@@TheyCallTheSandman There will be a 4 CD set on FTD from Feb '77 next month. It is called the Last Tours volume 1. Alas for you February 12th is not inclueded tho. The Last Tours vol. 1 The September FTD 4 cd release. As part of its ongoing live on tour series, FTD is pleased to announce the release of “ELVIS: THE LAST TOURS VOL: 1”. Released as a 4-CD 5” digipak, this set features great shows from 1977 - West Palm Beach (Feb 13), St. Petersburg (Feb 14), Montgomery (Feb 16), Columbia (Feb 18), Johnson City (Feb 19) and Charlotte (Feb 20/21). The concerts feature all of the songs that were recorded by the engineer during the February 1977 tour. Recorded in mono. Disc 1 West Palm Beach, Florida Feb 13 1977 1 Little Sister 1:45 2 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:14 3 Blue Suede Shoes 1:40 4 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 3:31 5 My Way 3:47 6 All Shook Up 0:58 7 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:05 8 And I Love You So 3:22 9 Fever 2:57 10 Blueberry Hill 1:08 11 Hurt 1:59 12 Hound Dog 1:16 13 Jailhouse Rock 1:52 14 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:38 15 Closing Vamp 0:14 St. Petersburg, Florida Feb 14 1977 16 If You Love Let Me Know (late start) 2:56 17 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:46 18 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 3:35 19 All Shook Up 0:58 20 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:04 21 And I Love You So 3:26 22 Fever 2:52 23 My Way 4:08 24 Blueberry Hill 1:20 25 Love Letters 3:22 26 School Day 0:56 27 Hurt 2:05 28 Hound Dog 1:54 29 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:37 30 Closing Vamp 0:19 Disc 2 Montgomery, Alabama Feb 16 1977 1 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:24 2 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 3:28 3 Little Sister 2:26 4 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:04 5 My Way 3:37 6 Polk Salad Annie 4:12 7 Hurt 2:11 8 Hound Dog 2:58 9 Where No One Stands Alone 2:53 10 Unchained Melody 2:28 11 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:38 12 Closing Vamp 0:26 Columbia, South Carolina Feb 18 1977 13 Fairytale 2:31 14 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:40 15 Jailhouse Rock 2:00 16 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 4:00 17 Trying To Get To You 2:13 18 Little Sister 1:52 19 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 3:10 20 Are You Lonesome Tonight 3:10 2 That’s All Right 1:52 22 My Way 4:45 23 Release Me 3:43 24 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:39 25 Closing Vamp 0:22 Disc 3 Johnson City, Tennessee, Feb 19 1977 1 If You Love Let Me Know (late start) 2:34 2 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:28 3 Jailhouse Rock 2:12 4 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 3:23 5 Little Sister 1:59 7 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:19 7 My Way 3:52 8 Hurt (late start) 2:34 9 Polk Salad Annie 3:48 10 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:37 11 Closing Vamp 0:24 Charlotte, North Carolina Feb 20 1977 12 Love Me 3:22 13 Fairytale 2:28 14 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:14 15 Jailhouse Rock 1:53 16 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 5:19 17 Little Sister 1:44 18 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:14 19 My Way 5:38 20 How Great Thou Art 3:07 21 Hurt 2:52 22 Hound Dog 2:37 23 Unchained Melody 3:11 24 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:39 25 Closing Vamp 0:08 DISC 4 Charlotte, North Carolina, Feb 21 1977 1 Are You Lonesome Tonight (late start) 4:05 2 Reconsider Baby 3:52 3 Love Me 3:32 4 Moody Blue 3:26 5 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:17 6 Jailhouse Rock 2:15 7 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 3:42 8 Little Sister 1:51 9 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:09 10 My Way 3:58 11 Release Me 2:33 12 Hurt 2:02 13 Why Me Lord 3:11 14 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:39 15 Closing Vamp 0:38
I saw him in March of 1974 and it’s indescribable, it really is!! I was 16 and have never attended another concert before or since! I didn’t see the point bc Elvis gave His All in person!! I’m so Happy I’ve found your channel!! Idk what took so long!! ❤❤❤
