By MARIO TARRADELL Music Critic mtarradell@dallasnews.com LAS VEGAS – Vegas thrives on the facade. Take a walk on the famous Strip and you can marvel at the grand gaudiness of the humongous hotels, most of which bank on the allure of their thematic architecture. There’s the replica of the Statue of Liberty at New York New York, the imposing sphinx at the Luxor, the castlelike Excalibur and, of course, the golden lion at the MGM Grand.

American Superstars performers give the Vegas treatment to (from left) Michael Jackson, Tim McGraw, Christina Aguilera, Rod Stewart and, of course, Elvis Presley.

In Las Vegas, eye-popping appearances are everything.

So it’s no wonder that celebrity impersonators – and we’re talking way more than a rhinestone-studded bevy of Elvis look-alikes – are almost as sought after as the real stars that put on a show for the tourists.

Vegas, of course, is the ultimate place for a tribute. If you’re aped in Sin City, then you’ve obviously arrived.

With that in mind, I caught four impersonator-tribute shows during my visit to the only place in the nation that beats the Big Apple in sensory overload. Each presentation offered elements of classic Vegas, and some manifested a keen sense of keeping up with the rapidly changing tides of pop culture.

Billed as the “longest running celebrity tribute show in the world,” Legends in Concert at Harrah’s has played the Strip for 25 years. Tellingly, the show has more of an adult feel.

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