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EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert | An In-Depth Review

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Elvis Presley in EPiC (NEON, 2026)

After nearly wall-to-wall coverage since the movie’s release in February, some of you might be wondering if I’m going to change the name of this site to The EPiC Train. Well, no, but I love Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert so much that I keep finding more to say about it.

My first viewing of EPiC at an IMAX Early Access screening on February 18 was an emotional experience.

Finally, here was a movie that understood and loved Elvis in the same ways I do. Here was a movie that gave Elvis his voice back. Here was a movie that rescued Elvis the man from Elvis the image.

I realized then that I wasn’t ready to dig into the weeds and analyze EPiC just yet. Though I wrote a first reaction piece, I held off on a formal review.

Through multiple rewatches with family and friends, I continued to experience EPiC in an emotional rather than analytical way. Oh, I found ways to write about it, because the movie certainly inspires me in that way. I’m even discussing the movie in detail with my bride on our new radio show (podcast).

Through all that, I tried to stay true to my original thoughts on EPiC, to experience and feel it rather than analyze it. It wasn’t until my final two theatrical rewatches, numbers eight and nine in mid-April, that I began to analyze things, such as how much of the footage was new.

Now that EPiC is available to buy or rent in digital format, I thought this would be a good time fully to let loose my analytical side. What follows will be a collection of observations, criticisms, and even nitpicks. It is part review, part viewer’s companion, and part tribute not only to Elvis but to those who helped him make the music that brings so much comfort to my life.

WARNING: Massive spoilers beyond this point.

NOTE: Footage tags refer only to whether a performance has been previously released in an official project. Previously unseen portions of performances already represented in official releases are not considered new footage for these purposes. However, low-quality bonus material from Elvis: That’s the Way It Is – Special Edition is excluded from consideration.

EPiC begins in perfect fashion, using a variant of one of my favorite Elvis quotes. I even used it to kick off my own Elvis Odyssey series last year.

Elvis: “I’d like to talk to you a little bit, ladies and gentlemen, about how I got in this business. There’s been a lot written and a lot said, but never from my side of the story.” (August 1969)

“The Battle Hymn Of The Republic” (from “An American Trilogy”) | April 9, 1972 Evening Show (ES), Hampton Roads, Virginia | Footage previously released in This Is Elvis

The movie then mirrors the opening of Luhrmann’s ELVIS (2022), with “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” better known as the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey, segueing into “The Battle Hymn Of The Republic” from “An American Trilogy.” Only this time, a different guy is playing the main character instead of Austin Butler.

That’s right, it’s Elvis himself. As fantastic of a job Butler did in ELVIS, EPiC is all the better film for featuring the genuine article.

Artificially melding the opening “Also Sprach Zarathustra” with the climactic “The Battle Hymn Of The Republic” felt off to me in ELVIS, and it feels off to me again in EPiC. However, this is Elvis’ finest version of “An American Trilogy.”

I love how the EPiC team adds a breathing sound effect as Elvis walks up to the camera while in the process of leaving the stage and the movie proper begins. It is a reminder, as is the rest of the film, that Elvis Presley was a real man. His image as a legend has almost overtaken him, but there was a living and breathing human there.

EPiC now moves into a brief overview of Elvis’ career in the 1950s and 1960s. It is wonderful hearing Elvis narrating his story, sourced from interviews, concerts, and press conferences from 1956 to 1972.

A quibble I have is the use of Elvis’ audio from The Truth About Me, a recording he did as a promotional tie-in for a teen magazine in August 1956. Compared to his more sincere comments throughout EPiC, this audio sounds stilted. Elvis is reading a script, one that he almost certainly did not write, and sounds uncomfortable. Elvis Presley: The Searcher, Thom Zimny’s 2018 documentary, made the same misstep of using this audio. While EPiC relies on many interview sources, it is grating when it falls back on The Truth About Me. Here are just a few examples of The Truth About Me excerpts used in the movie:

Elvis: “Hi, this is Elvis Presley. I guess the first thing people want to know is why I can’t stand still when I’m singing. . . .”

Elvis: “I watch my audience and listen to them, and I know that we’re all getting something out of our system. None of us knows what it is. The important thing is that we’re getting rid of it, and nobody’s getting hurt.”

Elvis: “In a lot of the mail I get, people ask questions about the kind of things I do and all that sort of stuff. Well, I don’t smoke, and I don’t drink, and I love to go to movies.”

Luhrmann does a great job of encapsulating about 15 years of Elvis history into 10 minutes of movie. The editing is phenomenal here, which sets the stage for the visual extravaganza which is to follow.

The preacher complaining about “the beat, the beat, the beat” shows up here, as he does in just about every Elvis documentary covering the 1950s.

“Elvis Presley Arrested”

Luhrmann takes a wrong turn, however, by implying that Elvis is arrested for his stage movements and music. “Elvis Presley Arrested” appears on screen as EPiC covers the controversies surrounding the young singer. Footage is shown of Elvis in court. The problem? The actual incident stems from an October 1956 gas station fight in Memphis, for which he was cleared. This is reminiscent of some of the fictionalized aspects of Luhrmann’s ELVIS biopic. Though I raise an eyebrow at the necessity, I can excuse it in the biopic. False narratives have no place in a documentary.

We get the Elvis “running for his life” to the car footage from 1972 as Elvis’ father, Vernon Presley, talks about Elvis’ wild fans.

Luhrmann also trots out the typical Hy Gardner Calling footage from July 1956, but fortunately doesn’t linger with it too long.

Home movie footage of Elvis and friends in 1961 attempting to right the sign of Tupelo’s Elvis Presley Youth Recreation Center is shown that I don’t personally recall seeing before. Though the audio is not used in EPiC, Elvis references the moment in a February 1961 press conference in Memphis.

“Presley Back Home To Resume Career As Teenage Idol”

After Elvis is drafted and serves in the US Army, Luhrmann uses the singer’s classic “I was in tanks for a long time, you see. They rock and roll quite a bit” reply when a reporter asks if “two years of sobering Army life” had changed Elvis’ mind about rock ‘n’ roll.

