Yelba Entertains Crowd with Encore Performance at Keller Williams Concert

Yelba’s Variety Band’s second visit to the Keller Williams Concert at Kings Harbor was just as entertaining as the first. On a beautiful spring evening at the Habor last Friday, Yelba took the crowd on a musical tour of Latin America, joined by her husband Roy Heaton on bass guitar, Jerry Sanchez on keyboard and Vernon Daniels on drums.

The band opened the show with an acoustical number from the American jazz fusion band Spyro Gyra. Yelba along with Keller Williams Northeast agent Terri Blewett, the concert MC, encouraged the kids in the audience to come on stage for the first song: “Tonight We Dance.” The children were given musical shakers to help keep the beat to the Enrique Iglesias’ hit.

Singing in Spanish, Yelba then started her Latin tour with a salsa rhythm “Caballo Viejo” from Venezuela. She followed that up with “Smooth,” a cha cha song made famous by Santana. Argentina and Peru were the next stops on her parade of music from Latin countries.

Yelba switched gears with the next song saying, “Mothers and fathers, this one’s for you. Send your babies out (to the dance floor), so they’ll sleep good tonight. Let’s rock!”

The band played American rock classic “Johnny B Good” followed by the Latin rock classic “La Bamba,” a Mexican folk song popularized by Ritchie Valens. That led to a “Mini tour of Mexico,” including Yelba’s renditions of the songs “Cha Cha Cha” and “Fenesi.”

Yelba asked the kids to come back on stage and Terri led them in a line dance to the song “Mustang Sally.” The band followed that up with covers of the “Hotel California” by the Eagles and “La Bomba,” Ricky Martin’s first hit song.

Not wanting to quit just yet, Yelba picked a meringue tune to sing before the band’s break. She said it is the easiest of all the Latin rhythms to dance to because “all you have to do is count to two.” That got the couples out on the dance floor while Jerry sang a solo. What Yelba neglected to mention was that the average Latin song is seven minutes long. “Sorry guys,” she joked .

When the band took a break, Terri introduced the concert’s featured charity: the Lake Houston Family YMCA. Member Services Coordinator Stacy Turner thanked the community for supporting YMCA events which raised $200,000 last year. She said the funds help pay for memberships and after school programs for those who cannot afford them. She noted that Keller Williams Northeast’s own Judy Hopkins will be one of the dancers in their upcoming Dancing For Partners fundraiser.

Terri thanked Thomas Markle Jewelers for being the band sponsor for the evening and providing free samples of jewelry cleaner to help with spring cleaning.

Yelba chose some disco music to open up the second set singing “Get Down Tonight” and “Shake Your Booty.” Keeping the tempo upbeat, Jerry sung The Black Eyed Peas hit: “I Got a Feeling.”

The band’s energy level continued to climb as they performed “Rolling on the River” and “Play that Funky Music” with a guitar solo by Roy to a packed dance floor.

Two “ladies songs” completed the night’s entertainment: Lady Antebellum’s “I Need You Now” and Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.”

Faces in the crowd included several of the agents from Keller Williams Realty Northeast which sponsor the concerts on the third Friday of each month. Agents spotted enjoying the entertainment included: Suzanna Cheek, Skip Evans, Jan Jackson , Terri and Bob Blewett, Doug Erdy, Linda Bridges, Debra Camino, Karen Fitzgerald, Pauline Symon and Team Leader Lorri Brines.

The next Keller Williams concert at Kings Harbor is May 20 featuring another returning entertainer: Elvis Tribute Artist Vince King.

Hyperlinks:

www.visionsoftheking.com