Asheville 07/24/75

I have read somewhere that the crowd reaction in Asheville was subdued and indifferent, but I don’t think this is true at all. Asheville Civic Center is a rather small stadium, but the audience roars like jet plane about to take off when Elvis hits the stage. The crowd remains active through out the concert, even to the point that Elvis becomes distracted, which shines through in “An American Trilogy” and “ Hawaiian Wedding Song”. I have also read that Elvis almost panicked when he didn’t get the reception he was used to, and he went out of his way in order to win the crowd over to his side. What a load of rubbish! Yes, it’s true that he works unusually hard during the Asheville concerts, and yes, he does sing loads of rare material – but I think this is because Elvis really cared about his performances during the July tour of 1975, he really wanted to put on a good show, and he wanted the three Asheville shows to be different from each other.

The show is fantastic, no doubt about that! He opens with a “That’s all Right” that is similar to the ´72 versions and he dives straight into “I Got a Woman”, he is here this evening to sing, not to fool around. There are a few songs that could have been done better, “Hound Dog” is a throwaway and “Big Boss Man” is more of “autumn ´74-shouting” than singing. But this is easily forgiven, because the strong versions outnumber the weak ones by far. He takes requests and sings a perfect version of “Something” and good versions of “Return to Sender”, “Shake a Hand” and “Wooden Heart” –The TCB-Band does a fantastic job keeping it together, whatever their boss might throw at them.

During the introduction Elvis says: “Ed Enoch can sing How Great Thou Art better than anybody…almost”. Later in the show Elvis proves that he really is that “anybody”, “How Great Thou Art” is done beautifully, as is “Bridge Over Troubled Water” The real highlight of the evening is “Pieces of My Life” – it’s very similar to the studio version, which isn’t very strange, considering Elvis listened to the master take 30 times in a row after recording the song four months earlier.

A May-Day in Baltimore

Baltimore 05/29/77…the “breakdown” concert, talk about exaggeration…

This is a highly interesting concert. In the first half, Elvis is fighting to live up to his usual standards. In the second half, after the break, things become even more interesting – here we have Elvis in 1977, without his auto pilot switched on. To be at his best, Elvis needed a challenge. The challenge this evening was not a very comforting one, but still a challenge: to overcome the shame of having had to leave the stage, to give the crowd their money worth.

In newspapers reviewing the show it is said that Elvis was in weak voice and the audience only responded politely, this is certainly not true! Elvis puts on a very good show, even before the break, definitely above 1977 average. “CC Rider”, “I Got a Woman”, “That’s All Right”, “Are You Lonsome Tonight”, “Blue Christmas”, “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Jailhouse Rock” – nothing to complain about here! Elvis’ voice is strong and there is no mumbling or omission of words. What was going on in his head? How much in pain was he? Did he decide to leave the stage early on in the show? Who knows? The only thing we do know, is that he didn’t utter a word of complaint.
Elvis apologizes and leaves the stage, making room for a few extra solo numbers and the introductions is left to Charlie Hodge. This must have been a nervous time for everyone on stage – was Elvis to come back? Yes he did, during “Hail Hail Rock’n’Roll. And what a return it was! In 1977, the concert after the introductions was often only a “Hurt-Hound Dog-affair”, but here we get “Hurt” (vigorously), “Hound Dog” (with a good shake), “Unchained melody” (done slowly, with afterthought), “Blue Suede Shoes”, “One Night” and “It’s Now or Never”. Elvis is met by big ovations, he has certainly gotten his revenge – but he sounds very small and human when he apologizes again: “I hope you understand…I had to go”.

Was Elvis on less pain-killers this evening? Is this why he couldn’t take the pain and had to leave the stage? – and is this the reason why he was able to do such a good concert after all? We’ll never get the answers to these questions, but what we do know, is that Elvis did 1126 concerts in eight years, and he only had to leave the stage a few times – not a bad record is it?

Live in Lake Tahoe

This is the same concert as “Live in Lake Tahoe” ( May 13th, 1973. 03.00 pm) but the sound is better here. In the spring of 1973, Elvis was very laid-back as a performer. He was laid-back during the Aloha concerts too, but then he wasn’t as relaxed as he was later in Lake Tahoe. His recent Vegas-stint had been marked by flu and a soar throat. He wasn’t up to par physically in Lake Tahoe either, but none of his problems were evident during this show. In fact, this show is better than any of the Vegas shows in January-February, and it’s the best show I’ve heard from May ´73.