“Hollywood”

Luhrmann offers a wonderful review of Elvis’ 1960s films in the “Hollywood” segment. We finally have an alternative to the “Too Much Monkey Business” sequence from This Is Elvis to encapsulate many of his films. EPiC includes clips from a whopping 20 of the 31 narrative films that Elvis appeared in as an actor, many of them in this segment. Some of them are shown, whether intentionally or otherwise, in the wrong aspect ratio. In the fast pace of this portion, it is not very noticeable.

Generally, I can’t stand it when people talk over an Elvis song in documentaries. One of the interesting things I discovered through EPiC is that I don’t mind it if Elvis is the one doing the talking. It really does feel like Elvis is telling you his story. If anyone should be allowed to talk over an Elvis performance, it’s Elvis.

A version of “A Change Of Reality,” a new mashup of multiple songs including “Change Of Habit,” “Edge Of Reality,” and “Charro,” appears here. I mean, wow. The version in the end credits is even better, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Another strong editing scene of EPiC is when Elvis is shown driving in multiple movies. I realize the point of this segment is to show how repetitive Elvis movies had become, but he looks so cool driving. I mean, who else could have made those movies so watchable?

While I had heard the 1972 audio of Elvis talking about the disappointments of his movie career before, it is really striking to hear his words as visuals from his movies are shown on screen.

“But it did not change. It did not change” Elvis laments. Then we get references to Tom Parker as a gun is held to the head of one of Elvis’ characters, more driving, Vietnam, the Beatles, wrecked cars.

“Did not change” is repeated over and over as the visuals build to a gunshot sound effect when Elvis points his guitar at the camera in 1970 and pretends to fire it like a rifle.

What a sequence. By this point, EPiC had me.

“So, I had to change it, which I did,” says Elvis. We move to Elvis in July 1970, as captured for Elvis: That’s The Way It Is. The often-used scene of Elvis firing his guitar at the camera takes on a new meaning here. “Shoot that Hollywood camera,” Elvis says.

All of the 1970 footage filmed for Elvis: That’s The Way It Is that appears in EPiC is in the wrong aspect ratio – everything is squeezed narrower than it should be. Mistake or dubious artistic choice? You be the judge.

The captions in many places throughout EPiC, as seen in both the Apple and YouTube digital versions, are also laughably wrong. I am not going to point out all of them, but there are a couple I want to mention in the course of this review. One is here. Instead of “Shoot that Hollywood camera,” the caption claims that Elvis says, “Should be all on camera.” Uh, no, that ruins the entire moment that editor Jonathan Redmond and director Baz Luhrmann were building towards.

EPiC makes great use of a remix of “I Got A Feelin’ In My Body” in this and other segments. Recorded in December 1973 at Stax Studios in Memphis, the underlying song is the only post-1972 Elvis performance heard in EPiC.

EPiC makes interesting use of the 1972 audio of Elvis talking about preparing for his Las Vegas shows over the 1970 rehearsals. It works very well! The original Elvis: That’s The Way It Is, as much as I love it, could have benefited from a little more insight like this.

“Stranger In The Crowd” | July 29, 1970, Hollywood, California | Footage previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is

“A Fool Such As I” | July 29, 1970, Hollywood, California | Footage previously unseen

After a familiar “Stranger In The Crowd,” we suddenly get a new snippet of “A Fool Such as I.” Look, I’m not going to count seconds of “new” versus old footage. That’s not my thing. “A Fool Such As I” is not long enough here, true, but I love seeing it nonetheless after first hearing him rehearse it over 25 years ago.

“What’d I Say” | July 29, 1970, Hollywood, California | Footage previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is

“I Was The One” | July 29, 1970, Hollywood, California | Footage previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances

As I’ve mentioned here many times in the past, 1992’s Elvis: The Lost Performances is one of my favorite Elvis releases ever, so it is wonderful to see aspects of it be preserved in EPiC, including a portion of “I Was The One.”

“You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” | August 4, 1970, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously unseen

In a jarring moment, EPiC cuts from visuals of a previously unseen 1970 rehearsal of “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me” to Elvis in 1972 discussing his love of music. Physically, Elvis looks noticeably different due to a little weight gain and a shaggier haircut. He also looks and sounds exhausted or even depressed.

However, I love seeing these interview segments, originally filmed for Elvis On Tour. I have heard this interview for many years, but finally to see it in full color quality like this is really something special, one of the many gifts of EPiC. His words resonate more when you can see him saying them.

This 1972 interview, along with an interview conducted by Lloyd Shearer a decade earlier, represents one of the most introspective interviews of Elvis’ life. If you are interested in digging deeper into Elvis the man, the complete audio of both interviews is worth checking out. You can find them in many places throughout the web, including over at Keith Flynn’s incredible Elvis Presley Pages site.

“Ghost Riders In The Sky” | July 15, 1970, Culver City, California | Footage previously unseen

“Alla En El Rancho Grande” | July 15, 1970, Culver City, California | Footage previously unseen

It is so cool finally to see Elvis singing “Ghost Riders In The Sky”! Again, the snippet is tantalizingly brief, but what a fun moment to see him hamming it up with his band. Even less time is given to “Alla En El Rancho Grande,” which lasts only seconds.

“Runaway” | July 15, 1970, Culver City, California | Footage previously unseen

Wow! All is forgiven because “Alla En El Rancho Grande” cuts to “Runaway.” I’ve been listening to Elvis sing “Runaway” since I was 12-years old and my brother gave me the On Stage album for Christmas. That was a long time ago because I’m 51 now, and it’s wonderful to see at least some of “Runaway” before EPiC cuts the visual away to Elvis and his friend Joe Esposito riding the bicycle built for two.

“Yesterday” | July 15, 1970, Culver City, California | Footage previously unseen

“Something” | July 29, 1970, Hollywood, California | Footage previously unseen

Next, Elvis rehearses a couple of Beatles classics, including “Yesterday,” which also featured on the On Stage album. Though edited, both “Yesterday” and “Something” are given a little more room to breathe than previous rehearsals in EPiC thus far.

As EPiC moves closer to raising the curtain on the Elvis Presley Show, portions of 1964’s “Little Egypt” are used as background music, including “I went and bought myself a ticket and sat down in the very first row,” which is just a cheesy way to incorporate such a poor song. I do enjoy watching the preparations for his Las Vegas shows, though.

