(MIDDLETOWN, NJ) -- Jersey Shore musician Brian Ostering from The Wag is stepping out of his comfort zone with The Elvis Spectacular - "The Early Years" Concert on Saturday, June 27, 2026 at the Middletown Arts Center. This is the first time he has performed an Elvis show and it's a tribute to his father who helped pass down his passion for Elvis to Brian. I reached out to Brian to learn more about the show.
You've mentioned how taking your father to Graceland was special. When did that trip take place?
I took my Dad to Graceland in May of 2003. His health was starting to fail, and I felt like we should do this trip before things got worse. Looking back now, I am so grateful that we went when we did. My Dad had the best time! We spent time in Memphis, saw a great gospel group, went to Sun Records and stood where Elvis recorded, went to Graceland a few times, and Dad even had the famous peanut butter and banana sandwich - which he said was good. The two moments that I will never forget from that trip are:
* We went in the Lisa Marie airplane and Dad set off the alarm. We climbed the stairs, which was tough for my Dad due to his health. As we went through the plane, he saw an area that had a bed. It was roped off, so people wouldn't touch anything. I turned my head for a split second, and heard an alarm going off. I looked at my Dad and he said, "Run, leave me behind!" He said he had touched the bed to see if it was real. I went to the front of the plane and told the attendant, who turned off the alarm. She said not to worry about it, and we escaped incarceration, LOL. Afterwards, Dad got me to the side and said, "The bed was plywood."
* We visited Elvis' grave, and Dad noticed that there were artificial flowers on it. My Dad complained to one of the employees about it! He said, "This man is the reason why everyone is here. He deserves real flowers." So once again, I had to save us from jail time, and we left. The next day was our last day of the trip, and Dad wanted to go back to Graceland. When we went to the grave again, it was covered in REAL FLOWERS! Dad said, "Look, I got him real flowers!" I was speechless. Maybe they switch out the flowers on certain days, or maybe they actually did listen to my Dad. Either way, he was very proud that he did something for Elvis, and knowing that he felt that made my heart happy.
Have you ever done this show before? Your band, The Wag, regularly does tribute shows - most notably spotlighting music by The Beatles. Any chance this becomes a regular show as well?
My plan was to do it during a time that my Wag bandmates were unavailable for one reason or another. So, if there again comes a time when they are unavailable, perhaps the show will come back. At this show, I will be joined by Joe Lisa on guitar. Joe has been a staple at all of our Wag Beatles & Christmas Spectaculars. In those shows, he plays violin. At The Elvis Spectacular, he will be playing electric & acoustic guitar. Award winning drummer Vince Livolsi will be behind the kit. Vince and I were bandmates many years ago in my first original band, along with my cousin Mike. On backing vocals for the evening will be my fellow Wag bandmate, Alicia Van Sant, and my sister, Tiffany Ostering-Dibble. She will be making her stage debut at this special tribute show for our Dad.
What is the first Elvis song you remember hearing growing up?
I think the first Elvis song that I can remember hearing was "Hound Dog". We used to sing it to our pet dogs.
How about the first Elvis song you remember learning how to play?
That one is easy to remember - it was "That's All Right, Mama". My cousin Jerry had shown me a few songs on bass, but this is the one that I learned all by myself, when I was around 13 years old. It was also the first song that I learned how to sing and play at the same time. It seems so easy now, but back then, singing and playing at the same time was a major breakthrough for me.
When you perform Elvis songs, do you sing them as you normally would or do you try to sound more like Elvis?
I don't go out of my way to try and sound like other singers. However, I think a little bit of the original artist comes through here and there. In The Wag's Christmas Christmas Spectacular show, I sing 2 Elvis Christmas songs. People have said that I capture a bit of his essence while performing; hopefully, everyone will enjoy that.
Tickets are $20 and available for purchase online. Showtime is 7:00pm. The Middletown Arts Center is located at 36 Church Street in Middletown, New Jersey.
Upcoming shows for The Wag include: The Bradley Beach Concert Series on June 25th where they will be performing a Beatles Tribute; Kasschau Memorial Bandshell Concert Series on July 2nd in Ridgewood; The Milltown 4th of July Parade.
