Florida Georgia Line’s entrance to ACM fit for a King

By John Katsilometes Las Vegas Review-Journal

8 years ago

Florida Georgia Line was singing and the King was swinging at the 52nd Country Music Awards this Sunday night. Jesse Garon the official Elvis of Las Vegas escorted the the hottest country duo Las Vegas-style down the red carpet in his 1955 convertible pink Cadillac.

Brian Littrell, left, and Nick Carter, second from right, of Backstreet Boys, and Brian Kelley, second left, and Tyler Hubbard, right, of Florida Georgia Line, perform at the 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards at the T-Mobile Arena on Sunday, April 2, 2017, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

When we last heard from Jesse Garon, he was gyrating in downtown Las Vegas with The Killers, promoting the band’s July 8 show at the British Summer Time Hyde Park festival in London.

Sunday, Garon was on the Strip, hanging with a pair of country superstars.

With Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard perched on the back seat, Garon piloted his 1955 Cadillac Series 62 convertible into the entrance of T-Mobile Arena. He hit the breaks at the red carpet at Toshiba Square, leading into the venue’s red carpet.

The pull-up touched off the requisite ruckus accompanying an Elvis sighting at a major event on the Strip. Garon, who has for years been the go-to Elvis for events around VegasVille (especially downtown) was enlisted to take the wheel by his friend Craig Wiseman, who owns the Big Loud Shirt record label. Wiseman’s company reps FGL, and he’s also a premier songwriter with his word recorded by such country superstars as Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Dolly Parton and Blake Shelton.

“They wanted an entrance fit for a king in the bright-light city, and that’s exactly what we gave them,” Garon says.

Florida Georgia Line won a pair of ACM Awards, the Vocal Event of the Year for “May We All,” and Single Record of the Year for “May We All.” The duo also went full-scale Boy Band with a night-closing medley with Backstreet Boys on “God, Your Mama, And Me” and “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”

But the real honor was being chauffeured by Elvis in a pink Caddy. That’s an award fit for a … well, you know.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykatson Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.