Back in late 2005, I was trying to think of something to write for the upcoming Birthday Tribute Issue of Elvis International magazine. I always try to submit something for each issue, and Darwin Lamm, the publisher, likes to do anniversary themes. So, I checked out what went on with Elvis fifty years earlier in January, 1956. I quickly realized that lots of important stuff happened, and I had my story idea.    more »

Some friends in my neighborhood went to a concert by our city’s symphony orchestra over the weekend, and the husband couldn’t wait to tell me the title of the last piece the orchestra played. It was “Dead Elvis.”    more »

I Googled Viva Elvis to see what the entertainment critics had to say about the reworked Cirque du Soleil show. For two months, there had been many reviews panning the initial trial presentations of Viva Elvis. I was hoping the bugs had been worked out and the critical review would be positive.   more »

The long awaited opening of Cirque du Soleil's new show VIVA ELVIS is just three days away. On Friday, December 18, 2000 fans will file into the specially built theater at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas to view this wonderful tribute to The King.   more »

Your Elvis blogmeister is in the middle of a busy week leading up to Thanksgiving, with two different groups of relatives coming to stay for a few days. So, it is time to take it easy and share with you an interesting Elvis article posted by my friend Ty at www.TheFilmFrontier.com.    more »

As speculated here on September 18, Cirque du Soleil has chosen Viva ELVIS as the name of their new Las Vegas show.   more »

There’s another Cirque show coming to Las Vegas that I’m going to miss out on. It is their newest creation, based on Elvis’ life and music, and tentatively set to open on January 8, 2010, after several weeks of private showings.   more »

History has recorded that Elvis’ return to the stage on July 31, 1969 in Las Vegas was a huge, major success. It was his first live performance in eight years, and he was outstanding. We are quickly approaching the 40th anniversary of this epic concert, so I checked out several sources in my Elvis library to find the best description of the event.   more »

An old high school buddy of mine is also an Elvis fan. He lives in Indiana and has a background in history education. So, it was a pleasant surprise when he sent me a copy of the Spring 2008 issue of Traces, the publication of the Indiana Historical Society, with this cover story: “The King’s Last Concert – Elvis Presley in Indianapolis.”   more »

A while back I checked in with Darwin Lamm, Publisher of Elvis…The Magazine, to see what the theme would be for the next issue. It was “Back To Vegas” - the 40th anniversary of Elvis’ return to live performances in 1969."   more »

Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins performing at the same concert was a very rare phenomenon. It only happened twice: November 17, 1955, in Texarkana, Arkansas, and December 12, 1955 in Amory, MS .   more »

In the early years of his career, Elvis performed in all sorts of venues: high school gymnasiums, amusement parks, VFW Halls, county fairs, honkytonks, you name it. But did you know he even gave one performance on a riverboat – one that the police declared was unsafe to sail? It happened on March 23, 1956 on the Potomac River in Washington, DC.   more »

Over the years, we’ve had fun on ElvisBlog a few times critiquing the press reviews of Elvis’ early concerts, TV appearances, and movies. Recently I found another gem at the Los Angeles Times website. In a December 2007 blog by Larry Harnisch, he takes a look back at a 52-year-old column by LA Mirror-News entertainment editor Dick Williams.   more »

Back at Elvis Week 2002, the best entertainment values in town were the two Elvis Midnight Blues Jams at the Daisy Theater on Beale Street. These were totally misnamed, because there was no blues music performed at either show. It didn’t matter. They were so much fun, anyway.   more »

One of my favorite events at the Collingwood (Ontario) Elvis Festival is the Street Party. It’s free, it lasts over eight hours, and you can bring your own food and beverage of choice. There’s a big stage, a monster sound system, and a great eight-piece band that seems to know every song Elvis ever recorded.   more »

Elvis lore is filled with stories of fans freaking out at his concerts in the 50s, but the biggest ruckus didn’t happen in this country. That honor goes to the Canadian city of Vancouver in British Columbia. Elvis’ concert at Empire Stadium on August 31, 1957, turned into a real mess. Reporter John Kirkwood wrote in the morning newspaper The Sun, "Vancouver teenagers…transformed into writhing, frenzied idiots of delight.   more »

Everybody knows the two signature events of Elvis’ latter career were the ‘68 Comeback Special and the Elvis Aloha From Hawaii worldwide TV broadcast. Do you know there was one other event that was a very big deal at the time but has faded a bit from memory? I am referring to the four-show block of concerts Elvis gave at Madison Square Garden on June 9, 10, and 11, 1972.    more »

I am no longer amazed at some of the stuff I find while surfing the web on the trail of Elvis links. However, I was very pleased to run across the full text of a 49 year old news report in the Toronto Star covering two Elvis shows at Maple Leaf Gardens. The article was like a time capsule, revealing what went on during the height of Elvis-mania.   more »