I was fortunate to see Elvis perform in Springfield Mass in the summer of 1975. A close friend of mine said he hated the man so on a friendly bet I said I'd make the run with him to see the band Boston if he'd go to an Elvis concert. Elvis put on a fantastic show (as admittedly did Boston) and he came out with a whole new appreciation for him and his music. He agreed that his performance was Electric. Nearly 50 years later he still listens to his music. When I was dating my girlfriend (now wife) we had tickets for his 1977 show in August at the Hartford Civic Center. Sadly Elvis passed 5 days prior to the concert. She had never seen him and I was building him up prior to the show . His loss was truly devastating to the fan base. I wanted to keep the tickets, but before I told her to hold onto them she had already turned the tickets back into Ticket Master for a refund. I still asked her to marry me anyway. 😉
I loved all his shows i can honestly say ever time he was on stage he did an outstanding performance that is why its 2024 and we r still here he was the greatest entertainer the world has ever seen then now and forever tcb forever ♥️
This beautiful dearly loved and adored soul was always phenomenal and in my heart forever. Throughout his life what he gave was always special and remain treasured. ❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹😇🙏✝️🕯️💘💘💘👑🎶🎶. Thank you Elvis Presley 💔😥
ELVIS came to my town twice in about a weeks time April 25th and May 3rd 1977 and yes we were there. Peace and God bless from Saginaw Michigan Dontoons
Uwielbiam Elvisa , gdy wychodzi na scene, przechadza się, wita fanow, te Jego ruchy, które pamiets się i kocha ponad wszystko, pamiętajcie, że kłopoty Elvisa zaczęły się już w 73r. i przyczyna wcale nie byla jak niektorzy chca wmówić odejscie Godzilli i leki tylko choroby, które zaczęły się nasilać i postępować, Elvis nie byl wzdęty co wy wypisujecie , ale obrzekniety na skutek chorob, mial nierozpoznana cukrzyce, a to jest choroba przy której nabiera sie wagi, mowa jest bełkotliwa, wogole nie leczona , albo zle leczona prowadzi do smierci, a wogole przy takich bólach i chorobach jak mial Elvis należy mu podziekowac za to , ze do konca szanowal fanow, byl fantastyczny i spiewal fantastycznie a nie krytykowac, wstydźcie się , a leki musial brac, zeby moc funkcjonowac!!!!❤❤ ❤❤❤ Elvis na zawsze !!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
In February of that year, there was still a significant fluctuation in his physical and vocal condition. Sometimes his voice sounded a bit more strained (albeit not forced or unnatural) than at other occasions or you could see him being more bloated or having his shoulders raised up too high (maybe due to pain or some medical issue). From around 1973 or so, one can often see him with a bad posture in his lower back area - which did not always seem to affect his singing. What I especially like is the exceptional performance of Where No One Stands Alone and the last version of Reconsider Baby (I can think of). Some versions of Unchained Melody and Hurt were spectacular as well. In general, it was an interesting tour, but I'm not sure whether it was the last "great tour". Naturally, the form and shape of a musician may differ from day to day.
@@thecoolcreativebuildchanne2613 Yeah Elvis’ performance was heavily influenced by if he was having a good or bad day with his health. On a good day he took less drugs thus gave a better performance. I would also recommend checking out some of the 1976 tours like Tuscaloosa he starts off a little rough but settles into it
@@GabeBoehElvis I'm fairly knowledgeable about Elvis but enough that I can talk about this tour vs. that tour. But I did listen to the Madison concert which among the final week of shows and I thought it was good. And really, I though the In Concert performances were pretty good AFTER he wakes up; after he gets through the first three songs, I think he's great. As embarrassing as it is to see that "Are You Lonesome Tonight" performance and everyone thinking that Elvis could no longer remember the words, that was a schtick that he often did with that song going back to the return to Las Vegas (remember the laughing version?). A criticism that I would have of Elvis is that he latched on to a bit and rode it forever. It didn't appear to me that he had fresh quips, fresh material, for some of the interactions. But there are clearly songs that he loved that he almost took no liberties with -- he always sang them straight. "You Gave Me a Mountain" is s great example; I've only heard one version that wasn't serious -- and epic. You want to put together a great set list, string together some of those serious songs (and Polk Salad Annie, which is a great concert song) and leave out most of the 50s stuff (not including "That's All Right," which I think works great as an opening number). But fantasy set lists -- that's for another video.
