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Well, the saddest anniversary for all Elvis fans is only about a month away, and a lot of people are thinking about going to Memphis, to pay their respects at Graceland. My advice, in the words—actually, the word of an Elvis song, is: Don’t.
Of course you want to be there. We as a society have an odd fixation on anniversaries, of events good and bad, and we especially like nice, round numbers. Look at all the hip and hoopla surrounding the Summer of Love. But is it worth braving the crush of the crowds all over Memphis, just to be able to say that you were there on the 30th anniversary of his death? I think not, but I know that, no matter the madness, thousands and thousands of you will be compelled to make the trip. And you’ll manage to have a good time.
Many others will do the saner thing, and go during the off-season—that is, any time that isn’t close to either his birthday or August 16th.
Dianne, my wife (she saw Elvis in person ‘way early, back in ’56 in Oakland) and I went in late January of 2005, into a cold, damp Memphis. There was almost nobody else at Graceland when we arrived, and that was fine by us. We could take our time, taking in the rooms, the furnishings, the memorabilia. We could picture him there. And when we got outside, to the memorial garden, we needed our umbrellas. The sky was crying, and so were we.
In other words, it was the perfect time to visit Elvis.
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Understand what you are saying; however, there is something very special about being in the company of so many fans. I also enjoy watching the reaction of first time visitors who often are moved in totally unexpected ways.