A blog about the live music of Elvis Presley from the return to live perfromances at the International Hotel on 31 July 1969 to his final live appearance in Indianapolis on 26 June 1977.
Written by a fan for fans this blog will take many live perfromances, dealing with first, last, rare or unusual live performances of songs and give a little bit of background and context to these performances and give an honest assesment where necessary.
When Elvis walked onto the stage at The Freedom Hall in Johnson City, Tennessee on 17 March 1976, it was the first tour show Elvis had done since the closing show in Asheville, North Carolina on 24 July 1975, save for one show on New Years Eve in The Pontiac Silverdome. There had also been a Summer Vegas season cut short after five shows due to ill health and the December season in Vegas to cover those cancelled shows from August. Wearing his silver phoenix jumpsuit Elvis introduced two new songs to his setlst, America (The Beautiful) as 1976 was the US bicenntenial and Hurt. Hurt had recently been recorded at Graceland the previous month and this live version is almost a carbon copy of that studio master. Unlike subsequent live performances this version has no reprise, is at a slower tempo and does not have the big sliding ending as on the Elvis In Concert album from Rapid City on 21 June 1977. Of note is that Ronnie Tutt is absent from this short tour, his place on the drums taken by Larry London.
The thirteenth song that Elvis recorded during those landmark recording sessions at American Sound Studios in Memphis in 1969 and featuredin his final acting movie - Change of Habit. This rare live recording first appeared on the 1991 RCA/BMG box set Collectors Gold without the false start included here. In 2005 FTD released the entire 26 August 1969 Midnight Show, titled All Shook Up, from which this song was performed and put the song into it's proper context and it is also the same show from which the famous laughing version of Are You Lonesome Tonight originates. 26 August 1969 was a strange night as far as the setlist was concerned as the two shows also produced the only live performances of Rubberneckin' and Inherit The Wind especially since August 69 probably had the most rigid setlist that Elvis would employ with rarities at a premium. Considering this was Elvis' first live performance in eight and a half years this was understandable with band and singers all new, a tight setlist keeps any problems with unfamiliarity at a minimum and creates a comfort zone. As Elvis' confidence increased the rarities appeared, this track was performed a full four weeks into the engagement. The actual reason for performing this 'Memphis trio' was actually for inclusion in what would become 'Elvis In Person' a fact Elvis tells the audience before singing Inherit The Wind at the Dinner Show, odd therefore that all three were ommited from the album and were only officially released 24 years later! Listen out for Elvis singing a few lines of 'Loving You' after the song has concluded.
This is the very version of Suspicious Minds used in the original 1970 TTWII but not the re-edited version from 2001 and was filmed at the legendary 12 August Midnight Show.
Written by Mark James and recorded at American Studios in Memphis on January 23, 1969 Elvis immediately included it in his setlist on his return to live performances on July 31st 1969
The song itself would evolve in the Elvis Presley live show and it would become mariginally faster with each Vegas engagement, in fact the tempo even increased during the 1969 engagement . It would become a permanant fixture in the show in every tour and Vegas or Tahoe engagement until mid 74 and the end of Tour 13 in Salt Lake City on July 2nd. The exception would be at the Jan/Feb 71 Vegas engagement where it would be sang at only 8 of the 57 shows. After the Salt Lake City show on 2 July 74 Elvis would sing it only a further five times - at the Midnight shows on 22, 29 and 30 August 74 and on the first two shows of the abandoned August 75 Vegas engagement.
There was almost a final outing for one his most famous songs in LIncoln, Nebraska on 20 June 1977 although to be perfectly accurate after performing 'Help Me' Elvis says 'Suspicious Minds?' in response to a fans request and the band begins the intro but Elvis then remarks that instead 'he will be doing a new song' which would be himself on the piano singing 'Unchained Melody'! This concert, incidentally, was bookended by the two shows which would be filmed by CBS for 'Elvis In Concert'.
The video comes from the unofficial box set "Elvis - That's The Way It Is, the Complete Works" and the audio from the magnificent SONY "That's The Way It Is" deluxe edition. So turn your volume up loud, sit back and enjoy Elvis at his very best!
The closing show to Elvis' ninth Vegas season was unusual to say the least. It was a fun show with Elvis having a lot of jokes both with the band and the audience.
What is evident occasionally during this show is that Elvis is also in a bad mood, not with the audience or band but with the Hilton hotel's hierarchy and their treatment of one of it's employees, Mario a favourite maitre'd of Elvis in the hotel's Italian restaurant.
This version of Bridge Over Troubled Water is unique in the Elvis musical library. It is obvious that the next song should be Suspicious Minds and the band start to play this but Elvis sings Bridge to the tune of Suspicious Minds and after some laughter decides to do Bridge. Still having fun he changes the lyrics and then loses track and forgets the lyrics. Charlie Hodge attempts to jog Elvis' memory by singing the words to which Elvis jokingly replies 'Two bit amateur' and the rest of the band and much of the audience respond by joining in unison to end the first verse to which Elvis gives a grateful appreciation - priceless, touching and great fun.
It must be said though, that having read many reviews of this show and they range from those who think this performance of 'Bridge' and the show in general is good fun to those who suggest that Elvis was being unprofessional to criticise the Hilton hierarchy in public whilst also in a lucrative contract with them and that he was being disrespectful to the music, his band and the audience for changing and clowning around with the lyrics so much, citing this track as prime example since in their opinion that is not what the audience paid for.
This show was released by Sony on the FTD label in 2004 titled Closing Night and many fans and reviewers criticised that decision saying this show should never have been released. It is worth noting however that this was the last of a 58 show run with two per night so why not have some well earned fun with the audience on closing night?