@@martinhenderson5265 I would 100% agree waking up is a big thing in ‘77. I also think he should’ve gotten rid of I got a woman/amen in like 1973 or so because like you said with the jokes they kinda get stale
@@GabeBoehElvis I am so glad to hear you say that about "I got a woman/Amen." It might be OK if Elvis gave 90-minute performances, but I'm continually amazed that some of his shows were less than an hour, and 4-5 minutes of that is a song there solely to showcase JD Sumner, and a few more minutes to highlight the band. As far as I know, every time someone gave Elvis an honest opinion of where he stood, Elvis appreciated it; I wish someone could have been inside enough -- and bold enough -- to make suggestions to Elvis that he would have listened to. I did hear Priscilla say that she/they tried to tell him to do away with the jumpsuits, but I will tell you a story that you will appreciate. I saw the Elvis In Concert performance (with the live band) with a group, and a woman who wasn't a huge fan (she was born in the late 1950s; I was born in 62) said afterward that the jumpsuit held up quite well as a performance costume. They might seem dated, but the reality is that the only person who looked proper in them was Elvis; the Osmond brothers wore them and it doesn't work, for example). That's not to say the two pieces look bad -- I think dark two pieces would have been a great call from 76 onward -- maybe 75. But the main thing would have been to go dark as his weight increased. But Elvis was an entertainer and he wanted fans to get the whole show, which meant the big band and the fancy costume. Thank goodness he never got to the point where there were dancers on stage. I hate that.
@@martinhenderson5265 yeah I love that personal story and I did hear gene doucette say bill belew was also trying to ease Elvis out of jumpsuits by putting sleeves on the bird that were more like on his shirts but as you mentioned Elvis wanted to give the full package. I think in 77 he would’ve best been served by outfits like the penguin suit or even bringing capes back into the mix as an accessory to some of the two pieces if he wanted to stay “flashy”
Twisted colon op in 74 was v rare and drs wouldn't do it on elvis at 40, now day it's almost a routine op, if only then was now elvis would be here and healthy 😢
I have said many times Elvis was a victim of his time, but it's important to remember he was also a victim of himself too. Elvis was offered some corrective surgeries that he declined because such surgeries would keep him off stage for what he deemed too long.
Elvis' really "Last Great Tour" was march 1974 as far as I'm concerned. (So much better than Aloha ) That doesn't mean there weren't any great individual shows anymore after that, and yes he surprised me in Pittsburg NYE 1976, he did a good show for 1976, and even in Feb. of '77 were some good performances. But in general it went all downhill from 1974 on.
I respect all the different opinions but the short tour at the end of 76 was the last hurrah for me. I thought February 77 was extremely weak. He’d given up on rehearsing and it showed! His voice was mostly poor and he sounded like he couldn’t be bothered. I thought that the spring tours of 77 were better than February 77.
This was right before the last Hawaii vacation where he's wasn't as bloated as the year went on. It seems like he started he year strong, maybe easing up on the meds, enough to lose some weight for this tour. In the vacation pics he was playing football, and looked somewhat active. He was obviously heavier in 77, but the beginning of it wasn't as bad. These were really good shows, though.
nope he was cone never forget he was a very good actor he new what and when to do stage stuff but he knew he was just going through the motions .When i saw him in vegas in late 76 shocked a walking dead man in his loneley moments by himself he new there was no challenge for him anymore!!!
Elvis's last really great tour waa from wichta - pittsburgh 27th to 31st dec 1976 ......👍🎶👑🎤....he might have been heavy but look at pittsburgh he was up for it and put on one heck of a concert even a karate demo leaving the stage ....fast forward to hollywood 77 just two months later he looked truly awful.and had run out of gas ......he should have announced a break after pittsburgh a year or two off ....simple as that .....
I agree he should've taken time off, but it would've only done a moderate amount of good. Regardless of drugs Elvis probably wasn't going to make it past 50, so while the drug use would've decreased allowing him to go back to "normal" We would probably run into the same fluctuation with attitude and performance just because of the drugs he needed more and more to function. I think the one thing that would've brought Elvis back completely and totally was undergoing necessary surgery to correct some problems. unfortunately, he refused to undergo such surgery because he felt the need to tour.
@@GabeBoehElvis now adays big names have health and fitness coachs ....i mean it seems his diet was awful and add that to the drugs ....excuse the pun ...it really was a recipe for disaster he could have looked like he did for aloha in 73 .....but he had to be disciplined no maids bringing.up stacks of hamburgers at 3am in the morning .....
