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This is the moment. Today, Elvis, life-sized and in bronze, will be unveiled on the site of his 1973 concert, “Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii,” in front of the Neal Blaisdell Center.
The statue, commissioned by TV Land, commemorates the 30th anniversary of Presley's death as well as the historic concert, the first musical event sent around the world by satellite. It drew an estimated 1.5 billion viewers.
That show (along with a rehearsal show) raised $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund, in honor of the singer and writer of one of Elvis’ favorite songs, “I’ll Remember You.”
I wrote about that concert in Rolling Stone, and reported that audience members at what was then the Honolulu International Center could pay whatever they wanted for tickets. “A little girl had $1.19, and she wanted a pair,” I wrote. She got in, “along with 300 fans who flew in from Japan and donated $7,000 to see both shows.”
In case you’re scoring at home, that comes out to under $11.70 a ticket. |
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