'Viva ELVIS' Premiere Brings Out Stars, Including Scott Weiland and Gene Simmons

How do you follow up a Cirque du Soleil production that remixes the Beatles' catalog and uses it to fuel a visually stunning human-circus spectacular in the heart of Las Vegas? By doing the same thing with Elvis Presley's legacy, naturally. Granted, on paper that could go either way. But the end result -- Cirque du Soleil's 'Viva ELVIS' -- turns out to be as stunning as the brand new Aria Resort & Casino that hosts it. Whereas the nearby Palms once promised frequent stops by celebrities, look for bona fide stars to frequent the Aria, from rockers to celebrity chefs (Julian Serrano and Michael Mina both helm in-house restaurants fit for kings...of rock 'n' roll).

And, indeed, a number of stars -- none quite as big as the King himself, of course, but stars nonetheless -- arrived at Aria on Friday night, eager to catch the 'Viva ELVIS' world premiere. Among those in attendance were Priscilla Presley, Gene Simmons, Wynonna Judd, Perez Hilton and -- perhaps more surprisingly -- Scott Weiland (pictured). You're not crazy for thinking it's hard to hear the Presley influence in his work with Velvet Revolver or Stone Temple Pilots, but Weiland counts himself as a big Elvis fan all the same.

"I think Elvis, beyond being incredibly handsome, had a voice that captured R&B, it captured country and it captured gospel," Weiland told Spinner from the red carpet. "He was the guy that crossed over first and he was the first real teen idol. People like Britney Spears owe their thanks to Elvis."

Weiland says that in addition to being a fan of Elvis, he's also a fan of Cirque du Soleil at large. He's seen a number of their productions and was even at the premiere for 'LOVE' (yeah, the one with the Beatles) back in 2006. "I think it's intensely creative and freakishly fun and just a wonderful, wonderful time."

True, he actually said that before the premiere itself, but in typical Vegas style we'd bet money that he'd only add words of praise to that assessment, afterwards. The show features larger-than-life images of Elvis from peak moments of his career while a cast of acrobats, dancers and circus freaks all shake, rattle and roll in "intensely creative" ways. Oh, and the music isn't bad, either. Next up for Weiland: a guest appearance in 'Zoomanity'? Err....we'll see.