@@bullwinkle1231 For sure with the exception of a couple of early shows this tour he was looking trimmer than he had been. But his diet was a big thing he thought he was fine because before a tour he would only eat 500 calories a day, not realizing that making more balanced choices and not going to both ends of the extreme on eating hurt him.
This does NOT represent the best of Elvis in any way. It only adds to the "fat died on the toilet" narrative. If Elvis were alive today he would be embarrassed by that year.
@@mikem957 In the context of the time Elvis was on fire in February of 77 , 1976 was a disaster and late 77 didn’t do him favors but this is far from the worst performance he gave. Elvis was seen in a more negative light then because the public didn’t have the full story. He wasn’t high on stage slurring was a side effect of one of the pills he took to feel normal, he wasn’t fat he was bloated due to his heart condition as well as issues in his colon which were present in 1935 when he was born. So on and so forth I’m sure you already know that but I wanted to provide some context for my opinion expressed in the video
@@GabeBoehElvis Elvis didn't have a heart issue. It was his liver failing him that led to colon inflation. But those 76-77 shows should have never taken place. Parker forced him to keep touring and playing Vegas to feed his gambling habit and growing debt.
@@mikem957 Elvis did have a failing liver but he did have a heart problem he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. For more information on his health and his decline in the 70s I would recommend the book Elvis destined to die young. It is a fascinating read that I think you’ll enjoy
Oh yes our Elvis Awesome, loving, Talent ! n Our Elvis, gave all, he could, n all, his love 4 us his fans ! ❣💟💯% ! 💋🤘!
I was at Elvis last concert in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 26, 1977. Elvis did a fantastic show that night.
@@kentdykes5362 I agree the show was great I’m sure even better in person
You are the luckiest person to see the KiNG. I discovered Elvis when he died on that day , I was 12year 8 month old.
That was a fantastic performance. Still hoping for a soundboard to surface some day.
@@exciting6428Increíble yo también tenía 12 años y 8 meses cuando murió Elvis, y también lo descubrí cuando murió, nací el 24/01/1965 en Argentina!
@@TheyCallTheSandman There will be a 4 CD set on FTD from Feb '77 next month. It is called the Last Tours volume 1. Alas for you February 12th is not inclueded tho.
The Last Tours vol. 1
The September FTD 4 cd release.
As part of its ongoing live on tour series, FTD is pleased to announce the release of “ELVIS: THE
LAST TOURS VOL: 1”. Released as a 4-CD 5” digipak, this set features great shows from 1977 -
West Palm Beach (Feb 13), St. Petersburg (Feb 14), Montgomery (Feb 16), Columbia (Feb 18),
Johnson City (Feb 19) and Charlotte (Feb 20/21).
The concerts feature all of the songs that were recorded by the engineer during the February 1977
tour. Recorded in mono.
Disc 1
West Palm Beach, Florida
Feb 13 1977
1 Little Sister 1:45
2 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:14
3 Blue Suede Shoes 1:40
4 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 3:31
5 My Way 3:47
6 All Shook Up 0:58
7 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:05
8 And I Love You So 3:22
9 Fever 2:57
10 Blueberry Hill 1:08
11 Hurt 1:59
12 Hound Dog 1:16
13 Jailhouse Rock 1:52
14 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:38
15 Closing Vamp 0:14
St. Petersburg, Florida
Feb 14 1977
16 If You Love Let Me Know (late start) 2:56
17 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:46
18 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 3:35
19 All Shook Up 0:58
20 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:04
21 And I Love You So 3:26
22 Fever 2:52
23 My Way 4:08
24 Blueberry Hill 1:20
25 Love Letters 3:22
26 School Day 0:56
27 Hurt 2:05
28 Hound Dog 1:54
29 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:37
30 Closing Vamp 0:19
Disc 2
Montgomery, Alabama
Feb 16 1977
1 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:24
2 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 3:28
3 Little Sister 2:26
4 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:04
5 My Way 3:37
6 Polk Salad Annie 4:12
7 Hurt 2:11
8 Hound Dog 2:58
9 Where No One Stands Alone 2:53
10 Unchained Melody 2:28
11 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:38
12 Closing Vamp 0:26
Columbia, South Carolina
Feb 18 1977
13 Fairytale 2:31
14 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:40
15 Jailhouse Rock 2:00
16 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 4:00
17 Trying To Get To You 2:13
18 Little Sister 1:52
19 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 3:10
20 Are You Lonesome Tonight 3:10
2 That’s All Right 1:52
22 My Way 4:45
23 Release Me 3:43
