Shows to honor Elvis ahead of sad anniversary

Elvis has, well, one foot back in the building, thanks to an exhibit at the place where he used to sing. But the King carries on no matter what the Westgate Las Vegas is up to.

Fans divide on whether it's better to gather in honor of Elvis Presley's birthday in January or to remember when he died in August. Two tributes this weekend are obviously closer to the latter, if a week in front of the sad day fans know as Aug. 16, 1977.

The Eastside Cannery again convenes "A Celebration of the King's Life" at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The two Cannery locations have been a home to fans for years, so you may be greeting some of the guests and performers as old friends.

This year's lineup includes a show from Johnny Fortuno and The Stamps Quartet and visits with bodyguards Sam Thompson and Dick Grob, "Blue Hawaii" co-star Darlene Tompkins, collector Jimmy Velvet, dancer Christopher Riordan and radio personality Steve Christopher.

Across the valley, Justin Shandor returns to the M Resort. In March he revisted the "Aloha From Hawaii" concert, and this time gets closer to home by saluting the Las Vegas Hilton era with a 12-piece band.

The Westgate did the same thing earlier this year as part of a new partnership with the operators of Graceland. But the showroom has since gone dark, leaving an exhibit of Graceland memorabilia to preserve the partnership.

Read more from Mike Weatherford at reviewjournal.com or bestoflasvegas.com. Contact him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com