74th KV Ball

Linz glittered like Las Vegas on Saturday night

The motto of the 74th KV Ball was "Viva Las Vegas". The opening was all about Elvis, and the debutantes managed the hip swing with flying colors.(Bild: Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

The Palais Kaufmännischer Verein was transformed into an entertainment metropolis for one night. Ballgoers danced to Elvis and reminisced.

On Friday night, he performed at the Weißwurst party at the Stanglwirt in Kitzbühel, before which Gregor Glanz sang at Fiona Swarovski's birthday party and at a gala of the World Economic Forum in Davos. And on Saturday, the entertainer created a great atmosphere at the KV Ball in Linz as a star guest - naturally with the greatest hits of the "King of Rock 'n' Roll", Elvis Presley. "Well, I have around 200 gigs a year. I'm actually broke, I just have to sing a lot so that I can buy my wife a new handbag. Every now and then I get 20 euros for a Bosna," Glanz winked at his sweetheart, who is also his manager.

The KV Ball as a counterpart to the Opera Ball in Vienna
The organizers of the evening, WKOÖ President Doris Hummer, Andreas Zwettler and Ball Committee Chairwoman Elke Riemenscheid, had just as much fun. "The KV Ball in Linz is the equivalent of the Opera Ball in Vienna. But it's certainly more fun here," says Hummer. When asked about the greatest Elvis hits, Zwettler had to fish his cheat sheet out of his tuxedo pocket. "I'm over 50 and already a bit forgetful," said the KV President with a wink.

Elvis memories of the celebrities
Martin Hainberger wallowed in memories. The casino boss remembered exactly what he had been doing in the minutes when the world learned of the music legend's death. "I was at the Jesolo campsite. Elvis was an idol. I would like to have a lock of his hair as a souvenir," said Hainberger. And Thomas Stelzer also admitted to being a fan. "I liked his films, and after I learned to play the guitar as a child, I was even able to play some of his songs. So back then," laughed Upper Austria's governor.