THE king of rock 'n' roll is to make a final appearance in the North-East next month.

Elvis Presley will be reunited from beyond the grave with his former band at Newcastle Telewest Arena, on Monday, March 5.

As the band members, now in their sixties, rattle out the hits, a disembodied Elvis will join his old friends to provide vocals using giant-screen video footage.

Elvis - The Concert has been touring around the world for three years, but now the band is bringing the show to an end.

Nashville keyboard player Glen D Hardin, who has also played with the post-Buddy Holly Crickets, said: "It probably will be the last tour of Europe. We are sort of feeling that after we have done it for three years in a row it might be wise not to do any more - but we are not 100 per cent sure."

The band includes guitarist James Burton and backing singers The Sweet Inspirations and The Imperials.

The band run through hits from throughout Presley's career - from his early rock 'n' roll days through to the ballad performer in Las Vegas nightspots - and includes numbers such as Heartbreak Hotel, Bridge Over Troubled Waters and You've Lost That Loving Feeling.

The show is expected to attract 6,000 fans, including youngsters who were not born when Presley died in 1977.

Jim Mann, 30, of Wrekenton, Gateshead, leader of the Tyne and Wear Elvis Presley Fan Club, said The King was as popular as ever and that fans were looking forward to the concert.

"I saw it last year and it is amazing, the synchronisation between the video and the band.

"Apparently, there is extra footage this time. People who haven't seen it before are anxious to see it."

An Arena spokeswoman said: "Elvis never realised his ambition to play in the UK.

"The archive film footage from landmark concerts in 1970, 1972 and 1973 can bring him back to the concert stage, entertaining audiences just as he did 30 or so years ago."

Tickets cost £27.50 or £22.50 (there is a maximum of six per person) and are available by ringing the 24-hour hotline 0870-735 5000