24 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:39
25 Closing Vamp 0:22
Disc 3
Johnson City,
Tennessee, Feb 19 1977
1 If You Love Let Me Know (late start) 2:34
2 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:28
3 Jailhouse Rock 2:12
4 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 3:23
5 Little Sister 1:59
7 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:19
7 My Way 3:52
8 Hurt (late start) 2:34
9 Polk Salad Annie 3:48
10 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:37
11 Closing Vamp 0:24
Charlotte, North Carolina
Feb 20 1977
12 Love Me 3:22
13 Fairytale 2:28
14 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:14
15 Jailhouse Rock 1:53
16 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 5:19
17 Little Sister 1:44
18 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:14
19 My Way 5:38
20 How Great Thou Art 3:07
21 Hurt 2:52
22 Hound Dog 2:37
23 Unchained Melody 3:11
24 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:39
25 Closing Vamp 0:08
DISC 4
Charlotte, North
Carolina, Feb 21 1977
1 Are You Lonesome Tonight (late start) 4:05
2 Reconsider Baby 3:52
3 Love Me 3:32
4 Moody Blue 3:26
5 You Gave Me A Mountain 3:17
6 Jailhouse Rock 2:15
7 O Sole Mio / It’s Now Or Never 3:42
8 Little Sister 1:51
9 Teddy Bear / Don’t Be Cruel 2:09
10 My Way 3:58
11 Release Me 2:33
12 Hurt 2:02
13 Why Me Lord 3:11
14 Can’t Help Falling In Love 1:39
15 Closing Vamp 0:38
Elvis Presley is a legend he never be forgotten ❤️ ♥️ 💙
@@mitchellwestford9312 As long as there is music there is Elvis
He was terrific until the end love him no matter what happened Elvis will always be great ❤
I saw him in March of 1974 and it’s indescribable, it really is!! I was 16 and have never attended another concert before or since! I didn’t see the point bc Elvis gave His All in person!! I’m so Happy I’ve found your channel!! Idk what took so long!! ❤❤❤
His last great tour was December’76. There were decent shows in 77 but none matched that energy
I was fortunate to see Elvis perform in Springfield Mass in the summer of 1975. A close friend of mine said he hated the man so on a friendly bet I said I'd make the run with him to see the band Boston if he'd go to an Elvis concert. Elvis put on a fantastic show (as admittedly did Boston) and he came out with a whole new appreciation for him and his music. He agreed that his performance was Electric. Nearly 50 years later he still listens to his music. When I was dating my girlfriend (now wife) we had tickets for his 1977 show in August at the Hartford Civic Center. Sadly Elvis passed 5 days prior to the concert. She had never seen him and I was building him up prior to the show . His loss was truly devastating to the fan base. I wanted to keep the tickets, but before I told her to hold onto them she had already turned the tickets back into Ticket Master for a refund. I still asked her to marry me anyway. 😉
Amazing and bitter sweet, as you say at the end at least you got the girl!!😊all the best mate🇬🇧
I loved all his shows i can honestly say ever time he was on stage he did an outstanding performance that is why its 2024 and we r still here he was the greatest entertainer the world has ever seen then now and forever tcb forever ♥️
This beautiful dearly loved and adored soul was always phenomenal and in my heart forever. Throughout his life what he gave was always special and remain treasured. ❤️🌹❤️🌹❤️🌹😇🙏✝️🕯️💘💘💘👑🎶🎶. Thank you Elvis Presley 💔😥
Loved the film clips!
ELVIS came to my town twice in about a weeks time April 25th and May 3rd 1977 and yes we were there. Peace and God bless from Saginaw Michigan Dontoons
Uwielbiam Elvisa , gdy wychodzi na scene, przechadza się, wita fanow, te Jego ruchy, które pamiets się i kocha ponad wszystko, pamiętajcie, że kłopoty Elvisa zaczęły się już w 73r. i przyczyna wcale nie byla jak niektorzy chca wmówić odejscie Godzilli i leki tylko choroby, które zaczęły się nasilać i postępować, Elvis nie byl wzdęty co wy wypisujecie , ale obrzekniety na skutek chorob, mial nierozpoznana cukrzyce, a to jest choroba przy której nabiera sie wagi, mowa jest bełkotliwa, wogole nie leczona , albo zle leczona prowadzi do smierci, a wogole przy takich bólach i chorobach jak mial Elvis należy mu podziekowac za to , ze do konca szanowal fanow, byl fantastyczny i spiewal fantastycznie a nie krytykowac, wstydźcie się , a leki musial brac, zeby moc funkcjonowac!!!!❤❤
❤❤❤ Elvis na zawsze !!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
In February of that year, there was still a significant fluctuation in his physical and vocal condition. Sometimes his voice sounded a bit more strained (albeit not forced or unnatural) than at other occasions or you could see him being more bloated or having his shoulders raised up too high (maybe due to pain or some medical issue). From around 1973 or so, one can often see him with a bad posture in his lower back area - which did not always seem to affect his singing.
