For the second straight year, Elvis fans were completely captivated with over one dozen tributes to the King of Rock-N-Roll at Legends In Concert in Surfside Beach, SC.
This 2009 version of the competition featured contestants from all over the United States. Elvis tributes came from as far west as Texas to bring their special brand of Elvis to the throng of Elvis-hungry fans.
The evening’s festivities were emceed by resident South Strand favorite, Steve Fairchild, who portrays Garth Brooks throughout the country at Legends In Concert venues. Steve opened the one night only engagement with an energized and Garth Brooks-ified version of Elvis’ “That’s Alright Mama”, immediately drawing the crowd into an Elvis-filled evening.The evening also featured Kevin Mills, who made two special appearances throughout the evening bringing his Elvis magic to the crowd with impeccable versions of ”Polk Salad Annie” and “My Way”.
The competition opened with the return of last year’s Myrtle Beach contest winner, Michael Sokolik, Jr., who brought local fans to their feet with an energetic & youthful version of Elvis. From there, the night shined on with a dozen more Elvis acts who belted out spirited versions of all of Elvis’ hits from the rare ”Edge of Reality”, to the spiritual ”You Gave Me A Mountain”, and the ever-popular ”Suspicious Minds”.
When the dust settled at the end of round one, only Nathan Belt of Grapevine, Texas, Michael Sokolik, Jr., of Socastee, SC, and Vince King of Pearland, Texas were left standing as the final three. Each of the three then performed two more Elvis hits for the judges. Michael once again took the stage with non-stop movement ala Elvis’ early days and he was followed by Vince King, who provided the crowd with a well-balanced approach to the King of Rock; mixing both melodic vocals and a polished resemblance to Elvis. But the evening belonged to Nathan Belt, who performed third in the final round. Nathan opened his set with a breathtaking rendition of “Hurt” that kept the capacity crowd in awe and resulted in an extended standing ovation. Nathan’s vocals soared to peaks that, at times, seemed almost effortless on his part. Tonight, Nathan had the complete package; Elvis swagger, towering vocals, and a charm only Elvis himself could exude.
The judges votes were in! Nathan Belt (pictured above) saddled in first place followed by fellow Texan, Vince King, who placed a close second. Michael Sokolik, Jr. rounded out the top three finalists.
As the curtain fell on Myrtle Beach’s second annual Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Preliminary round, the entire ensemble of Elvis tributes treated the crowd to one final Elvis anthem, “Viva Las Vegas”.
Shortly after 11:30pm, all the “Elvi had the left building” , capping off the Fabulous Fifties Festival weekend which is certain to become an enduring tradition along the Grand Strand for years to come. 
Tags: Elvis Presley Enterprises, Legends In Concert Elvis, Ultimate Elvis Contest Myrtle Beach
Oustanding performance by each entertainer. Each and every one paying honor to the King. Thanks Legends for an enjoyable evening.
We came for the Fabulous Fifties weekend in Myrtle Beach. Attended all the events and had a super time. It was fabulous! This is the second year we attended the contest and thouroughly enjoyed all the talent. Look forward to next year.
We came to the beaach just for the show. When we got here we found out there was a sock hop too. So we went to the hop and had a blast. The contest was well organized and each of the the guys performing as Elvis did a super job. They were all very pleasant after the show mingling with the crowd and signing autographs. See ya next year.
We always see Legends every trip to MB. We went Friday and as usual enjoyed the entire show. We decided to try the Elvis show on Saturday. Top notch show. What dedication each of the contestants had to preserving their own rendition of the King. Although there could be only one winner, we felt they were all winners. Keep Elvis alive.
The thirteen contestants all had something special to add to the Legacy of Elvis. The top three were just outstanding! Nathan deserved the win!
I hope Legend’s continues this special event…I’ve seen both of the Preliminaries, and really enjoyed them both!
The new format this year was great. Loved each and everyone’s performance. Good Luck Nathan at the finals in Memphis!
It was a great contest. We were pleased to see the added events of the fabulous fifties festival. We went to the sock hop on Friday night and had a blast.
We love Legends and attend every year when yewe come to MB. We saw the contest too and enjoted the many styles of Elvis. We were not aware of the Fae 50’s Festival before arrived. Let us know in advance so we can take enjoy too. Missed the sock hop and classic car show.
Good luck Nathan! Vince King is performing at Legends In Concert this week and he puts on a great show!
I saw the show for the first time this year and thought it was very entertaining. I’ve been an Elvis fan for years and the night brought back many fond memories for me. I will be sure to come back again next year when I’m in Myrtle Beach
My self and 2 other friends came for the first time to see the show, and it was TOTAL FANTASTIC. When we got to see NATHAN BELT, Performe Elvis Presley the show just turn into from fantastic to one of the GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. We want to Thank NATHAN BELT for a OUSTANDING PERFORMANCE, and to make us believe that we were back in that time again.