Elvis is very cool as he says nothing but “Good morning”, before plunging into a smooth “Help Me Make it Through the Night”, followed by a smoking “Steamroller Blues”. The Rock Medley is good, slightly slower than the versions to come. “My Way” is very inspired (at least by 1973 standards), although I could do without the frantic violin player. “Hound Dog” is sadly enough another throwaway for the year – obviously “What Now My Love” is more of a challenge, with its beautiful harmony parts together with Charlie, and the outbursts of emotion before erupting into the final note…”only my last good bye…”

“I’ll Remember You” is a blast, as Elvis has a hard time keeping himself from cracking up, and he throws in a dirty joke as well – he is clearly having a very good time, and so is the audience! Nevertheless, he is focused enough, to give a spell-binding version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. There is a string of goodies toward the end of the show, including a haunting “It’s Over” Within the same breath he switches over to “Release me”, but the key is too high for him so he switches again, this time to “Faded Love”. Excellent!

Houston Astrodome 1970

The six shows are very similar, and just as good. The sound quality of these shows are also very similar, and just as bad. At least one of the shows was soundboard recorded, and it would be fantastic if it would be released. In spite of the shoddy sound quality, there is no doubt that these shows were extraordinary. Arriving at Houston, Elvis was extremely nervous and uncertain of his ability to perform in front of a real live audience. The step from the International in Vegas to the Astrodome in Houston, must have been frightful to take.

During the first show, the stands were half empty. Elvis was very disillusioned afterwards and those around him heard him mumble things like “it was fun while it lasted” and “I thought I had it, but obviously I was wrong”. He was wrong all right, the crowd came in record breaking numbers for the rest of the shows.

The shows were short (about 45 minutes) but extremely explosive. Listen to “Blue Suede Shoes” “Long Tall Sally”, “Heartbreak Hotel” and the absolutely scorching “Hound Dog”; Elvis voice thunders around the stadium, and the audience is physically beaten up by the band. This is not a Vegas orchestra, but a loud and sharp rock’n’roll band. Elvis was to grow as a performer the following years, but he would never be as jittery, vicious and electric again.

Second Night in Binghampton

In 1977, the quality of an Elvis concert was uneven. If he was having a good day, the show was likely to be more or less fantastic. On the other hand, if he wasn’t up for it, the show could be disappointing; with Elvis running on auto pilot and only “Hurt” “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” after the solos. Some nights, he seemed to be waking up half way through the show, while on other nights, he hit the stage like a wild animal, only to run out of breath only after a few numbers.

Elvis held his second concert in two days in Binghampton on May 27th, 1977. You can tell from the video clips from the show that Elvis was moving well, obviously in good shape this night. Listening to the good sounding “Second Night in Binghampton”, it’s evident that he also sang well and that he was in a good mood. He opens with an OK version of “CC Rider”, and the audience reaction spurs him on to a pulsating “I Got a Woman”, perhaps the best version since the New Year’s concert in Pittsburgh five months earlier. You can tell the level of Elvis’ inspiration by listening to usual “throwaways” like “Love Me”, here he gives us an exceptionally soulful ending.

Before the solos we get a number of songs, not so frequently used in 1977, which is always nice to hear. “Blue Suede Shoes” may not be of 1970-quality, but I think it’s just as good as the Aloha-versions. “Heartbreak Hotel” is performed with a lot of enthusiasm, and he shows some temper with the sound system in “Bridge Over Troubled Water”- then he sings a version that makes your hair stand on end…and the audience just love him! The high flying notes in “Hurt” come very easy to him this evening, and the inclusion of “Unchained Melody” shows that he felt comfortable being on stage – this version is incredible, especially the line “still mine…”.

Elvis must have pleased everyone in Broome Arena this evening in May. If he had only included, let’s say “Polk Salad Annie” (like he did the night before”, or “I Really Don’t Want to Know”, I would rank this show a 1977-Top 5.

Live in Philadelphia 06/23/74 E/S

In the summer of 1974, Elvis was in really good shape and in unbelievable voice. The concerts came close to perfection, without being dull or too predictable. It’s very hard to believe that this sparkling man, so full of confidence was having deep personal problems and in only two months time these problems began to surface during his performances. But this is June, and still nothing could go wrong.
The constant screaming of the audience is like a high-voltage vacuum cleaner with no off-button, and together with the poor sound quality of the recording, listening to it too loud it will give you a soft brain– but I tell you, it’s worth it!

The concert is extremely slick, the tempo is high, the band is tight and every song seem rehearsed to perfection. Above all, Elvis sings with blazing conviction and you get the feeling that he could do anything he wanted to with his voice. It’s hard to come up with highlights when every moment of the show is a highlight in itself, but if I must put a spotlight on a few numbers, I choose “Trying to Get To You”, “Polk Salad Annie” and” Bridge Over Troubled Water”.