What I especially like is the exceptional performance of Where No One Stands Alone and the last version of Reconsider Baby (I can think of). Some versions of Unchained Melody and Hurt were spectacular as well.
In general, it was an interesting tour, but I'm not sure whether it was the last "great tour". Naturally, the form and shape of a musician may differ from day to day.
Nice man!
I believe Elvis Presley knew time was up even though he was sick towards the end last show he put on best ❤long live the king 2024
Looks pretty good to me
He had some really great shows in 1977! Even Rapid City on his last tour, he was energized and gave a great performance!👍👍⚡
@@thecoolcreativebuildchanne2613 Yeah Elvis’ performance was heavily influenced by if he was having a good or bad day with his health. On a good day he took less drugs thus gave a better performance. I would also recommend checking out some of the 1976 tours like Tuscaloosa he starts off a little rough but settles into it
@@GabeBoehElvis I'm fairly knowledgeable about Elvis but enough that I can talk about this tour vs. that tour. But I did listen to the Madison concert which among the final week of shows and I thought it was good. And really, I though the In Concert performances were pretty good AFTER he wakes up; after he gets through the first three songs, I think he's great. As embarrassing as it is to see that "Are You Lonesome Tonight" performance and everyone thinking that Elvis could no longer remember the words, that was a schtick that he often did with that song going back to the return to Las Vegas (remember the laughing version?). A criticism that I would have of Elvis is that he latched on to a bit and rode it forever. It didn't appear to me that he had fresh quips, fresh material, for some of the interactions. But there are clearly songs that he loved that he almost took no liberties with -- he always sang them straight. "You Gave Me a Mountain" is s great example; I've only heard one version that wasn't serious -- and epic. You want to put together a great set list, string together some of those serious songs (and Polk Salad Annie, which is a great concert song) and leave out most of the 50s stuff (not including "That's All Right," which I think works great as an opening number). But fantasy set lists -- that's for another video.
@@martinhenderson5265 I would 100% agree waking up is a big thing in ‘77. I also think he should’ve gotten rid of I got a woman/amen in like 1973 or so because like you said with the jokes they kinda get stale
@@GabeBoehElvis I am so glad to hear you say that about "I got a woman/Amen." It might be OK if Elvis gave 90-minute performances, but I'm continually amazed that some of his shows were less than an hour, and 4-5 minutes of that is a song there solely to showcase JD Sumner, and a few more minutes to highlight the band. As far as I know, every time someone gave Elvis an honest opinion of where he stood, Elvis appreciated it; I wish someone could have been inside enough -- and bold enough -- to make suggestions to Elvis that he would have listened to. I did hear Priscilla say that she/they tried to tell him to do away with the jumpsuits, but I will tell you a story that you will appreciate. I saw the Elvis In Concert performance (with the live band) with a group, and a woman who wasn't a huge fan (she was born in the late 1950s; I was born in 62) said afterward that the jumpsuit held up quite well as a performance costume. They might seem dated, but the reality is that the only person who looked proper in them was Elvis; the Osmond brothers wore them and it doesn't work, for example). That's not to say the two pieces look bad -- I think dark two pieces would have been a great call from 76 onward -- maybe 75. But the main thing would have been to go dark as his weight increased. But Elvis was an entertainer and he wanted fans to get the whole show, which meant the big band and the fancy costume. Thank goodness he never got to the point where there were dancers on stage. I hate that.
