Although no tabloid spies were lurking around to report it, Roy Orbison was indeed sighted Friday night by at least 100 people.
With a black guitar strapped around his neck, trademark dark outfit, jet-straight hair and boxy sunglasses, impersonator Kenny Morrill had the smattering of devoted Orbison fans cheering as though they were watching the real thing.The powerful, sweet tenor, graceful falsetto and operatic lung capacity were all eerily reminiscent of the late rock star, who died last year. With classic Orbison hits like "In Dreams," "Only the Lonely," "I Got a Woman," "Blue Bayou," "Candy Man," "Crying" (Morrill's personal favorite), and, naturally, "Pretty Woman," the musician easily demonstrated why he's currently playing to sellout crowds in Las Vegas.
Morrill also portrays the rock star's quiet stage presence and low-key charisma.
"Thank you, thank you very much," he'd repeat softly after the wild applause would die down, peering past the lights into the crowd. "You're small but mighty."
Though Bruce Springsteen has been heard to say that "no one can sing like Roy Orbison," Morrill certainly comes close. On moving ballads like "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore," he's got a sound that could fill the Met, and his beautifully sustained vibrato dips low and then smoothly up high, with consistent control.
In an interview earlier, Morrill recalled a concert he did last summer in Wink, Texas - Orbison's hometown - where 3,500 skeptical people showed up to see how he'd do.
"Now they treat me almost like Orbison himself," he said. "I sang with his son, Wesley, and he broke up a few times. He said I had hands just like his dad's."
The uncanny similarities go past just that, as nationwide audiences are beginning to notice. Next time Morrill's in town, perhaps more will get the chance to appreciate them.