Elvis has returned next to the building.

Amid cheers, applause and the classic refrains of "Also Sprach Zarathustra (theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey)," a bronze statue of Elvis Presley was unveiled yesterday morning outside the Honolulu arena where the performer gave his historic 1973 satellite-live TV concert.

"I got chicken skin," entertainer Marlene Sai, a longtime Presley fan, said when she first saw the statue on the grounds of Blaisdell Center. "It's wonderful."

Between 500 and 600 people, mainly diehard Presley boosters, traded stories about the entertainer, who starred in the landmark "Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii" concert that was watched by an audience of 1.5 billion in 40 nations. The TV Land cable network sponsored the bronze statue to commemorate that milestone in television history.

"I was 22 and working the night of the concert, in section 25 upstairs," recalled Ralph Vares, who was an usher on Jan. 14, 1973. He's still working at the city arena and remembers the hysteria that night.

TV Land president Larry Jones told the crowd "the true king of rock 'n' roll" is home. The network is planning a blitz of Presley documentaries, movies and music beginning Aug. 16, the 30th anniversary of his death at age 42.

His fans in Honolulu were delighted that the city now boasts an Elvis go-to place.

"I'm so happy and thankful that the statue's here," said Lovely Kwock, who was clutching photographs of herself and Presley taken when when she was 23 and Presley was staying at the Ilikai hotel while filming "Paradise, Hawaiian Style."

"I had to take a half-day off from work (at Kuhio Elementary School) to be here — and now I can stop by to see Elvis every day after work."

Victoria P. Lum, who lives on Pensacola Street, also took a day's vacation from her Hilton Hawaiian Village employees' cafeteria job, to carry Elvis' banner — literally. Among her Elvis souvenirs is an American flag, purchased for about $10 at the Aloha Stadium flea market, which displays Elvis' face.

"My mom got me into it," she said. "I have all kinds of Elvis stuff at home."

"Elvis needed something like this in Hawai'i," said Jonathan Von Brana, who has been doing an Elvis tribute act here for more than 20 years, currently at the "Stars in Concert" at the Waikiki Lau Yee Chai. "People think he loved Las Vegas, because he worked there. He didn't. He loved Hawai'i and he visited here three months before he died. To have this, I think it's amazing; it's fantastic, such a wonderful tribute."

Jan McDonald, also an Elvis tribute artist, flew in from Maui yesterday morning with her friend, Karen Fanara, to be present at the unveiling.

"I'm going to Graceland August 7 for two weeks, but I had to be here," said McDonald. "His spirit still sinks into you."

Eight members of the Rock-a-Hula Baby Fan Club from Hilo, all donning TV shirts, were eager to see the sculpture. While waiting, Paula Agrigado, president, and Kathy Antonio, vice president, showed their Elvis tattoos above their ankles. Agrigado also was a walking souvenir shop of Presley memorabilia: her belt, lapel pin, watch, and bracelet all paid tribute to Elvis.

One fan wore an ill-fitting Elvis wig. Some carried Elvis-emblemed bags, others wore "Elvis" caps or aloha shirts.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann, wearing a black shirt with Elvis images in front and back, described himself as "the tallest Elvis mayor in the world" and was the first to place a maile lei on the statue's extended left arm.

"He was not a keiki o ka 'aina — not a native son — but we adopted him as one of our own," said Hannemann. "Now we can always say, 'Elvis is part of the building.' "

Indeed, Presley had an Island connection, filming "Blue Hawaii" in 1961, "Girls! Girls! Girls!" in 1962 and "Paradise, Hawaiian Style," in 1966. His 1961 Bloch Arena concert was a pivotal benefit for the Arizona Memorial; the "Aloha" concert was a benefit for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund. He also starred in two sold-out Honolulu Stadium concerts in 1957.

Tom Moffatt, the prominent concert promoter and still-deejaying radio personality, credited Elvis for his switch from playing Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin early in his broadcast career to rock and pop music. "Fans kept requesting his music ... and I became a rock jock," he said.

Over the years, Moffatt had a hand in all of Elvis' appearances in the Islands — stories he'll share on the TV Land Web site (www.tvland.com) during the August Elvis salute.

The bronze statue shows Presley clutching a microphone in his right hand and cradling a guitar, in his familiar beaded jumpsuit, complete with elaborate belt with eagle emblems and stars on his bell-bottom trousers. He is shown with his trademark sideburns and long hair combed back.

The 1,110-pound statue stands about 9 feet tall and is affixed on a pedestal fashioned as a long-playing record, making it hard to place a lei over its head. But Elvis' left hand is extended, a good place to hang a lei.

A plaque reads: "Elvis Aloha From Hawaii ... The World's First Satellite TV Concert ... Jan. 14, 1973 ...With supreme talent and sincere humility, Elvis Presley made his gift the world's ... Thank you, thank you very much ... From the People of TV Land."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.