PORTLAND, Maine -- Twenty-five years ago this month, the Cumberland County Civic Center was sold out for back-to-back performances by the king of rock 'n' roll.
But Elvis Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977, and more than 17,000 heartbroken fans were left holding tickets to the Aug. 17 and Aug. 18 concerts.
In observance of the 25th anniversary of Presley's death, the Civic Center will present a two-hour musical tribute, "The Concert That Never Happened," on Aug. 17, featuring Elvis impersonator Jack Smink.
"I couldn't be any happier," said Dot Gonyea, president and a founding member of the True Fans for Elvis Fan Club, who encouraged Smink to put on the show.
The 59-year-old South Portland woman had waited in line for two days to get tickets for Presley's 1977 appearance and came away with front-row center seats.
She was at home, listening to a Presley album, when a neighbor told her that he had died. "I didn't believe it until I turned on the television," she recalled. "I was just lost in his music. And I still get lost in his music 25 years later."
The Florida-based Smink, who refers to himself as a tribute artist, wants his Aug. 17 show to duplicate as closely as possible the one Presley would have presented, from the song list to the elaborately embroidered costume.
"I ordered a brand-new $4,200 jumpsuit from the same company that made it for Elvis. It's called a Sundial," he said. "It's an exact duplicate of the one he would have worn."
The master of ceremonies for the show will be Dick Grob, who was Elvis' chief of security. (As reported by the Associated Press)
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