Note in the beautiful 1970 marquee shots that the “r” is missing from comedian Sammy Shore’s name, as is the “s” from the name of The Imperials vocal group.

We see the familiar footage of Elvis, other vocalists, and some of his friends walking through the backstage area for opening night on August 10, 1970. This time, we also get to hear Elvis calling for Charlie Hodge, his friend and stage manager, and the two apparently tune his guitar. As Elvis in 1972 talks about stage fright, Elvis in 1970 plays a quick lick and then says something that I can’t quite make out and everyone starts laughing. According to the captions, he says, “That’s bold! That’s bold!” but, as mentioned, they should be taken with a grain of salt.

“That’s All Right” | August 12, 1970 Dinner Show (DS), Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously unseen

Finally, Elvis takes the stage and we get a previously unseen version of “That’s All Right,” including a joking start to the show where he begins to sing “Love Me Tender” instead of the intended song.

I get lost in the song, so it’s possible I missed an edit, but I believe “That’s All Right” is the first song in EPiC presented in its entirety. However, Elvis does narrate a bit on top of it. Which I still can’t believe I don’t mind, but I don’t. It’s okay if Elvis does it. I don’t want to hear George Klein (Elvis: The Great Performances), Priscilla Presley (Elvis: The Great Performances, television version), or any other person narrating on top of an Elvis song, though.

“Tiger Man” | August 12, 1970 Midnight Show (MS), Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is

I’ll get my complaint out of the way first for the next song, which is that they edited out the “Mystery Train” portion of the medley with “Tiger Man.” Which, of course, considering this site is The Mystery Train, I must point out. With that out of the way. . . .

“Tiger Man” was AWESOME in the movie theater. This was the moment in EPiC where I first felt I was watching a real concert. I love the strobe light effect as well as Elvis playing air guitar to James Burton’s solos. EPiC shows all of “Tiger Man” and even includes Elvis’ welcome to the audience afterwards and introducing himself as Fats Domino. It unfortunately cuts away before he sings the first four words of “Blueberry Hill,” though.

During the August 10, 1970 Opening Show (OS), Elvis begins to talk about his early years when there is microphone feedback. “Yes, Kirk?” he says in response, a reference to International Hotel owner Kirk Kerkorian. Feedback would plague much of that show. He goes on to talk about the Ed Sullivan Show, and EPiC flashes back to Elvis’ first appearance on that program on September 9, 1956.

“Hound Dog” | August 11, 1970 MS, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances

After the brief Sullivan detour, we are back to 1970 with a lightning-fast version of “Hound Dog” from August 11. EPiC then circles back to the August 10 show where Elvis states, “That’s really how I got started,” which feels slightly out of place to me after the August 11 footage.

In that same show, there is a wonderful previously unseen moment where Elvis says, “Catch this, Sam” and then briefly tap dances for Sammy Davis, Jr., who is in the audience for the opening night performance. “That’s it, though. That’s all I can do, man.”

Since first hearing Elvis’ comment over 25 years ago, I have wondered what he meant. EPiC finally reveals what is going on.

“Polk Salad Annie” | Edit of various performances from July and August 1970, California and Nevada | Some footage previously unseen

In a film full of editing highlights, the “Polk Salad Annie” sequence has to rank at or near the top. It is a montage of multiple rehearsal and live performances from July and August 1970. Considering that Elvis’ moves are not choreographed, it all fits together in an amazing fashion.

Things start a bit surprisingly with Elvis at an August 7 rehearsal in Las Vegas singing, “We got a little morphine going on. Give me a little hish hash, baby,” before pretending to smoke a joint and then continuing with, “Polk Salad Annie, where is your fanny at?”

The real song begins, and the sound is so good. We get previously unseen footage from the August 10 OS and the August 11 DS, where Elvis’ distracted marching and vocalizing routine go on a little too long for my taste. Other live footage includes the typical August 12 MS iteration, which was his best version captured for Elvis: That’s The Way It Is and rightly was used in both the theatrical and special edition versions of that movie.

Redmond’s editing work on the “Polk Salad Annie” sequence is so impressive that it is a strong contender for best moment of the film. I might have to watch EPiC a few dozen times more to really say, though.

“You’ve Lost That Lovin Feelin'” | August 11, 1970 MS, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously unseen

I enjoy watching Elvis interacting with the Sweet Inspirations vocal group, how much fun they seem to have together. Here, Elvis playfully echoes one of the Sweets saying, “I’m not doing it tonight” and another prods him to do it again as they all share a laugh. EPiC doesn’t really give us the context of this conversation, nor do we need it to understand that we’re eavesdropping on a moment of family fun.

We also get another brief visual bit of the 1972 interview here, where Elvis talks about how musicians and singers find new sounds that inspire him. Again, this is emphasizing Elvis the man, not the legend. I love those sequences. Only a tiny portion of these interviews were used in the original Elvis On Tour, and EPiC gives us a taste of what might have been.

We are next treated to a portion of a previously unseen version of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” from the August 11, 1970 MS. Elvis owned this song in August 1970. He never sang it this well again, but it is enough that in this engagement, he provides the definitive versions for all of time.

I know I have mentioned this at least twice already, and I’ll try to make this the last time, but I still marvel at how much I don’t mind the songs being interrupted by Elvis talking. I keep bringing it up because this normally irks me (I’m looking at you, Elvis Lives: The 25th Anniversary Concert).

Elvis Presley in EPiC (NEON, 2026)

One of the things I’ve always loved about Elvis: That’s The Way It Is and its associated outtakes is the mood lighting behind Elvis, that wall of changing colors, controlled by his friend Lamar Fike. The magenta color during “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” suits the song perfectly.

The “play the hell out of it” scene from the original Elvis: That’s The Way It Is, which unfortunately did not make it into the special edition that has all but replaced it, is up next. Then, we get a kissing and audience walk montage set to the new mashup “Wearin’ That Night Life Look,” which combines “Wearin’ That Loved-On Look” and “Night Life,” among others.

“Little Sister/Get Back” | August 12, 1970 MS, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously unseen

Then, at last, we get the footage of Elvis strapping on his electric guitar at the August 12 MS and singing a medley of “Little Sister” and “Get Back” while sitting on a stool.

