#elvis live

[thepresleypage]

Elvis in OKC

On July 8th 1975,ba sell out audience of 15192 watched Elvis in action at the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City, OK. This was the opening night of a 15 date tour. Next up was the Mulin Civic Center in Terre Haute, IN. the following night.

[alex72cat]

Niagara Falls, June 24, 1974 ES "Turquoise Phoenix suit"

[southernvirtuoso]

This remaster is beautiful.

June 25, 1977, Cincinnati, Ohio.

[heart-of-ep]

• Elvis at the Houston Astrodome - 1970 •

I fell down a rabbit hole recently researching the Houston Astrodome shows of 1970 because, in general, Elvis in 1970 is a huge hyperfixation for me, so please enjoy my little info dump ~

Elvis' Las Vegas residency of January/February had just ended on February 23rd and almost immediately left for Houston, TX, on February 25th, flying on Kirk Kerkorian's private jet. There at the airport, he would have a press conference before checking in at the Astroworld Hotel.

These were his first shows outside of Vegas since 1961, and it seems like from several accounts, Elvis was pretty nervous and worried about what the turnout would be. On top of that, during rehearsals, he ran into several issues with sound and accoustics due to the size of the arena.

The first show (a matinee performance) happened on Friday, February 27th, and it was the first of two shows to happen that day. Elvis wore the green tapestry jumpsuit and was driven in on a jeep around the arena before appearing on stage. He was acommpanied by the Sweet Inspirations, the Imperials, and the rest of his TCB band that had been established in Vegas. Not present, however, was an orchestra, which is my first time ever seeing that happen during any of his concerts in 1969 - 1977.

The matinee show persisted with all the sound issues that Elvis suspected it would, and unfortunately, it only drew in a crowd of 16,708 people (with 4,000 being personal guests of Elvis and the Colonel.) This left Elvis feeling extremely upset after the show:

“He went back to the hotel… and lay down on the bed. ‘Well, that’s it. I guess I just don’t have it anymore,’ he said.” Even the usually imperturbable Colonel seemed upset. After he got up from his nap, Elvis shook his head and said, “Well, I guess I just can’t bring it in like I used to.” - Careless Love (by Peter Guralnick)

But things quickly turned around during the evening show with an attendance of 36,299 people, a record-breaking number for the rodeo. The sound was also improved, and Elvis' nerves seemed to subside, which resulted in a more powerful and well paced performance.

After six performances between February 27th - March 1st, Elvis drew in more than 200,000 people, proving that he still had the star power and the fame to pull in a general audience of fans. He would continue that momentum through the rest of 1970, and after his next Las Vegas residency in August, he would go on his first proper tour around the country in September. ✨️

•

I would absolutely love to hear these shows, but it makes sense why they weren't recorded due to the sound issues they were having. But I'm adding them to the list of concerts that I'm going to see if time travel is ever invented cause his voice in 1970 was simply beautiful and the set lists were actually perfect in my opinion!

Side note: The tapestry suits are super underrated. I love the simplicity of the jumpsuit with the little pop of color along the trim. He wore this particular suit during the February 27th shows, and I just think the green embroidery is stunning. 😍

Don't get me wrong, I adore the flashy jumpsuits from 1971 onward, but the white jumpsuits in 1969/1970 are some of my all-time favorites. ⚡️

📷: February 27th (evening performance) at the Houston Astrodome, Houston, TX.

(Also, in the fanfic I'm writing right now, I spent a few chapters revolving around this show, and yes, that is exactly how I ended up falling down said rabbit hole, and you know what? I can't even be mad about it. I love me some 1970 Elvis. 🥰)

[vintageshanny]

Elvis lovers - it’s that time again! This week’s question is…..what are your top three live song performances? I definitely have not heard all the live stuff that’s available, so I’m really excited to see all of your answers and add them to my playlist! ❤️❤️❤️ Don’t forget to put the reasons why it speaks to you! Reading about everyone’s love for this man just makes my heart swell. 😘❤️

Such a Night (March 25, 1961 Pearl Harbor) - This concert is amazing, and this song in particular just puts me in a good mood. The little growling noises he does throughout are just so sexy, and the song is so upbeat. I love that you can hear the playful dynamic between him and the audience. There are so many amazing songs from this concert that he rarely performed again - Reconsider Baby, It’s Now or Never, I Need Your Love Tonight. And the corny jokes are already in full effect! He was really just his dorky self on stage, and I love it so much!

My Babe (Elvis Live 1969 Disc 9 - August 25, 1969 Las Vegas Midnight Show) - This is one of my favorite blues songs, and I was so excited when I first saw that Elvis covered it. (If you like blues, listen to Little Walter’s version. It is a great song, and I wish that Elvis had sung all the verses - I’d love to hear him sing “When she’s hot there ain’t no coolin’ her.” 😉😍) The amount of sexiness he oozes in this vocal is almost criminal. When he sings “she don’t, she don’t, she don’t, oh God,” I bet every woman there felt something…unspeakable. And the grunting! Whew…I need to recover from just thinking about this performance. 🥵 Really everything from this first Vegas run is just superb - the bluesy arrangement for Heartbreak Hotel is another favorite for me.

