THE spirit of Elvis mesmerised thousands of North-East fans last night - 23 years after his death.

For the king of rock n' roll was reunited with former band members on stage at Newcastle's Telewest Arena.

Elvis provided the vocals using giant-screen video footage, while the band, who included legendary guitarist James Burton and backing singers The Sweet Inspirations and The Imperials, played on.

More than 4,000 people, ranging from young children to original Elvis fans, listened to the major hits charting his career, from hip-swivelling early rock n' roll to the Las Vegas years.

Their continued enthusiasm for the man credited with changing the face of modern music was underlined by the busy sales in T-shirts, badges, watches and CDs.

One fan told The Northern Echo: "It was a great atmosphere and a brilliant sound. I even saw a few look-alikes there.

"Elvis was making all the announcements in between songs and then the music would start.

"It was very cleverly done. Nothing was out of synchronisation. He could have actually been there."

Elvis - The Concert has been touring around the world for three years, but now the band say it may be the last tour of Europe.

The archive film footage used during the show came from landmark concerts in 1970, 1972 and 1973