I’ll say it right here, it was a mistake for the original director of Elvis: That’s The Way It Is to leave this song on the cutting room floor, and I’ll say the same for the producer of Elvis: That’s The Way It Is – Special Edition, which did at least use a longer edit of the associated rehearsal. Thank you to Luhrmann and Redmond for giving this gem the spotlight it deserves in EPiC.

Near the beginning of the medley, it is unclear who or what Elvis is waving off with a seemingly exasperated look. I have speculated that it was the orchestra, but it also could be Hodge or any number of other things, really.

Speaking of the orchestra, who do not play during the sit-down segment of this show, a few of them appear to be bored in the background. This was a midnight show, after all, so perhaps it was just a long night – their fifth show in three days, plus all of the rehearsals leading up to the engagement. They are also most likely classically trained musicians, and rock ‘n’ roll might not be their thing.

“Little Sister/Get Back” is presented in its entirety.

As Elvis’ 1971 informal studio recording of Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” plays, EPiC transitions to April 19, 1972, where eight-year-old fan Denise Sanchez, who is battling cancer, meets Elvis before his show in New Mexico in an outtake from Elvis On Tour. Denise, who reportedly met with Elvis again not long before her death, passed away that August.

Denise’s family worked with Parker’s office to arrange the April meeting. It reminds me of the Make-A-Wish program, which did not yet exist in 1972. I would like to encourage interested readers of The Mystery Train to donate to Make-A-Wish or another youth-focused charitable organization in Denise’s name.

As “I Shall Be Released” continues to play, EPiC moves to Elvis apparently on an elevator on the way to a rehearsal and then a light-hearted moment where Elvis successfully ties the largest necktie I’ve ever seen.

We catch the end of a previously unseen rehearsal of “Burning Love,” including Elvis having fun with Bill Baize’s falsetto notes.

“Burning Love” | Edit of various performances from March and April 1972 | Some footage previously unseen

We shift to previously unseen footage of Elvis introducing “Burning Love” in his first-ever live performance of the song during his April 14, 1972, concert in Greensboro, North Carolina. This is just a little over two weeks after he recorded the studio master, and the single is not even out yet.

Before Elvis begins singing, however, EPiC shifts to another rehearsal of “Burning Love” and soon we are into a montage of various rehearsals and the live performance of the song. 1972’s answer to the 1970 “Polk Salad Annie” edit unfortunately doesn’t quite live up to that peak.

The 2015 album If I Can Dream featured Elvis’ vocals with new backing supplied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO). At the time, I enjoyed the concept for what it was, but the use of the RPO version of “Burning Love” as the base for this edit in EPiC is just a poor choice – especially considering that the original studio version is a rock ‘n’ roll classic.

The RPO version is just too much, especially the over-the-top strings at the beginning of the song and at various points throughout. None of it feels right for the mostly unseen footage EPiC is providing.

That aside, we are treated in the montage to multiple different rehearsals of “Burning Love” before picking back up with the Greensboro concert, where he is reading the lyrics. Whether he liked “Burning Love” or not, it was not unusual for Elvis to need a lyric sheet. The proof is in EPiC that he did rehearse the song multiple times.

The 1972 footage captured for Elvis On Tour is presented in the correct aspect ratio. It looks great, but one of the reasons the segment pales compared to “Polk Salad Annie” is because it loses focus. If the edit had stayed with Elvis performing “Burning Love” in rehearsals and in concert, it would have been much stronger. Instead, it replays the footage of him running to the car (why show this again in such a short movie?) and other odd distractions, like:

  • Backstage moments, including Elvis joking around and signing autographs
  • Elvis arriving on stage, multiple times
  • Elvis kneeling and holding his cape up as he prepares to leave the stage, multiple times
  • Elvis greeting fans at an airport

While there are some great shots here, new and old, it just feels too random in such a superbly edited film. A “life on the road” montage just doesn’t fit in the middle of “Burning Love.”

One of the more relevant backstage moments used, however, is Elvis talking about how “they had forgotten the ending” in reference to the Greensboro performance of the song, which was enjoyable to see.

Devil In Disguise

After spending most of his ELVIS biopic pummeling Parker, Luhrmann unfortunately wastes more time in his EPiC documentary taking swipes at Elvis’ manager. The movie takes an unneeded two-minute diversion to remind us that Parker was a “devil in disguise.”

When EPiC promised found footage, I wasn’t expecting it to be of Parker applying suntan oil – a moment that will now live forever in the annals of Elvis history, thanks to EPiC. When I saw someone boast he had watched EPiC 23 times so far, I remembered that means he has watched the Parker suntan oil scene 23 times. As of this writing, I’ve also seen this suntan oil footage 12 times. I’ll probably never catch up.

In all seriousness, those two minutes about Parker could have been put to better use, such as, for example, extending some of those all-too-short rehearsal segments earlier in the film.

I do love seeing the stacks of Elvis records being sold next to all those stuffed hound dogs at the Las Vegas Hilton in 1972, including As Recorded At Madison Square Garden, On Stage, That’s The Way It Is, and both volumes of the Worldwide Gold Award Hits boxed sets.

“Never Been To Spain” | April 9, 1972 ES, Hampton Roads, Virginia | Footage previously unseen

After Elvis talks in a June 1972 press conference about his desire to tour the world, noting that he has never been to Britain or Japan, EPiC moves into a live performance of “Never Been To Spain.” I have no problem with this song in the context of a full Elvis concert, but I feel it drags EPiC down a bit here and that a different song would have been a better choice rather than using “Never Been To Spain” as yet another swipe at Parker, who never did book that world tour Elvis had been talking about since at least 1958. “Before I came in the Army, we were planning a tour of Europe” Elvis told reporters at a press conference marking his departure for Germany in September of that year as part of his military service.

“Love Me” | Edit of various performances from April 1972 and August 1970 | Previously unseen footage

In previously unseen footage, Elvis is shown lying on the floor of the Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia, on April 10, 1972, as he introduces “Love Me.” Unfortunately, EPiC then takes us to another well-known Ed Sullivan Show clip, this time for the opening of his October 28, 1956, performance of “Love Me.”

