Graceland's August 16 program framed Elvis Presley's music in two settings: a Sunday gospel celebration and a closing party built around a concert film. The official calendar assigned both events to the final Sunday of Elvis Week in Memphis.
The morning celebration was listed for 11 a.m. Its lineup included Pat Dunn, Larry Strickland, the Blackwood Brothers Quartet with Billy Blackwood, Jim Murray with Brenda Nielsen Murray, and Belle Frantz, backed by the Infinit-E Band.
That program treated gospel as a part of Presley's musical story worth giving its own stage. It offered a different listening focus from a set assembled entirely around his most familiar pop hits.
At 7 p.m., the EPiC closing party moved the emphasis to film. The event listed a screening of Baz Luhrmann's EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert on the Graceland Soundstage's three large screens, followed by music from DJ Argo.
| Program | Listed start | Main focus |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday Morning Gospel Celebration | 11 a.m. | Live gospel and inspirational music |
| EPiC Closing Party | 7 p.m. | Concert film, then a DJ celebration |
The eight-hour gap between the listed starts made these separate commitments. A visitor choosing both needed to plan the afternoon and confirm the ticket arrangements for each event.
The named gospel lineup gives the morning a link to specific Presley-associated vocal traditions. Larry Strickland is identified as a former Stamps Quartet member, and Jim Murray as one of Elvis's Imperials. Those affiliations connect the morning program with vocal groups from Presley's career; they do not imply that every performer on the bill worked with him.
The evening moved from the concert film to a DJ celebration, with the latter following the screening as a separate part of the closing party.
