You have to move fast to get in on the conversation that’s flowing in and around Graceland this week. Because it’s not just any week, it’s Elvis Week, and there are a dizzying number of meet-and-greets and reminiscences going on at Elvis Presley’s former home. Those in the know already have tickets, but by now the special photo op with Charles Stone and Sam Thompson, the tour of the Graceland archives with Linda Thompson, who dated Elvis from 1972 to 1976, the conversation with Jerry Schilling and Linda Thompson about their nights at the movies with Presley, and Schilling’s Q&A and tour of Graceland (at only $1,300 per person) are sold out. And yet, there are still plenty of other activities going down at Graceland and elsewhere to scratch that Elvis itch.
The good news for music lovers is that many of the actual concerts have not sold out, and Elvis Week brings out some fierce talent well worth hearing onstage. This Thursday, August 13th, consider a deep dive into the youthful first sparks of Presley’s career, as host Andy Childs, Jerry Schilling, Billy Blackwood & The Blackwood Brothers Quartet, Angie Marchese, Andrew Solt, and prizewinning tribute artist Emilio Santoro (backed by the band Sixwire) all strive to conjure up the spirit of “Elvis 1956” at the Graceland Soundstage. It was a pivotal year for the singer, who first entered RCA studios in January of that year and emerged with hits like “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Blue Suede Shoes,” leading to his famous TV appearances with celebrity hosts Ed Sullivan, Milton Berle, and Steve Allen. This is a must-see event for anyone in love with the more prickly, punkish Presley.
Later that same night, fans can time travel to 1976 and honor the 50th anniversary of Presley’s “Jungle Room Sessions.” The depth and quality of those recordings made in Graceland, Presley’s last-ever before his death the next year, was revealed in RCA/Legacy’s 2024 box set, Elvis: Memphis, featuring Matt Ross-Spang’s remixes of the Jungle Room sessions with all overdubs stripped away, leaving only the sounds of the players in Presley’s home at the time. Yielding such hits as “Moody Blue” and “Way Down,” the sessions capture Presley’s ability to “imbue familiar material with personal emotion,” as Robert Gordon writes in the liner notes. At this Thursday’s event, one can relive some of that intimate magic in the TCB Showroom, where host Tom Brown will introduce performances by Pat Dunn, Spencer Sutherland, Dean Z, and Larry Strickland, all backed by the Infinit-E Band.
Emilio Santoro (Photo: Elvis Presley’s Graceland)
Yet some fans don’t want the intimate, they want the spectacular. And there will be plenty of spectacle at the “Elvis Presley in Concert Live” show at the Graceland Soundstage on Friday, August 14th. It promises fans the chance to “relive the excitement of Elvis Presley in concert as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll takes the stage once again on the big screen,” while a live band plays along. Thanks to technological advances in stagecraft, this sort of thing has become more common in recent years, with Paul McCartney singing duets with an onscreen John Lennon, or live bands jamming with a hologram of B.B. King. Expect this Friday’s show to be state-of-the-art in this regard.
On the other hand, for something even more intimate than the “Jungle Room Sessions,” consider the “Elvis Presley Guitar Circle” on the Graceland Guesthouse lawn this Saturday, August 15th, at 6 p.m. This innovative event encourages fans to awaken their inner Elvis with an informal singalong, where guitar players can share songs, play side by side, and celebrate Presley’s music. Some of this week’s performers will join in as well, so expect professional playing mixed into this free, inclusive event.
Of course, Presley’s true-blue devotees will want to attend the free “Candlelight Vigil” that same night, starting at 8:30 p.m. After an opening ceremony at the gates of Graceland, fans can traverse Graceland’s driveway to Elvis’ gravesite and back carrying a candle, and thousands will do so until the early morning hours of August 16th, the anniversary of Presley’s passing. Alas, the crowning “Candlelit Concert” in Graceland’s Chapel in the Woods that night is sold out, but that doesn’t mean the live music options will be over.
It’s fortuitous that August 16th falls on a Sunday this year, as The King’s passing can be properly honored with a full-on gospel concert. It’s no secret that Presley remained devoted to sacred music all his life, and “Elvis: Sunday Morning Gospel Celebration” at the Graceland Soundstage that morning at 11 a.m. will celebrate that fact. The talent on hand will include Pat Dunn; former member of The Stamps Quartet Larry Strickland; The Blackwood Brothers Quartet with Billy Blackwood; Presley’s associate Jim Murray with his wife Brenda Nielsen Murray; and singer Belle Frantz, all backed by the Infinit-E Band.
Finally, while not an example of live music per se, “An Epic Closing Party” will celebrate the best of Presley’s galvanizing performances with a screening of Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert on the Soundstage’s three giant screens. Featuring previously unreleased footage found in 38 boxes within the Warner Bros. archives, plus audio of Presley himself telling his life story and some slapping remixes of Presley’s ’70s tracks, the film is said to be the next best thing to being there. Better yet, attendees can top off this year’s Elvis Week, dance, and view the celebrated film all at once with fellow fans.