EPiC then moves to a cool but ultimately unnecessary remix of Elvis’ 1956 studio recording of the song, before finally getting back to the 1970s with previously unseen footage from Hampton Roads, April 9, 1972 ES, where Elvis picks up a bra someone threw on the stage and wears it on his head, and Las Vegas, August 12, 1970 MS, where the edit concludes with Elvis singing a bluesy version of the song during the sit-down segment of that show – the best part of EPiC‘s “Love Me” edit. And again, I love that background wall of color. I’m glad EPiC is making use of the electric guitar segment.

“Twenty Days And Twenty Nights” | August 7, 1970, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously unseen

Near the end of another flashback segment, this one propelled by Elvis’ sublime recording of “Blue Moon” from 1954, Elvis talks about the tragedy of losing his mother, Gladys Presley, who died in August 1958. The “I miss her” ending of “Twenty Days And Twenty Nights” is shown from a Las Vegas rehearsal, effectively using the song to memorialize Gladys. EPiC gets away with it by showing the bit out of context, as the song is actually about a man who is missing his wife after abandoning her.

“I Can’t Stop Loving You” | August 11, 1970 DS, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is – Special Edition

In the 1972 interview, Elvis talks about how he’ll change up what he’s doing on stage based upon the audience reaction. Appropriately, EPiC then cuts to Elvis telling the band during the August 11, 1970 DS in Las Vegas, “Forget ‘Patch It Up.’ Let’s do ‘Can’t Stop Loving You.'”

As it weakens the moment EPiC is obviously intending to highlight, I will point out that the caption is wrong here, too. The caption states, “We’ll get past it. Let’s do ‘Can’t Stop Loving You.'”

For an artist who is sometimes wrongly portrayed as detached from his art, Elvis is shown in EPiC as truly involved in every aspect of his show, even down to the lighting as demonstrated in a brief scene that I especially appreciate.

In another scene, which appears to be August 11 or 12, 1970, Elvis and his team discuss in his dressing room how the sound has improved since opening night a day or two earlier. In one of the stranger moments of EPiC, Elvis asks Hodge to show the camera his “crystal clear look” and Hodge proceeds to do so. I’ve seen this 12 times, too.

“Are You Lonesome Tonight” | August 12, 1970 MS, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously released in Elvis Lives: The 25th Anniversary Concert

Up next, we get an incredible version of “Are You Lonesome Tonight” from the sit-down segment of the August 12, 1970 MS. This performance is presented in its entirety. Though it is simple compared to many other segments, this is one of EPiC‘s best moments.

“Always On My Mind” | March 30, 1972, Hollywood, California | Footage previously released in This Is Elvis

“Are You Lonesome Tonight” | April 9, 1972 ES, Hampton Roads, Virginia | Footage previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances

The “Always On My Mind” segment begins next, and there is really some creative editing to the opening as it also mashes with Elvis singing “Are You Lonesome Tonight” in Hampton Roads in 1972, interviews where Elvis discusses loneliness, and various home movies.

“Always On My Mind” is a “breakup” song, so I did find it a little odd that Luhrmann concentrates many of the visuals on Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. Perhaps he was trying to distinguish his use of “Always On My Mind” from how previous Elvis documentaries used it.

It might have also been an attempt to pay tribute to Lisa, who was a vocal supporter of Luhrmann’s ELVIS biopic and passed away in 2023. If so, “All My Trials,” later in the film, might have been a better opportunity:

“So hush little baby, don’t you cry. You know your daddy’s bound to die. But all my trials, Lord, soon be over.”

Every official use thus far of this “Always On My Mind” footage, originally filmed for Elvis On Tour, has included home movies interspersed with Elvis singing the song. Perhaps the raw footage is incomplete. If a complete version exists, however, I would love to see it uninterrupted one day. It is one of my all-time favorite Elvis performances.

“Oh Happy Day” | August 7, 1970, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously unseen

Wow! Elvis wakes us up next with a rousing rendition of “Oh Happy Day.” This is actually a remix, and it works perfectly. So awesome finally to see Elvis singing this song. I first heard his version back in 2000, with fairly low quality sound, so this is another one that has been a long time coming. “Oh Happy Day” serves as a great introduction to the gospel portion of EPiC.

“How Great Thou Art” | April 9, 1972 ES, Hampton Roads, Virginia | Footage previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances

“How Great Thou Art” from Hampton Roads is used effectively as a framing device for a discussion of gospel music and what it means to Elvis and those around him, including a few more songs shown in rehearsals. I am really glad that EPiC leans so much into gospel, more so than any other Elvis documentary that wasn’t exclusively focused on that topic.

Elvis Presley in EPiC (NEON, 2026)

“I, John” | April 5, 1972, Buffalo, New York | Footage previously released in Elvis On Tour

“Nearer My God To Thee” | March 31, 1972, Hollywood, California | Footage previously unseen

I’ve wondered why Luhrmann includes a bit of “When It’s My Time,” which features Baize and the other members of the Stamps, versus some of the other songs from that gospel jam session that might have had a more pleasing sound. I discovered that Baize apparently sang the same song at Elvis’ private funeral on August 18, 1977, so perhaps that is why Luhrmann chose to use it.

When the segment circles back to “How Great Thou Art,” I love the upbeat ending Elvis used on his live versions. He really was something. One of my favorite moments in Elvis On Tour is watching Elvis listen to the Stamps sing “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” and you can see a similar joy in his face here as he listens to them.

Other than the interlude that splits it, “How Great Thou Art” is presented in its entirety.

“A Big Hunk O’ Love” | Edit of various performances from March and April 1972 | Some footage previously unseen

A previously unseen rehearsal of “A Big Hunk O’ Love” from March 31, 1972, kicks things off next and a previously unseen live version from his April 14, 1972, concert in Greensboro soon takes over. EPiC stays with this one for awhile. I do wish they had used some footage of Glen Hardin on piano during his solo, as it seems off not to show him then–even if they had to grab it from a different concert or a rehearsal. During the James Burton guitar solo, EPiC moves us over to the familiar version from the Hampton concert, as seen in Elvis On Tour.

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” | August 4, 1970, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” | April 9, 1972 ES, Hampton Roads, Virginia | Footage previously unseen

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” is another song that Elvis owned in 1970. His definitive versions are from that year. EPiC presents only a brief rehearsal snippet of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” from August 4, 1970, before turning to a previously unseen live version from April 9, 1972, in Hampton Roads. It’s a good version, but he did it so much better in 1970. I don’t want to harp on this because the performance for its own sake is perfectly fine. It’s only the comparison to Elvis at his peak that makes it feel disappointing.

