During a return trip to the Elvis Tent, we saw indications of the negative impact the changes to Graceland were having on the fan base. Tribute artist Cody Ray Slaughter was one of the better performers we saw but he talked at length between songs about the changes. He talked about performing at the tent when he was a little kid that couldn’t sing. I remember seeing him when he was younger. He talked about missing the tent being closer to the street. He talked about his memories of spending each Elvis Week at the Heartbreak Hotel. I understood how he didn’t like the changes. The Heartbreak Hotel had been standing last year but it was closed. This year, it was gone. His memories of Elvis Weeks from the past are tied to that hotel as much or more than the Graceland mansion. He probably spent more time there and in the Elvis Tent than he spent at the house. He made more memories there. His Elvis Week experience is as much about the people who attend every year as it is about Elvis. The places where he made the most memories are either gone or changed. He encouraged the crowd to keep things going, but their cheers seemed half-hearted. They miss the old Elvis Week almost as much as they miss Elvis.
At least the Graceland employees are doing what they can to try to keep things going. We ran into a young man who lived in the neighborhood working his first Elvis Week. He had been at work since 6 that morning and was getting off late that afternoon. We talked about some of the exhibits that had been changed and he said they should add amusement park rides. He talked about the Pippin, a roller coaster that was Elvis’ favorite ride at the Memphis fairgrounds. The employee didn’t know it had been moved to an amusement park in Wisconsin but thought it would be a perfect addition to the visitor’s center. I agreed with him that it would give kids something to do that weren’t into Elvis. Like Cody Ray Slaughter’s experience, Graceland’s future may rely on things only marginally related to Elvis.
“Everyone should look for us on any of the coverage of the Candlelight Vigil. We are right in front of the podium. Keep an eye out for me. I’m easy to spot. Yellow shirt. Elvis Week cap. No sideburns.”
Facebook post from 7:31 PM
My wife had made it through the day without any problems, but the real challenge was going to be the Vigil Ceremony. Last year’s ceremony was enough of a fiasco that the employees coordinating getting participants through security and into the line were opening acknowledging last year’s problems. They were only hopeful that this year would go better. Last year, things needed to run smooth because it was the first year you had to pay to go to the vigil ceremony. There were several years prior to last year that I could have spent no money at the vigil if I hadn’t bought food, a shirt and a cap. Because we were now paying, we expected something for our money. The minimum expectation would be an orderly evening. That’s not what we got l last year. The smaller crowd would make this easier. The entry points into the vigil area on the blocked off street were better identified than last year. Our position in line was much closer than I had been any other year. We were directly in front of the podium where the ceremony would be conducted. Everyone around us was excited at being that close. Would we get to see Pricilla or Lisa Marie? If they spoke, we would get good pictures. The couple from Minnesota standing behind us were buzzing about our position. The lady runs an Elvis fan club and she was constantly communicating with her members on their Facebook page. The man was retired from the military and they spent each August with Elvis related trips. They were planning to spend time in Nashville next year on their trip. The people in front of us were from Connecticut and Italy. The guy from Minnesota confirmed that the tattoos on the lady ahead of us in line were real. She had a picture of a 1957 Elvis on her left arm, 1973 Elvis on her right arm, and the famous childhood Elvis in the fedora on her left shoulder. The Minnesota man told us that this lady had impressed singer Darlene Love during a meet and greet at an event earlier in the week.