@@martinhenderson5265 yeah I love that personal story and I did hear gene doucette say bill belew was also trying to ease Elvis out of jumpsuits by putting sleeves on the bird that were more like on his shirts but as you mentioned Elvis wanted to give the full package. I think in 77 he would’ve best been served by outfits like the penguin suit or even bringing capes back into the mix as an accessory to some of the two pieces if he wanted to stay “flashy”
His last great tour was his short december 76 tour. December 27,1976 -December 31,1976
Twisted colon op in 74 was v rare and drs wouldn't do it on elvis at 40, now day it's almost a routine op, if only then was now elvis would be here and healthy 😢
I have said many times Elvis was a victim of his time, but it's important to remember he was also a victim of himself too. Elvis was offered some corrective surgeries that he declined because such surgeries would keep him off stage for what he deemed too long.
1971 Elvis @ hes prime
Elvis' really "Last Great Tour" was march 1974 as far as I'm concerned. (So much better than Aloha ) That doesn't mean there weren't any great individual shows anymore after that, and yes he surprised me in Pittsburg NYE 1976, he did a good show for 1976, and even in Feb. of '77 were some good performances. But in general it went all downhill from 1974 on.
I respect all the different opinions but the short tour at the end of 76 was the last hurrah for me. I thought February 77 was extremely weak. He’d given up on rehearsing and it showed! His voice was mostly poor and he sounded like he couldn’t be bothered. I thought that the spring tours of 77 were better than February 77.
This was right before the last Hawaii vacation where he's wasn't as bloated as the year went on. It seems like he started he year strong, maybe easing up on the meds, enough to lose some weight for this tour. In the vacation pics he was playing football, and looked somewhat active. He was obviously heavier in 77, but the beginning of it wasn't as bad. These were really good shows, though.
nope he was cone never forget he was a very good actor he new what and when to do stage stuff but he knew he was just going through the motions .When i saw him in vegas in late 76 shocked a walking dead man in his loneley moments by himself he new there was no challenge for him anymore!!!
Elvis's last really great tour waa from wichta - pittsburgh 27th to 31st dec 1976 ......👍🎶👑🎤....he might have been heavy but look at pittsburgh he was up for it and put on one heck of a concert even a karate demo leaving the stage ....fast forward to hollywood 77 just two months later he looked truly awful.and had run out of gas ......he should have announced a break after pittsburgh a year or two off ....simple as that .....
I agree he should've taken time off, but it would've only done a moderate amount of good. Regardless of drugs Elvis probably wasn't going to make it past 50, so while the drug use would've decreased allowing him to go back to "normal" We would probably run into the same fluctuation with attitude and performance just because of the drugs he needed more and more to function. I think the one thing that would've brought Elvis back completely and totally was undergoing necessary surgery to correct some problems. unfortunately, he refused to undergo such surgery because he felt the need to tour.
@@GabeBoehElvis now adays big names have health and fitness coachs ....i mean it seems his diet was awful and add that to the drugs ....excuse the pun ...it really was a recipe for disaster he could have looked like he did for aloha in 73 .....but he had to be disciplined no maids bringing.up stacks of hamburgers at 3am in the morning .....
@@bullwinkle1231 For sure with the exception of a couple of early shows this tour he was looking trimmer than he had been. But his diet was a big thing he thought he was fine because before a tour he would only eat 500 calories a day, not realizing that making more balanced choices and not going to both ends of the extreme on eating hurt him.
This does NOT represent the best of Elvis in any way. It only adds to the "fat died on the toilet" narrative. If Elvis were alive today he would be embarrassed by that year.
@@mikem957 In the context of the time Elvis was on fire in February of 77 , 1976 was a disaster and late 77 didn’t do him favors but this is far from the worst performance he gave. Elvis was seen in a more negative light then because the public didn’t have the full story. He wasn’t high on stage slurring was a side effect of one of the pills he took to feel normal, he wasn’t fat he was bloated due to his heart condition as well as issues in his colon which were present in 1935 when he was born. So on and so forth I’m sure you already know that but I wanted to provide some context for my opinion expressed in the video
@@GabeBoehElvis Elvis didn't have a heart issue. It was his liver failing him that led to colon inflation. But those 76-77 shows should have never taken place. Parker forced him to keep touring and playing Vegas to feed his gambling habit and growing debt.
@@mikem957 Elvis did have a failing liver but he did have a heart problem he had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. For more information on his health and his decline in the 70s I would recommend the book Elvis destined to die young. It is a fascinating read that I think you’ll enjoy
@@GabeBoehElvis I got what you're saying. Clearly some folks took this out of context. The ELVIS "gatekeepers" are the most insufferable.
@@GabeBoehElvis That book is plain revisionist history bullshit. File it in the fiction section.