“In The Ghetto” | August 13, 1970 DS, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances

“Men With Broken Hearts” | August 11, 1970 MS, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances

“Walk A Mile In My Shoes” | August 11, 1970 MS, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances

One of the most powerful segments of EPiC is up next. It begins with a remix of “In The Ghetto.” The underlying track of the remix is from the RPO version, which uses his 1969 studio audio, so unfortunately it does not sync to his lips in the 1970 live footage as well as it might have. While I do wish they had used Elvis’ actual August 13, 1970 DS vocals as the underlying source for this remix rather than the RPO version, I love the outcome enough to let that go.

EPiC uses the familiar “I’m just an entertainer, and I’d rather not say” comment from Elvis in 1972 at his Madison Square Garden press conference in a brilliant way here by juxtaposing it against “In The Ghetto,” “Men With Broken Hearts,” and “Walk A Mile In My Shoes.” Despite the ever-watchful Parker, Elvis did not always keep his social views to himself. You just had to know where to listen.

“Men With Broken Hearts” serves as a perfect bridge between “In The Ghetto” and “Walk A Mile In My Shoes.” Elvis himself paired “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” in a medley with “In The Ghetto” during his Winter 1970 Vegas engagement, so EPiC honors his instincts here in this segment.

While the August 11, 1970 MS “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” is edited here, it is at least creatively and effectively done. I was actually disappointed they didn’t carry that edit over to the soundtrack, since I already have the full version on other releases.

Watching the incredible “Men With Broken Hearts” and “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” on Elvis: The Lost Performances back in 1992 helped turn me into the obsessive Elvis fan I am today.

“Suspicious Minds” | August 11, 1970 DS, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is – Special Edition

I will get my gripe out of the way first. In an overzealous attempt to tout more “previously unreleased footage,” one of the mistakes of Elvis: That’s The Way It Is – Special Edition was replacing the greatest version of “Suspicious Minds” ever filmed, the August 12, 1970 MS, with the inferior August 11, 1970 DS version.

I was really hoping EPiC would repair this rip in the Elvis history continuum, but, alas, EPiC also uses the August 11, 1970 DS rather than the superior version from the following night.

That out of the way, this version of “Suspicious Minds” is still fantastic. It is slightly edited, but not in an annoying fashion (unlike, say, the horrible editing of the August 12, 1970 MS version in This Is Elvis). “Suspicious Minds” was wonderful to see in the theater. The drums sound like machine guns, reminiscent of 1956’s “Hound Dog.”

Switching over to primarily using footage from the August 12, 1970 DS, there is then an extended drum solo at the end which evidently combines that audio element from multiple shows or loops it. The solo is about seven seconds longer than the actual solo on the August 12, 1970 DS, which was the longest ending drum solo I found among the five versions of “Suspicious Minds” recorded during that engagement.

This brings up another technical item that I do not want to spend too much time on, but the sound of some of the songs, even those that were not formally remixed, has been sweetened in various ways for EPiC, including the drums. I will just say that the approach works for this film, but my go-to versions as a listener will remain the originals. That said, many of the true mashups and remixes from EPiC have earned permanent spots in my Elvis rotation.

Things are winding up now. We pull away from the stage to a party in Elvis’ dressing room after the August 10, 1970 OS. Most if not all of this footage was previously seen in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is – Special Edition. I enjoy seeing Elvis interacting with Sammy Davis, Jr., and Cary Grant. There is then another montage of Elvis kissing and interacting with fans, both onstage and off.

“All My Trials” (from “An American Trilogy”) | April 9, 1972 ES, Hampton Roads, Virginia | Footage previously released in This Is Elvis

We now circle back to “An American Trilogy” in Hampton Roads with “All My Trials” and just a hint of “Dixie” in the flute solo. This is all part of a beautiful new mashup called “Bring The Curtain Down,” which also contains elements of “I’m Yours” and “Are You Lonesome Tonight.” It gives me chills, even after watching and hearing it multiple times.

“Can’t Help Falling In Love” | August 10, 1970 OS, Las Vegas, Nevada | Footage previously unseen

The concert portion of EPiC ends on a high note with a previously unseen and complete version of “Can’t Help Falling In Love” from the August 10, 1970 OS. Elvis looks absolutely worn out. By the close of the engagement on Labor Day, September 7, he will have performed 57 more shows with no days off.

The Las Vegas curtain coming down as the show ends is always so cool. EPiC again shifts between multiple shows here, but for a quick moment you can see Elvis jumping up from his kneeling position while pumping his fist in the air after the curtain closes on the August 12, 1970 MS, which may well have been the best concert of his life.

We then follow Elvis from a different show to the elevator while he talks in voiceover about performing live.

Exhausted, he smiles as he disappears behind the elevator doors. He is gone.

It gets me every time.

There is something so perfect about that moment. Redmond or Luhrmann or whoever thought of it really deserves credit. How many people before them passed on using this footage?

Elvis’ face as the doors shut actually makes me think of a similar exhausted smile at the end of 1977’s Elvis In Concert. A lot changed for Elvis between 1970 and 1977, but he was still at heart the same man trying his best to entertain us.

EPiC has a perfect landing right here.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t land here.

“American David”

Instead, at the end of a movie that did so much to restore Elvis’ voice such that he could finally tell his own story, we get U2’s Bono reciting a portion of his 1995 poem “American David,” which is apparently intended as a tribute to Elvis.

I won’t include any of it here, but it leaves a stain on EPiC that only the sheer power of what came before is able to overcome.

Bono read a portion of his “American David” at the end of another Elvis documentary, 2002’s Elvis Lives, which aired on NBC the same night that network ran a restored version of Loving You (1957). [Elvis Lives is not to be confused with Elvis Lives: The 25th Anniversary Concert, an entirely different project that was taped in 2002 but not released until 2007.]

After the reading of said poem, Elvis asks us, “Do you miss me?” one more time.

