Elton John tribute delivers crowd-pleasing concert

The Canyon Lake Fine Arts Guild sponsored another entertaining evening of exhilarating pop music last Saturday at the Lodge. This time, the featured act was “Kenny Metcalf as Elton,” a tribute to the early days of rock legend Elton John.

Kenny stepped onto the stage with sequins and rhinestones while rockin’ and bobbin’ to the “Crocodile Rock.” Backed by a lead guitar, bass guitar, drummer and two female backup singers, this band of musicians lit up the stage from the very first song to the last iconic chartbusting hit, including “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Benny and the Jets,” “Saturday’s Alright for Fighting,” and ending the show with “Your Song.”

“The Guild is proud to have experienced its fourth sold out event in the last year. Those who attended prior Guild events know how we scour the field for tribute artists offering the most authentic experience of your all-time favorite groups, but most of all they have to be fun,” said Guild Program Director Ron Martel.

Concertgoer Jill Torkelson said, “I was so excited that every song was a favorite, I couldn’t stop dancing and singing along.”

Corrie Tutt, who attended the concert with a group of friends, said “We came to have a ‘good’ time and ended up having a ‘great’ time. A big thank you to the Guild for another fantastic evening!”

Canyon Laker Tammy Revard added, “Kenny Metcalf was terrific. I have seen Elton John perform a couple times. With Kenny, sometimes you have to take a double take because he looks and sounds so much like Elton John”

The next Guild concert, featuring Fortunate Son, a Creedence Clearwater Revival  tribute band, will be held in the Holiday Bay Room at the Lodge on May 20. Tickets to this event and all 2017 Guild concerts can be purchased now on the Guild’s website at canyonlakeguild.com. “Our website is informative, useful and most of all, easy to use, please check it out,” said Guild Operations Director Bert Barbay.

Following the Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute concert, the Guild will be offering the community a free summer concert on August 5 at Holiday Harbor. The concert will feature Little Lies, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band. More information on this event will be announced in the next couple months.

The Guild will then return to the Lodge on October 14 with Smooth Sounds, a tribute to Santana, and then wrap up its 2017 season on December 2 with Catch a Wave, a Beach Boys tribute band.

Tickets to all of these events are on sale now on the Fine Arts Guild Website. General Admission tickets cost $25 and can be purchased on the website or at the POA. VIP Reserved tickets cost $45 and can only be purchased on the website.

Benefactor Sponsors need to acquire their tickets by sending an email to canyonlakeguild@gmail.com; seat selection will be handled in order of requests. Benefactor Patrons will sit in their same seats all season.

Benefactors are valued contributors to the Canyon Lake Fine Arts Guild programs. Guild President Travis Montgomery said, “We are grateful to the community for supporting the Guild with a 50 percent increase in Benefactors for the 2017 season!”

More information, pictures and videos are now available on the website as well as on the Guild’s Facebook page at facebook.com/canyonlakefineartsguild.