Connolly brings Elvis spirit to Fitzgeralds

Friday, Aug. 22, 2003 | 8:47 a.m.

What: "Spirit of the King."

When: 7 p.m., Thursdays through Mondays.

Where: Fitzgeralds Event Center Showroom.

Admission: One drink minimum.

Information: (702) 388-2400.

Rating (out of 5 stars): *** 1/2.

Elvis tribute artist Steve Connolly breezes through his hourlong "Spirit of the King" show at Fitzgeralds like a marathon runner competing in a 50-yard dash.

The handsome, athletic, fan-friendly entertainer has performed thousands of shows in glamorous venues such as the MGM Grand and the luxurious Bellagio.

Fans have loved him tender at the Riviera and Caesars Palace.

They have gotten all shook up by his performances in "Jubilee!" at Bally's.

He was treated nice in the short-lived "Tease" at the now-defunct Blue Note Las Vegas.

So what's the Boston native doing in a 150-seat theater on the second floor of a casino in the heart of old downtown Las Vegas?

Having a ball, apparently.

Connolly is a showman. Watching him seduce an audience, you can tell he loves what he does and would probably be doing it on a street corner if he couldn't show off his talents anywhere else.

And Fitzgeralds isn't bad.

While local politicians are fretting about what to do to revitalize downtown, Fitzgeralds is giving itself a dusting, refurbishing the interior to make it more inviting. Detroit businessman Don Barden, who bought the property almost two years ago, has added new carpets, improving the lighting and remodeling different areas.

One of the areas that benefitted from the remodeling was a lounge stuck in a corner on the second floor of the casino.

The lounge was transformed into the Events Center Showroom, a clunky name for a venue trying to change its image from a staid, rather drab facility into a much hipper place.

There isn't anything glamorous or luxurious about the room, but it is light years from what it was before. The space is functional and comfortable, unlike some places where they try to squeeze two people into an area barely big enough for one in order to milk every last penny of profit from patrons.

After making changes in the room, Fitzgeralds Entertainment Director (and facilities manager) Gene Sagas began a makeover of the entertainment.

A sexy new production, "Diva-Licious," is the venue's answer to Las Vegas' latest craze for adult entertainment (9 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays). Comedian Wild Billy Tucker performs at 10:30 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays, and impressionist Larry G. Jones' performance is at 5 p.m.

Connolly's "Spirit of the King" has the 7 p.m. time slot.

As a rule, he does one performance nightly. But Saturday was special -- the 26th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley, who died on Aug. 16, 1977, at his home in Memphis.

To commemorate the passing of the man who made it possible for Connolly to have a career, the tribute artist did two shows and conducted brief candle-lighting services in each.

Showgirls walked among the capacity audiences to distribute and light the candles preceding a moment of silence to remember The King.

It wasn't a particularly touching moment, but it's almost mandatory that an Elvis artist to do something to memorialize the death (and the birth) of Presley.

It's hard to find fault with Connolly's performance.

He has an excellent singing voice. His Elvis shtick is dead-on, from the roundhouse karate kicks to the hip-thrusting gyrations, and he has a good sense of humor that ingratiates him to his audiences.

During one performance he spotted a 90-year-old man in the audience with a full head of snow white hair.

"My God, look at that," he said, focusing attention on elderly fan. "There's a bunch of 30-year-old bald guys going, 'What the heck is that all about?' "

For Connolly's first performance Saturday he concentrated on the '60s Elvis, wearing a black leather outfit similar to that worn by Elvis during his televised "Comeback Special" in 1968.

After he finished a song, one of the females in the audience asked about getting a scarf, an Elvis trademark in later years.

"This is the '60s, baby," he said. "I didn't have no scarves. I didn't think of that yet."

Connolly, backed by a track rather than live musicians, packed a lot into his relatively short performance, making the hour fly by.

He paid lots of attention to his fans as he sang some of Elvis' most recognizable early songs, including such numbers as "Love Me Tender," "Ready Teddy," "Jailhouse Rock," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Hound Dog" and "Blue Suede Shoes."

He bantered with the audience.

Midway through the show he picked up his guitar (he's very good) and started to sit on a stool when he noted that his leather pants were extremely tight.

"There's a good chance I may show you a little different side of Elvis tonight," Connolly joked.

The side the audience saw was one everyone liked.

As long as there are entertainers such as Connolly paying tribute to Elvis, the spirit of The King should go on for generations.com