The Credits

I don’t remember ever reviewing credits before, but it has to be done with EPiC. For one thing, the two mashups that play over the credits are spectacular – “A Change Of Reality” and “Don’t Fly Away.” “Don’t Fly Away” was also used in ELVIS, but I failed to recognize its masterpiece status back then.

There’s also a bit more footage shown, including some previously unreleased. That portion ends with Elvis’ dressing room door closing to reveal a “No Smoking” sign, which is quite funny since we have just watched people smoking around Elvis almost constantly for the last 95 minutes.

The credits are fun, but they are lacking acknowledgement not only of the original directors of Elvis: That’s The Way It Is and Elvis On Tour, but of the other performers who supported Elvis during those films.

The RPO gets credited on their songs. The remixers get credited on their songs, but most of the original performers besides Elvis receive nothing. The sole exception is “When It’s My Time,” for which Baize and the Stamps are acknowledged. While the actual movie excludes them, the EPiC soundtrack album at least provides credit for the original performers.

EPiC ends where it began, with Elvis saying, “I’d like to talk to you a little bit, ladies and gentlemen, about how I got in this business. There’s been a lot written and a lot said, but never from my side of the story.” Maybe he heard that Bono poem and felt we needed to listen again?

Despite how much I love EPiC, there are two issues that are worthy of changing in future editions of the film, hopefully including the physical media versions coming out later this year.

The most critical change is that the original performers who backed Elvis during Elvis: That’s The Way It Is and Elvis On Tour and the original directors of those movies should be properly credited or, at the very least, acknowledged by name in the “Special Thanks” section.

I don’t know the legalities or politics involved in movie credits, but I do know that Elvis took the time in every show of that era to introduce his fellow performers. In turn, they even supported Elvis in his later years by playing extra long solos during those introductions such that he could take extensive breaks between numbers. They were also credited in the original movies.

The credits of EPiC should be changed because it’s the right thing to do. Without the original performers and creative teams, there is no EPiC.

The second change that should occur is that all of the 1970 footage that was originally filmed for Elvis: That’s The Way It Is should be revised to its correct aspect ratio. I am not going to belabor this point. You either see it or you don’t. I saw the issue in the initial trailers and during my first viewing of the film. I managed to force myself to ignore it due to how fantastic the film is. But why not show the original footage as it was meant to be seen? If it was an artistic choice, then it was a poor one that should be reconsidered and abandoned. If it was a mistake, then it should be fixed.

EPiC is now an important part of the legacy of Elvis Presley. As such, it also has a responsibility to credit those who shared the stage and screen with him as well as to properly preserve and present the footage it uses.

As of now, EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert stands as my third favorite film of all time, behind only Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

Those two have been at or near the top of my list for decades, and recency bias might be helping EPiC.

I’ll let you know in another decade or two if it manages to hold or even gain from that position.

For reference, here is my working breakdown of the 1970 (highlighted in yellow) and 1972 (highlighted in red) performances featured in EPiC.

Song Date Location Footage Status
The Battle Hymn Of The Republic (from “An American Trilogy”) April 9, 1972 ES Hampton Roads Previously released in This Is Elvis
Stranger In The Crowd July 29, 1970 Hollywood Previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is
A Fool Such As I July 29, 1970 Hollywood Previously unseen
What’d I Say July 29, 1970 Hollywood Previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is
I Was The One July 29, 1970 Hollywood Previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances
You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me August 4, 1970 Las Vegas Previously unseen
Ghost Riders In The Sky July 15, 1970 Culver City Previously unseen
Alla En El Rancho Grande July 15, 1970 Culver City Previously unseen
Runaway July 15, 1970 Culver City Previously unseen
Yesterday July 15, 1970 Culver City Previously unseen
Something July 29, 1970 Hollywood Previously unseen
That’s All Right* August 12, 1970 DS Las Vegas Previously unseen
Tiger Man August 12, 1970 MS Las Vegas Previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is
Hound Dog August 11, 1970 MS Las Vegas Previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances
Polk Salad Annie July-August 1970 Various Portions previously unseen
You’ve Lost That Lovin Feelin’ August 11, 1970 MS Las Vegas Previously unseen
Little Sister/Get Back* August 12, 1970 MS Las Vegas Previously unseen
Burning Love March-April 1972 Various Portions previously unseen
Never Been To Spain April 9, 1972 ES Hampton Roads Previously unseen
Love Me April 1972 and August 1970 Various Previously unseen
Twenty Days And Twenty Nights August 7, 1970 Las Vegas Previously unseen
I Can’t Stop Loving You August 11, 1970 DS Las Vegas Previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is – Special Edition
Are You Lonesome Tonight* August 12, 1970 MS Las Vegas Previously released in Elvis Lives: The 25th Anniversary Concert
Always On My Mind March 30, 1972 Hollywood Previously released in This Is Elvis
Are You Lonesome Tonight April 9, 1972 ES Hampton Roads Previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances
Oh Happy Day August 7, 1970 Las Vegas Previously unseen
How Great Thou Art* April 9, 1972 ES Hampton Roads Previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances
I, John April 5, 1972 Buffalo Previously released in Elvis On Tour
Nearer My God To Thee March 31, 1972 Hollywood Previously unseen
A Big Hunk O’ Love March-April 1972 Various Portions previously unseen
Bridge Over Troubled Water August 4, 1970 Las Vegas Previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is
Bridge Over Troubled Water April 9, 1972 ES Hampton Roads Previously unseen
In The Ghetto August 13, 1970 DS Las Vegas Previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances
Men With Broken Hearts August 11, 1970 MS Las Vegas Previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances
Walk A Mile In My Shoes August 11, 1970 MS Las Vegas Previously released in Elvis: The Lost Performances
Suspicious Minds August 11, 1970 DS Las Vegas Previously released in Elvis: That’s The Way It Is – Special Edition
All My Trials (from “An American Trilogy”) April 9, 1972 ES Hampton Roads Previously released in This Is Elvis
Can’t Help Falling In Love* August 10, 1970 OS Las Vegas Previously unseen

* Presented complete in EPiC.

ELVIS RECORDED LIVE ON STAGE IN MEMPHIS Legacy Edition out today, with bonus Richmond concert

/ TY

Before we begin, a reminder that there are less than 13 hours left to lock in your predictions bracket for Elvis Mania 2014. The person with the highest score will receive a Sony Legacy Edition CD of an Elvis title, courtesy of The Mystery Train. See yesterday’s post for more details. [Update: Predictions are now locked.]