Funny How Time Slips Away (Elvis on Tour Disc 3 - April 14, 1972 Greensboro) - I love this song so much, and this particular version just does things to me. Right before he starts the song, he asks them to turn the house lights up, and when he says “I-I-It’s funny because I-I-I can’t see you really,” his sweet little stutter just melts my heart. Then when he sings, “How am I doin’? Well I’m sweatin’ a little bit baby, but I guess I’m doin’ fine,” it makes a lot more than my heart react. 😉😍😂 I just love how you get a feel for his interaction with the audience in this performance, and I like when he says “let her have it, man, let her have it” to security (I think about someone trying to get a scarf). My other favorite live performance of this is at Madison Square Garden. In that one, you actually can hear him stutter while singing a line, and I love that he goes up and hits that falsetto note when he sings “Remember what I told you,” and then drops way back down. I think he just had a lot of fun singing this, considering it’s kind of a sad song.

Runner-up goes to You’re the Reason I’m Living (March 22, 1975 Midnight Show). I think this is the only time he performed this live (someone correct me if I’m wrong), and it feels like just a beautiful dedication to his fans. Again you can hear his sweet stutter before he starts, and I like how you can hear him direct the band on what to do during the song. He performs the song so beautifully and then concludes by saying “That was, probably you could tell, totally unrehearsed.” Um, no, I could not tell that at all because it was amazing! ❤️

Again tagging past participants, but if you love Elvis and his music, please join in! 😘

@whositmcwhatsit @be-my-ally @thatbanditqueen @ellie-24 @plasticfantasticl0ver @lookingforrainbows @prompted-wordsmith @flwrs4aust @iloveelvis @argeriant18 @loving-elvis @alienelvisobsession @ab4eva @manebioniclegali @deke-rivers-1957 @rjmartin11 @c-rosenn @elvisalltheway101 @satninroses @doll-elvis @devilsflowerr @missmaywemeetagain @presleysdarling @troubleinapinksuit @cryingabtab @generoustreemystic @samfangirls

[lllsaslll]

Elvis Presley - New Years Show, Pittsburgh Civic Center, 1976

Incredible amateur recording of the entire New Year's show at The Pittsburgh Civic Arena, December 31st 1976: "Final Countdown to Midnight". Regarded as one of Elvis' best concerts of the late 70's, he performed to a crowd of over 16,000 just months before his death. Ringing in his last New Year with a lively and loving crowd, Elvis took requests, shared the mic with fans, and delivered one of his most impressive (yet rarely sung live) vocal performances in "Rags to Riches". On that freezing winter night, Elvis' spirit burned bright. Happy New Year everyone~

“I would like to wish you all really a very happy and a prosperous new year, hope you have health and happiness, and that God be with you.”

- Elvis Presley

[missmaywemeetagain]

I've seen some live performance footage of Elvis recently. It's amazingly funny how he likes to joke around; he's almost like a stand-up comedian sometimes lol! Especially when he keeps teasing the audience; like, he acts like he's going to start singing one song only to veer off into something completely unrelated lol!

Baby, Elvis live is WHERE IT'S AT! That man was born to be on stage! (and it's absolutely criminal that for the short time we had him, the Colonel kept him from performing so much.) He was such a sexy, goofy squirrel and had great comic timing and was such a natural and charismatic performer from day one, UGH I just wish that I could go back in time and see him work his magic in person!!

It's hilarious because if I play live footage of him, I HAVE to stop what I'm doing and watch it. Like I can't just play it on YouTube just to listen. He just draws me in like some kind of Pied Piper. It's why I can't get anything done LOL. I do love listening to his live performances, too, especially the August '69 ones!

(I'm not sure he could look any more amazing than this right here.)

[elvis1970s]

Following on from a two-week Las Vegas engagement in March, Elvis kicked off his first arena tour in six months at Macon (GA) Coliseum, on April 24th, 1975. Part of the show was recorded at the soundboard and bootlegged.

There was huge local excitement about Elvis coming to town. One local paper reported that Elvis' entourage included twenty bodyguards, and they had booked out the entire top floor of the local Hilton, the transport arrangements having included a large private jet, blue and yellow Cadillac limousines and a chartered greyhound coach. Hotel staff told the paper that Elvis nearly took a tumble on a slippery floor while accessing the hotel through the kitchen, but took it in good humour.

The Macon Telegraph reported;

"…Elvis Presley, who has been selling out auditoriums and arenas for 20 years, did it again in Macon Thursday night before a crowd of 10,242 persons, who travelled from all over the Southeast to hear the legendary performer sing…At 9.40 p.m, Presley walked up the eight steps leading to the five foot high, 32 by 40 foot stage and the overflow crowd burst into yells, tears, screams and roaring applause…The performer immediately began singing See See Rider, which was followed by I Got A Woman. He paused after these two numbers and introduced himself to the elated crowd as Johnny Cash. That drew a tremendous round of laughter and applause…Presley, wearing a blue suit with silver sequins, followed those songs with 15 others, including such favourites as Love Me, Burning Love and Let Me Be There…Presley left the stage amidst thundering applause and thrilled fans who stretched over the balcony trying to touch the performer…"

It’s an interesting set-list, with the emphasis on more contemporary material. This mix is a little different with piano dominating in the rock numbers, and actually overpowering the vocal in some parts.

The tour extended through to May 7th, and included a benefit show in Jackson for victims of a recent Tornado in McComb, MS.