce. The service was excellent, and both the hostess and waitress were very nice.
Ingrid with Spot 1 hostess. Seated behind Ingrid is her new friend Marian Reid.
I met a lovely woman named Marian Reid who has seen Steve about 20 times. She had her daughter, Deborah, with her and we have now become friends. The Elvis family is the best.
The show started at exactly 8:30, with lots of cheering and yelling throughout the show from Steve's adoring fans. Steve did three decades of Elvis and changed outfits twice. This was my 8th time seeing Steve perform in 13 years. The first time was at the Rialto theatre in Montreal Quebec. He never disappoints his fans and definitely not me. He was surprised by Elaine Wren with a birthday cake and we all sang “Happy Birthday” to him. During “Suspicious Minds”, I went up to the stage to give him a birthday balloon I had bought and I received my 3rd scarf.
When the show was over Cass said she definitely enjoyed it, but she couldn't believe how some women yell and scream like it’s really Elvis up there. We decided to wait until most of most of the crowd had left before we hit the washroom before the one hour drive home. On the way to the washroom we passed a door, that was ajar, marked Office. I peeked and saw Steve and Elaine talking. I excused myself and asked if he could please take a minute to sign my scarf he had given me two weeks ago at his Burlington show. He said, “Of course,” and came out and sat at the closest table and took my scarf and signed it. We spoke a few minutes and I thanked him for singing my request, "Stranger in the Crowd”. I told him it was Cass's first show and he asked her if she liked it to which she replied, Yes, very much.” Cass then asked him if she could please take a picture of him with me and he said, “Of course.” I was so happy that I looked at him and said, "I love you." LOL. Of course, I meant as an entertainer. Steve is doing another show on July 30th in Collingwood and guess who is going…me, of course! I'll be sitting in the third row from stage. It will be my ninth time seeing Steve perform and definitely not my last.
Notice from Steve Michaels as ELVIS Admin, June 18th, 2022:
The RETURN to COLLINGWOOD will be simply good for the soul! Tickets are on sale now and a few extra seats have been opened up! The venue is the historical Gayety Theatre. Ladies and gentlemen, you do NOT want to miss this event. Indeed ‘Elvis’ is back in the building.
Photos used in this article provided by Ingrid Gockert.
Poster is credited to Steve Michaels Facebook Administration.
Edits by Carolyn MacArthur, Editor, SIDEBURNS: The Ultimate ETA Fan Magazine