Lisa Marie Presley spent part of her life stepping onto stages in the one city that belonged to her father more than any other. And on one spring night in Las Vegas, she shared that stage with some of the biggest voices in music.
It was May 22, 2003. VH1 aired a live show called Divas Duets from the MGM Grand Garden Arena, hosted by Queen Latifah. The lineup read like a hall of fame, with Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Shania Twain and Stevie Wonder all there.
Lisa Marie was 35 and had just released her first album, “To Whom It May Concern.” She sang her own song “Lights Out” that night. Then came the moment people still talk about.
The duet from that Las Vegas night
Watch the clip below to see who strolled out to join Lisa Marie, and hear the two of them trade lines on a rock classic.
The woman who walked out was Pat Benatar, one of the fiercest voices rock radio ever produced. Together they sang Benatar’s 1979 hit “Heartbreaker,” the song that helped make her a star. And standing right behind them on guitar was Neil Giraldo, Benatar’s husband and longtime musical partner.
It was two generations of women sharing one microphone. Benatar had been tearing up the charts back when Lisa Marie was still a little girl. Now here they were, side by side, in Elvis’s old playground.
The song clearly meant something to Lisa Marie. A few months later, on September 13, 2003, she opened her very first solo tour at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, and she sang “Heartbreaker” again.
For fans of Elvis, there’s something fitting about his only child holding her own on a Las Vegas stage, in the city where he made history. She was building something in her own voice, with a little rock and roll in her blood.
The full performance was never put out on a DVD or a CD, so this clip from that night is a rare chance to see it. Watch above to catch the moment Pat Benatar appears and the two voices come together.