The king of rock n’ roll is back and in DeKalb. Known by NIU students as Elvis, the man behind the blue sparkly suit is Steve Silverstein.
At local bars such as Hometown Sports Bar and Grill, Fatty’s Pub and Grille and Molly’s Eatery and Drinkery, Silverstein performs a variety of karaoke songs in an Elvis persona, complete with suits and sideburns.
The presence of Elvis in DeKalb nightlife is welcomed with open arms by the NIU community.
“It was surprising because Elvis is still iconic, but I wasn’t aware of how popular the act would be with the students,” Silverstein said. “I knew that older people who either lived through the Elvis era, or were even second generation fans, were big Elvis fans, but I was kind of surprised – pleasantly surprised – over the last couple years of how popular the act is, the persona.”
Silverstein’s favorite Elvis songs are “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” “How Great Thou Art” and “Unchained Melody.” However, Silverstein considers himself a crooner and also performs songs by Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel and others.
Silverstein initially studied drama at NIU before heading to Chicago to pursue acting. He was involved in a number of productions – preferring small, intimate dramas – before turning his track to teaching. During the day, Silverstein now works as a traveling special education teacher at Proviso West High School in Hillside, Illinois.
Silverstein still bears his resemblance to The King while at work. It is even in the works for him to perform at a school-wide assembly.
“I get a lot of people call me Elvis there, or they want to hear a song. ‘Hey, Elvis, can you do this?’ ‘Can you do ‘Can’t help falling in love?’’” he said. “So, this is how I normally look.”
But, why Elvis? Silverstein initially chose to embody this musical icon as a birthday gift to his mother.
“I had years of acting experience playing different characters, and my mom is a humongous Elvis fan. So, I decided to be Elvis because she’d never seen Elvis live, so I decided to do Elvis for her birthday party,” Silverstein said. “I practiced for many, many hours, singing and trying to get his voice down. So, the character has kind of evolved.”
Silverstein continued performing as Elvis over the next few years. While he performs karaoke for the love of the community he has created, Silverstein plays gigs at El Jimador Mexican Grill, weddings, birthday parties and more.
“It’s a lot of fun. I mean, I get paid, and I do shows, bigger shows for money, but also going out to DeKalb just because there’s so many people that get so excited about seeing Elvis,” Silverstein said. “It’s a lot of fun and rewarding for the students. I mean, for me to perform for everybody, but especially students who are so excited about Elvis.”
Elvis has cemented himself as a DeKalb legend among NIU students. When approached for photos or videos, Silverstein doesn’t hesitate to give back to his fans.
“I can’t walk into an NIU bar or even go into a store now without somebody recognizing me,” Silverstein said.
This statement was proven true, as during this interview, a former student of Silverstein’s – from his time working at Sycamore Middle School – approached with her grandparents to reconnect with her teacher.
Silverstein was more than happy to oblige, taking a photo for their Christmas card and even performing a rendition of “Can’t Help Falling in Love” for a video.
Silverstein does plan to return to the DeKalb area in the fall 2025 semester. However, he hopes to someday do Elvis full time.
“Because DeKalb was so popular, or NIU was so popular, I want to try Madison (Wisconsin). You know, since the students love the Elvis persona here, this summer, I’m going to kind of branch out,” he said. “But probably my ultimate goal would be something like Las Vegas, maybe a set of Elvis, a set of non-Elvis songs.”
If interested in booking Elvis for future parties and events, call Silverstein at 779-777-5128. To view past performances, check out his YouTube channel.
