How Lisa Marie Presley charmed a Melbourne Irish pub crowd in 2004

The down-to-earth nature and charm of Lisa Marie Presley was never more evident than in a Melbourne Irish pub in March 2004.

The sad and sudden passing of Lisa Marie Presley on Friday brought back memories of the troubled daughter of Elvis Presley’s first Australian tour.

In March 2004, aged 36, she was pushing her first album, To Whom It May Concern, with a series of shows around Australia culminating in a sold-out night at the Palladium at Crown.

Presley and her band pulled off a gutsy and genuinely moving show that evening and while she had been clear in the lead up to the tour that this was not an Elvis tribute show and that she was showcasing her own original music, the crowd was full of fans of her father who clearly just wanted to see and support his beloved daughter.

Lisa Marie Presley performing at Crown Casino.

Presley was showered with gifts, flowers and even the occasional marriage proposal, from the reverent audience - and she was clearly touched by the gentle and genuine show of affection.

On that trip Presley was accompanied by her mum, Priscilla, and after the show rather than hit a noisy night spot or pricey restaurant to wind down, they joined her band at an Irish pub, P.J. O’Brien’s, at Southgate.

Presley and her party of 30 did not book the venue, nor request a private VIP section.

Instead they mingled with drinkers and danced to the house band. Among the revellers that evening were a 100-strong Welsh choir that was passing through Melbourne.

“At one stage there were about 100 blokes standing around serenading her in Welsh,’’ an observer at the time.

“I don’t think she had a clue what they were going on about, but she enjoyed it.”

After the house band finished its set, Presley started requesting songs — nothing by Elvis —but resisted the temptation to get up on stage and join the jam.

Presley was the first member of her family to perform in Australia given that her famous father never toured down under.