Las Vegas Mixtape v45: Elvis’ Honolulu Bash, Italian Delights, and Catching An ‘80s Wave

Track #1 (of 5): Elvis Presley’s “Aloha from Hawaii” Tribute Concert @Westgate Resort & Casino

Elvis tribute artist Travis Powell shares his “Burning Love” with a packed crowd. (Image: Vegas 411)

Tonight All Shook Up 6:00 PM · Athena Showlounge, Alexis Park Get tickets

What was going in the world in January 1973? For one, the Paris Peace Accords were signed, paving the way for the U.S. to withdraw its combat troops from Vietnam. That same month there was something else positive to celebrate: Elvis Presley’s “Aloha from Hawaii” concert was broadcast live globally via satellite (although it didn’t air until April in the U.S. because of scheduling conflicts). It was an event that probably helped dial down international resentment against America for its unpopular war.

50 years to the day of that Honolulu show, a faithful recreation of the concert was staged on January 14 at the International Theater at the Westgate. Noted tribute artist Travis Powell—dressed in a sparkling white bell-bottomed jumpsuit modeled after the one Elvis wore for the show—channeled the King, both visually (complete with his trademark exaggerated stage moves) and vocally.  Powell convincingly curled his rich baritone voice around the songs’ words and was backed by no less than 19 musicians and singers including a loud four-piece horn section.

Perhaps the ultimate pair of bellbottoms. (Image: Vegas 411)

It was easy to get caught up in the show’s firepower and spectacle as well as the nostalgia of hearing Elvis’ original stage patter via audio show recordings. To my mind, the uptempo classics “Burning Love” and “Suspicious Minds” outclassed ballads like “My Way,” I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” and the Beatles’ “Something in The Way She Moves” which all verged on schmaltzy.

Related: Las Vegas Mixtape v54: Happiness Pills, Vintage House of Love, and Rocking Brunch

Last year at the Westgate, Elvis’ rocking side was better displayed in the superior “1969 LIVE! The King Returns” show. It excitingly returns there on July 31—51 years to the day of the original concert in the same venue. In this show, Powell has the advantage of a better set list, enabling him to really dig his heels into Elvis’ artistry.