02-05-2025
Return Of The King: A Special Elvis Presley Concert Event In Las Vegas
Las Vegas attracts the biggest acts in music, but few have made as big an impact as Elvis Presley, ... More who still spawns impersonators worldwide
Residencies by musical stars are all the rage in Las Vegas, and Canadian superstar Celine Dion is credited with kick-starting the current wave. But while frequent repeat performances in Las Vegas actually date back to the Rat Pack and Frank Sinatra, it was the King, Elvis Presley, who pioneered the concept of the residency. Now you can once again catch Elvis Presley in Las Vegas--sort of.
Elvis exploded onto the music scene in the mid-Fifties, and for many years he was the biggest act in the world. But in the Sixties he spent more time in Hollywood then performing and recording music, rolling out a series of largely underperforming movies and slipping from the public consciousness, even as rival rock acts such as the Beatles rose in prominence. By 1968 Elvis was considered past his prime by many in the entertainment business, but a televised 'comeback special,' was a huge success that changed all that and put him back firmly in the national spotlight. The next year he released a wave of new hits that brought in an even bigger audience, including In the Ghetto, Kentucky Rain and mega-hit Suspicious Minds. This set the stage for his legendary love 1969 comeback concerts in Las Vegas.
Elvis Presley on his famous 1969 comeback tour in Las Vegas
Elvis was booked to perform 57 shows over four weeks (unlike today's stars he often did two performances a night) in the 2,000-seat theater of the new International Hotel, the biggest, shiniest thing in Las Vegas at the time. At one point the largest hotel in the world, it was the work of airline executive Kirk Kerkorian who would later develop MGM Resorts, now the biggest casino hotel player in Vegas.
The International opened with Barbara Streisand as headliner, but on July 31,1969 Elvis took over. His initial run broke all Vegas entertainment records and was extended again and again until he had been at the International for seven years and 636 consecutive shows—every one of them sold out. This part of his career was showcased in the recent biopic movie Elvis directed by Baz Luhrmann. By the end of his career, Presley sold more than one billion records worldwide and received 14 Grammy nominations and three wins.
Today the International is the Westgate Las Vegas, and it is still a key part of Elvis Presley history and his legacy, with a prominent bronze statue of him in the lobby, which fans still adorn with flowers and gifts. His original dressing room beneath the stage, complete with private bar, has been partially preserved (part of it is now for current long-term Westgate musical resident Barry Manilow), as was his 30th floor residential suite. The Westgate offers historic Elvis tours and an annual 3-day King of Las Vegas Elvis festival every summer.
The Westgate Las Vegas, home of Elvis Presley's legendary sold-out record breaking residency
But this year Elvis would have been 90, and the Westgate, which has long been the main keeper of the Elvis historical flame in Sin City, is running a calendar of special events, anchored by the one night only 1969 Live Concert: The King Returns, on Thursday, July 31, 2025 the same date as his iconic 1969 debut concert. Internationally acclaimed Elvis tribute artist Travis Powell will historically recreate the show from the night Elvis made his triumphant return to live performances.
With nine back-up singers and an eight-piece band, numbers that exactly replicate the original concert, the cast will deliver an identical setlist to the night 56 years ago that turned the music scene on its head and made Elvis into the original Las Vegas headliner in residence. Songs include Suspicious Minds, Love Me Tender, Jailhouse Rock, Heartbreak Hotel, Can't Help Falling in Love, Blue Suede Shoes, All Shook Up, In the Ghetto, and Are You Lonesome Tonight?
Obviously, Elvis Presley himself will not be back on stage, but for fans who never had a chance to catch the historic show—less than two weeks after man walked on the moon for the first time—this is about as close as you can get. I would love to be there for this one-time historic reenactment, which I am sure will capture the feel of a concert I was too young to attend more than half a century ago. Unfortunately, I have a conflict and will miss the event, but maybe they will reprise it in a decade for Elvis' 100th.
Las Vegas has a long history of tribute shows. impersonators and carrying on epic musical legacies, including high profile shows such as Cirque Du Soleil tributes to the Beatles and Michael Jackson, and most recently singer/guitarist John Mayer subbing for late Grateful Dead front man Jerry Garcia with Dead & Company at the Sphere. I previously wrote a story about the Sphere, the huge new Las Vegas attraction and most technologically advanced concert venue on earth, here at Forbes.
By modern concert tour standards and especially for Las Vegas, the special one-night show is practically free, with tickets from $10-$45. Immediately following the concert, the Westgate will open its Cabaret Theater for a late-night encore that is actually free, and from 9:00 PM to Midnight, guests can enjoy complimentary non-stop performances from another acclaimed Elvis tribute show, The King Comes Home.