I get a little out of breath from just listening to the concert, and this is the second show the man did that day…no wonder he was about to fall apart…

Kansas City 11/15/71

The November tour is the first and only tour of 1971. In many ways a lot of things have changed since last Elvis was on the road, during the wild November 1970 tour. The Elvis concert, as it would develop in the years to come, was now taking its shape. We have Jackie Kahane as the comedian, the concert is opened by 2001 (although excluded in this recording), JD & the Stamps has replaced the Imperials and for the first time on tour Elvis wears matching suits and capes. For this concert, Elvis wears the “Red Lion Suit”, which is among my favourites. The concert has a lot in common with the concerts of the April and June tours the following year, but the video footage from this concert shows that Elvis was very wild on stage, and the footage from Cincinatti shows Elvis execute some impressive headbanging.

Although being active on stage, he is very focused on his singing. He gives a surprisingly serious “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” and he does the complete spoken introduction of “Polk Salad Annie”. The version of “It’s Now or Never” is perhaps the best I’ve heard, and “Hound Dog” has everything I want to hear, the bluesy start, a good fast part and some excellent guitar work from James Burton – light years from the later throwaway versions. Astonishing versions of “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “It’s Over”, and after “Suspicious Minds”, Elvis jokes after having received electrical shocks from the PA-system.

The Concert is fabulous, and the tour is among my favourites…if not the best!

The Grand Return to Little Rock

“Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, I didn’t really mean to break my guitar”, Elvis says after a powerful “Proud Mary”. He had been too rough with his guitar, tossing it around at the ending of “CC Rider” – wouldn’t that be a nice inclusion in a “On Tour Special Edition” DVD, with plenty of “new” material in digitally restored quality? We can only hope!

One thing I like about audience recordings, is that you get to hear spontaneous comments from the fans. Right after the wild ending of “Polk Salad Annie”, you hear a girl say: “That’s a hot body!”, followed by Elvis’ comment over the sound system: “That woke me up, anyway”.

Near ending of the show Elvis mentions that he played Little Rock when he first started out. I can’t help thinking about all the concert reviews from the 70s, about “the 50s nostalgia”, “yesterdays concert was a walk down memory lane”, “Elvis is exactly the same as he was in the 50s”. I think this nonsense is very unfair to Elvis as an artist; unfair to belittle him primarily to an object of nostalgia. You can only compare this concert in Little Rock to the concert he played there 16 years earlier – it’s a totally different ballgame. In 1956, the idea of Elvis singing something like “An American Trilogy”, must have seemed more far fetched than putting a man on the moon.

During the April tour of 1972, Elvis’ face looked pale and tired. Still, he was quite thin and he moved well on stage. The concert in Little Rock is pretty similar to the rest of the concerts from this tour – it’s not better or less good than the others, but since they are all so good, they all deserve to be among my favourites.

Vegas. 08/31/71 D/S

Las Vegas, September 31st, 1971. Dinner show. Flu and Vegas boredom? No way! Elvis is like a boxer trying to punch out his opponent in the first round. “That’s All Right”, “I Got a Woman/Amen”, “Proud Mary” The songs are fast and furious, sung seemingly in one breath, but not just fast or “throwaway”, but tight, intense and absolutely irresistible. If this opening didn’t punch the breath out of the audience, than nothing will.

The first “break” comes after five songs…but the break only serves as a way of catching the audience off guard, without warning “Johnny B Goode” rings out, sparing no one present. Then Elvis changes tempo, taking the audience in open arms with beautiful “It’s Impossible”, before changing back to ruthless beat with “Blue Suede Shoes/Whole lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” – and this is what it’s all about. Elvis slaps his audience, he pets them and then he is back to the merciless slapping again. After severe blows like “Hound Dog”, “I’m Leaving” and Suspicious Minds” he deals his coup de grâce with “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. The curtain is dropped, and Elvis is in neutral corner, knowing that he has won yet another knock-out victory.

Vegas 08/22/71 M/S

Neither of the two Vegas seasons of 1971 is as good as the 1970 seasons – mainly due to flu and Vegas boredom. Still, most shows in August-September must be regarded as very good, if not as excellent as in Lake Tahoe the previous month. Elvis was rather active on stage during this season, although a number of shows were cut short because of poor health.

During this season Elvis discarded the Cisco Kid suits, in favour of the regular jumpsuits - a very good move. Some songs in the concert I’ve chosen are a little flat and uninspired (such as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” and “Love Me”), while others show both nerve and energy (“Proud Mary”, “Johnny B Goode”, “Blue Suede Shoes”). There is one song that Elvis does extremely well during this season; “Hound Dog”! The intros for the songs are often both hilarious and varied and when he gets the song going, it’s edgy and raunchy. The version of this show is not among the best of the season, but still great: he starts off in a bluesy tease, cracks his Ed Sullivan jokes and then he bursts into a really fast and jumpy version.

The show clocks in at only 49 minutes, and it’s all over too soon. But as the Colonel used to say: “Always leave them wanting more”. The sound on this CDr is nice and clear, but there is some wow and flutter that brings down the overall impression.