[stefan]

This is an article I found while surfing the net about the Memphis July 5th 1976 performance. Would like to read some opinions about it (IMG:http://elvis-tkc.com/forum2/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) ...........

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Elvis Presley
Midsouth Coliseum, Memphis, TN
July 5th, 1976

(IMG:http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/imleaving/epAB76.jpg)

Unbelievably, it's twenty five years ago this month since Elvis Presley made his last stage appearance in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee. The town is synonymous with Elvis and vice versa, and not surprisingly it was also the scene of his first ever, live performance. The first show, on 17th July 1954 saw a shy teenager play the interval set with Scotty Moore and Bill Black who were also playing with the main act of the evening, Doug Poindexter and the Starlight Wranglers. The noisy, drunken crowd in the smoke filled Bon Air Club would hardly of noticed the young, greasy haired weirdo as he played the only two songs the trio knew. After another performance the following Saturday, he got a bigger gig at the Overton Park Shell in town, where he got to upstage the big record stars, Slim Whitman and Billy Walker. Elvis soon took the world by storm, and despite the obvious advantages of moving to somewhere a bit more glamorous like Hollywood or somewhere a bit more useful like New York or Nashville, he stayed close to his roots, in the southern melting pot of Memphis. It remained his spiritual as well as physical home, a place where he continually drew his inspirations.

At the height of his amazing powers, Elvis got drafted and spent two years making fires to keep warm in Germany. Between his return from duty in 1960, and his 1968 comeback, Elvis only played two live dates, one in Hawaii and the month before that, on 25th February 1961, two shows at the Ellis Auditorium in downtown Memphis. After his comeback to live performances in 1968, he again started to criss-cross the country, playing to sold-out stadiums and concert arenas. For some reason though, none of the tours took in any Memphis dates, until he plays five sold out shows there in mid-March 1974. Such was the anticipation for the homecoming shows, that RCA decided to record the engagements and released an album four months later, imaginatively titled, Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis. I think the title was a bit vague and could have been titled, Elvis Presley Recorded Live By RCA On Stage In Memphis Tennessee In March 1974! He played a corking show in town again on June 10th, 1975 (see Let Me Take You Home - Diamond Anniversary Editions) in the middle of a dynamic eleven-day tour, which saw Elvis in some of his best form for years.
Unfortunately, when he next played a home match, at the Mid-South Coliseum on July 5th, 1976, it was at the end of a long, bad, eleven-day tour. There was constant unrest amongst the Memphis Mafia, with Red and Sonny West less than a fortnight away from the sack and the others bitching as if they were on the Opra Winfrey show. Most of the musicians remember Elvis being in a bad mood throughout the show - he'd even ignored the usual gathering outside the Graceland gates when he'd left for the show.

Elvis had played to about twelve people at the Bon Air in 1954, a nervous wreck, now he was playing to twelve thousand - just a wreck. He was a shipwreck, drifting uncontrollably towards the cliffs, with all his lighthouses standing by too scared to put a word out of place in case they got the Red West treatment. Although the crowd responded well throughout the show, he gave a lazy performance, fairly devoid of any emotion except for the usual crowd pleasers like Hurt and America The Beautiful. He always failed to reach the notes on Fairytale, but on this night he failed quite spectacularly. Polk Sald Annie missed the beginning, any power and also, the mark. He sang quite an extended Hound Dog, not as rushed and throwaway as usual and he really seemed to come alive when he turned back the clock and treated the crowd to That's Alright Mama. Introducing it as the first song he'd done in Memphis he said, "A lot of people say I can't do that anymore - well you by-God watch me". He sang it with some fire in his stomach and he proved to everyone that when he did it that way he was still the man. A great version of Blue Christmas followed - a neat choice for a steamy Dixieland night in July!

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His fans in Memphis must have known better than anybody that things weren't good in the world of Elvis - they knew he'd spent long spells in hospital and must have seen how his excesses were getting more and more out of hand. Many would no doubt have been there wondering if this would be the last go round. One of them might have been Elvis himself!

After the show he went straight to bed and cancelled the Fourth of July fireworks display that had been planned. I wonder if he felt bad that he'd let down his oldest, most faithful audience. Even though he was a man living in denial, he surely couldn't have felt good about the night's performance. The King was slipping into a coma and he needed shaking. Jerry Lee called around the mansion a couple of months later thinking that nothing wakes a man up like a shotgun, but his early morning wake up call only rang alarm bells at the local police station. When Elvis watched the Killer's arrest on the close circuit cameras from his bedroom, I wander whether he thought that the cocky piano boy was right, or was he just too far gone to see or care. Long live Memphis and all the old rockers who sailed in her.

