Where did Las Vegas’ Elvis-Super Bowl lineup come from?
Vegas hit the “over” on the Elvi for Super Bowl week.
Ten Elvis impersonators welcomed the 49ers and Chiefs to Las Vegas on Sunday night. The jump-suited performers met the Super Bowl combatants at Sands Aviation Hangar just west of McCarran International Airport.
Portraying the King were Elvis luminaries Derrick Boyce, Donny Edwards, Roland August, Michael Conti, Paul Casey, Brendan Paul, Harry Shahoian, Steve Connolly, Daniel Durston and Steve Gold.
They are referred to “impressionists” in this context, as they were not actually performing. When in performance, they are known as Elvis Tribute Artists (ETAs). If Elvis is in “Legends,” ETA. If Elvis is posing for pics at a hangar, impressionist.
The LVCVA set up the welcome event, and contacted Maria Battaglia of Always Entertaining events company. Battaglia has been in business since 1989, furnishing impressionists to special events. She also brought in Tara Nosek and Jennifer Autry as The Viva Las Vegas Showgirls.
Battaglia is married to the great Vegas drummer Mark Barrett, who also in the ’70s and ’80s was the understudy for Murray Langston, aka ‘The Unknown Comic.”
So Battaglia’s husband himself is an impressionist, or was. He’s also the drummer for the legendary Lon Bronson Band.
“Lon calls me, ‘The Queen of the Kings,’” Battaglia says.
Shahoian is especially busy this week, with appearances with Guy Fieri at the Linq Hotel on Wednesday, at a Raiders party and also at the Fremont Street Experience on Thursday.
Battaglia keeps a sense of humor about Elvis, along with pretty much anyone else visiting the city. She furnished Elvis performers in the movie “3000 Miles to Graceland,” which included a revue featuring Elvis Tribute Artists. “One review was, ‘They should have called it, 3000 Miles to Disgraceland,’” Battaglia recalls, laughing. “They said they would have preferred the Elvis show than the movie about Elvis.”
And as always, the King lives on.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
