The Elvis Experience

LG Arena , Birmingham

The King lives on in this mesmerising show that must be the closest fans can get to experiencing the thrill of Elvis Presley in concert.

The concept is clever yet simple – round up his original band and get them to play live against a huge backdrop of archive footage of the legend singing, joking and interacting with them on stage.

And though it was strange at first to see Elvis in his prime while the band including backing vocalists The Sweet Inspirations are collecting their bus passes, the result was two emotionally-charged hours of magic and memories.

From 20-somethings to pensioners and a good few characters in fancy dress, fans throughout the generations lapped it up as their idol and his legacy was brought to life nearly 33 years after his death.

Unusually the best seats for the ultimate ‘live’ experience were towards the back, with fans resigned to relying on the big screens anyway less distracted by the fact the jump-suited sex symbol was on stage in spirit only.

The sound from the group was amazing and highlights included The Wonder of You, American Trilogy, In The Ghetto, If I Can Dream, How Great Thou Art and a stirring My Way which won a well-deserved standing ovation.

By the time Suspicious Minds came, the screen was all but forgotten and hundreds in Saturday night’’s sell-out crowd were on their feet clapping passionately and dancing.

The enduring I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You rounded off the experience on a high, after which The King ‘thanked’ fans for coming and it was announced to much laughter that Elvis had left the building – and for one memorable night it felt like he really had been there.

Long live The King.

By Stella Stokes