Shaun Mather
July 2001
Shaun.Mather@btinternet.com

[Memphis-Man]

Hi Stefan

Thanks so much for posting this. (IMG:http://elvis-tkc.com/forum2/style_emoticons/default/thanks.gif) To be honest, this is a very sobering article. I do take exception to the author's use of the phrase "at the end of a long, bad, eleven-day tour." I saw Elvis twice during this tour and spoke with others who saw him at different venues during the same tour. The opinions are not that the shows were "bad" at least the shows I and a few friends attended. To be sure, Elvis of June/July 1976 was no where near the Elvis of 1970-1972. However, the songs were performed well and he was entertaining. Was he in a bad mood? Who knows, he certainly did not seem like he was the way he interacted with the crowds and teased during the shows I attended on this tour. And NO, his voice was not bad as some would suggest. I was not at the 1976 Mid-South concert so I must rely upon the comments of those who were at that particular show and trust that they are being honest and objective in their reporting.
Over the past 30 years or so I have read so much (perhaps too much) about Elvis' mood and so forth. We must remember he was a pioneer. He had no example to follow. It is almost like he had to make up the rules as he went along. Today entertainers can avoid some of Elvis' "mistakes" if-you-will, because one has gone before them. IMHO it is unfair to criticze a man who, perhaps against better judgment, still tried to keep the fans happy and yet had a mountain of health related issues plaging him. Just imagine the perhaps embarrasment of his divorce, the weight problems (and gosh the media here in the USA was not kind to Elvis about that), not having his daughter live at Graceland full time, not allowing himself to trust the people around him, and other outside forces pulling him in a variety of directions. How many of us have stayed away from work or called in sick for less than what was just mentioned?
Then, if reports can be trusted, the internal "demons" he wrestled with. He must have felt he was on a merry-go-round with no brass ring and no way to shut it off.
It seems easy for the media to sit safely behind a keyboard and make judgments on others rather than trying to see situations from ALL sides.
LET"S NOT FORGET, during this same "bad mood" period featured some of Elvis' most generous gifts to people, including people he had never met! Yet, many of those items seem overlooked or ignored and are replaced by sensational and "popular" perceptions perhaps because they generate more revenue(?).

Oh well, thanks for listening. I guess I just try to always see the best and the good in others. And to be sure, I am an Elvis fan! (IMG:http://elvis-tkc.com/forum2/style_emoticons/default/king.gif)

M-M

[stefan]

Thanks for your post M-M, very much apreciated !!

I found this article quite honest, although a bit 'harsh' at times. Not to say I don't agree with the author, but he could have worded it a bit more subtle imo.

This tour doesn't seem to bad indeed, and the shows I've heard from it (being it audience or soundboard) show decent shows with Elvis in a generaly good mood and good voice. About his mood during the Memphis concert, there's one moment when he really shows great iritation and that's when the band play's too loud during the introductions. That aside, he seemed to be in a good mood.

Could you tell something about how the fans rated his concerts at this point in his career ? Where the reactions different or less than during the '69-'74 period, or is it true what they say about him only having to move his little finger for a standing ovation ? (as a matter of speaking ofcourse (IMG:http://elvis-tkc.com/forum2/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) )

[Elvis_Priestly]

Seems like received wisdom accepted without question, again, and "enlightening" this guys articles.
I'm afraid I have a very visceral reaction to this article because this concert holds a very special place in my heart. Before February, when the huge range of concert soundboard and audience recordings were known to me, this was the one and only "unofficial" recording I had of Elvis for many years on the two CD Set "Goodbye Memphis." I love it and have many of its highlights in my Elvis favourites folder here on my pc.
I just listened to Fairytale and its not bad, its great. Polk Salad Annie is stonking and still remains one of my all time versions of it.
I think his voice is strong and vibrant throughout, and I love his comment on That's All Right - its not moody, to me its self-deprecating humour, which is often really "show 'em" humour - I know, I do it weekly in front of my own "home crowd."

Earlier today in another place, in a review of the West fellow's new book, someone said "I hope its not going to be all sacharine" - well I hope one day someone will write such a book. Not a hagiography but a book full of the wonderful stories of Elvis.
He had problems, big problems, God love him, emotionally, physically, etc., but they keep getting endlessly rehashed. It seems you can't speak about Elvis without adding knowingly at least one of the caveats: drugs, weight, women, moods, guns."
Oh and if JLL came up my drive with a shotgun I'd sure as hell watch him from my security monitors and hide any relatives of mine who were minors in case he was in the marryng mood again!

But thanks for posting it stefan, and I hope that Shaun fellow was maybe just going through a stage of trying to show he was an Elvis fan in touch with "reality"

[Guest_kingofspades77_*]

That was a great read Stefan, thank you for sharing it with us. It's been awhile since I've gave Goodbye Memphis a play but from what I recall I thought it was one of the "better" shows from that 11 day tour. I do remember the comment made before "That's Allright Mama"..but didn't think anything of it, besides he wanted to prove to people that bygod he could still do it. (IMG:http://elvis-tkc.com/forum2/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (IMG:http://elvis-tkc.com/forum2/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) (IMG:http://elvis-tkc.com/forum2/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[Gordon]

Sounds more like Macbeth to me (IMG:http://elvis-tkc.com/forum2/style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif)