ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING

BUT NOT IN HIS FAN’S HEARTS

By Ann Parenti

Some days I must wrap my mind around the fact I have lived in Las Vegas since 1977. That is 45 wild and crazy years in a town with about 150K residents when I first moved here.

I drove down Paradise Road to visit a client this week, and memories started flooding back to when I first walked into the Las Vegas Hilton in 1972 (or was it 1974? – my photos are sadly undated) but let’s say the early 70s for now!

Over the years, my best friend Kathi and her mom Julie and I would traipse across the desert from Indiana in the summertime to visit Las Vegas, just to see Elvis. We drove in a 1960s convertible T-Bird with the top down and no air conditioning. Now that is a dedicated fan base!

We stood in a long, snake-like line for hours to get our prize possession—tickets to see Elvis perform at what was then called The Las Vegas Hilton. A few years earlier, the Hilton purchased the property previously called The International Hotel. It is now called the Westgate, and a few pieces of memorabilia are brought to the tourists’ attention when they visit the current property. The stage and the showroom are still intact, although the seating has changed. Every time I walk into the property, I can’t help but get a tingle down my spine, remembering what it was like to see Elvis perform on that stage.

You may be wondering why I’m telling my story now. Well, on August 16, 1977, one month after Kathi and I moved to Las Vegas, Elvis passed away. It was a day I will never forget, and I will always remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news. Now, 45 years later, the new movie Elvis was released this summer, and several entertainers are paying homage to this one-of-a-kind man to the best of their ability to share their memories of this extraordinary performer. One of those folks happens to be Frankie Moreno, who did a fabulous and fun job last night at Myron’s in The Smith Center, paying tribute to the King. Every song he sang brought a flood of memories of when those songs were first released or performed. What I found surprising was I knew every single lyric and mouthed the words through every piece! Sometimes I wonder why I can’t remember what I had for breakfast, but I remember lyrics from long ago … especially Elvis’ songs!

I won’t bore you with the details of my borderline crazy love for Elvis but let’s say it is hysterical looking back now that a few decades have come and gone. What I need to say is I have had the privilege of seeing so many outstanding performers in this lifetime that I will not name for the sake of time, but NO ONE, I TELL YOU, NO ONE ever could bring a room to madness as Elvis did. There was some strange energy that entered the room when Elvis walked onto the stage, and it did not leave until the announcer came on and said, “Elvis has left the building.”

This year, I had the pleasure of seeing Priscilla Presley speak at The Southpoint Casino showroom, and again, I had the chance to reminisce about the days when Elvis was at the top of his game. One of the hardest things to accept today is that he has been gone longer than he was alive. He passed at 42, and we are still celebrating the gifts he gave to the world 45 years later. What some don’t know about him was his incredibly generous spirit and heart, almost to a fault, some would say, but I carry that memory of him the most in my heart. There will be some things he did that we will never know about when it comes to that part of his generosity and kindness, but the people on the receiving end of his giving know.

So, to the man that gave us Viva – Las Vegas, this gal from Indiana still misses you but thanks you for the time you shared with us all on Earth, even if it was too short-lived.