* * *

Forty years ago today, on March 18, 1974, Elvis Presley rocked the Richmond Coliseum in Virginia. A live recording of the concert features on the second CD of a new Legacy Edition of Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis, in stores today from Sony.

The first CD features a complete version of the March 20 Memphis concert at the Mid-South Coliseum that RCA first released in an edited form in 1974. Elvis earned his third and final Grammy Award for his performance of “How Great Thou Art” in Memphis on that original 1974 album.

The Follow That Dream collectors label for Elvis fans restored the missing tracks from the Memphis concert and removed unnecessary audience overdubs in a 2004 Classic Albums CD release of the title, including a new mix. The same label also issued the expanded show in vinyl format as a 2-record set last year. This new 2014 Legacy Edition features yet another new mix of the Memphis concert.

The Richmond concert made its debut in 2011’s Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis on the FTD label. This new release features the same mix of the Richmond show as on the 2011 collectors CD.

The Elvis Presley Show crisscrossed back and forth from Virginia to Tennessee on that leg of his tour. Tickets for a March 12 appearance at the Richmond Coliseum sold out so quickly that Elvis’s management re-routed the tour to accommodate a second show there on March 18. Elvis performed four shows in Memphis on March 16 and 17, hit Richmond, Virginia, again on March 18, and then returned to Tennessee for concerts in Murfreesboro and Memphis on March 19 and 20, respectively.

RCA professionally recorded the March 20 Memphis concert for the album project. It is a 16-track recording (audio elements recorded on separate channels) that can be tweaked for optimum sound quality. The Memphis show is presented in stereo.

Though the background story remains mysterious, the March 18 Richmond concert was supposedly captured as a 16-track recording, too. If so, it remains missing from the Sony vaults – lost, stolen, or erased.

The Richmond concert audio source on both the 2011 and 2014 releases is a tape copy of a mono mix-down of the 16-track recording, with artificial reverb applied. In other words, no further changes can be made to the Richmond mix or reverb since the 16-track original is unavailable.

While Elvis’s sound engineers often made informal reference tapes of his shows from the soundboard mixing console, the Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis liner notes in 2011 only speculated about why RCA apparently recorded the Richmond concert in multitrack. The 2014 Legacy Edition refers to the Richmond show as a “test run concert” for the subsequent Memphis recording.

Five selections from an August 16, 1974, rehearsal at RCA Hollywood for an upcoming Las Vegas engagement round out the second CD of the release. Captured on a personal cassette recorder, the rehearsals are in comparatively poor sound quality. The five tracks were among twenty from the rehearsal included as part of the 2009 FTD release From Sunset To Las Vegas.

In addition to participating retail stores, the 2014 Legacy Edition of Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis is also available from Amazon and other online outlets.

ELVIS RECORDED LIVE ON STAGE IN MEMPHIS (2014 Legacy Edition)

ELVIS RECORDED LIVE ON STAGE IN MEMPHIS (2014 Legacy Edition)

Tracks

Disc One

Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis, March 20, 1974
01. Also Sprach Zarathustra/
02. See See Rider
03. I Got A Woman/Amen
04. Love Me
05. Tryin’ To Get To You
06. All Shook Up
07. Steamroller Blues
08. Teddy Bear/Don’t Be Cruel
09. Love Me Tender
10. Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On/Your Mama Don’t Dance/Flip, Flop & Fly/Jailhouse Rock/Hound Dog
11. Fever
12. Polk Salad Annie
13. Why Me Lord
14. How Great Thou Art
15. Suspicious Minds
16. Introductions By Elvis
17. Blueberry Hill/I Can’t Stop Loving You
18. Help Me
19. An American Trilogy
20. Let Me Be There
21. My Baby Left Me
22. Lawdy, Miss Clawdy
23. Funny How Time Slips Away
24. Can’t Help Falling In Love/
25. Closing Vamp

Disc Two

Recorded Live At The Coliseum, Richmond, March 18, 1974
01. Also Sprach Zarathustra/
02. See See Rider
03. I Got A Woman/Amen [edited with Memphis, March 20, 1974]
04. Love Me
05. Tryin’ To Get To You
06. All Shook Up
07. Steamroller Blues
08. Teddy Bear/Don’t Be Cruel
09. Love Me Tender
10. Long Tall Sally/Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On/Your Mama Don’t Dance/Flip, Flop & Fly/Jailhouse Rock/Hound Dog
11. Fever
12. Polk Salad Annie
13. Why Me Lord
14. Suspicious Minds
15. Introductions By Elvis
16. I Can’t Stop Loving You
17. Help Me
18. An American Trilogy
19. Let Me Be There
20. Funny How Time Slips Away
21. Can’t Help Falling In Love/
22. Closing Vamp

The August 1974 RCA Rehearsals
23. Down In The Alley
24. Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues
25. Softly, As I Leave You
26. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
27. The Twelfth Of Never

ELVIS RECORDED LIVE ON STAGE IN MEMPHIS Legacy Edition to include Richmond, Virginia concert

/ TY / 4 Comments
ELVIS RECORDED LIVE ON STAGE IN MEMPHIS (2014 Legacy Edition)

ELVIS RECORDED LIVE ON STAGE IN MEMPHIS (2014 Legacy Edition)

One of my favorite CD releases on the Follow That Dream collectors label for Elvis Presley fans is 2011’s Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis, which captures a March 18, 1974, concert that Elvis performed at the Richmond Coliseum in Virginia.

The confusing album title reflects that Elvis closed out his tour two days after the Richmond concert with a show in Memphis at the Mid-South Coliseum, portions of which became the 1974 album Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis. Elvis earned his third and final Grammy Award for his stellar performance of “How Great Thou Art” in Memphis on the original 1974 album.

The link between the two shows continues, for Sony announced last week that it will reissue the Richmond concert on the second disc of a Legacy Edition of Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis. While the FTD collectors label has very limited distribution, this new 2-CD release on the main Sony label hits mainstream retail stores on March 18, the 40th anniversary of the Richmond concert. Amazon and other outlets are accepting pre-orders now.

The Elvis Presley Show crisscrossed back and forth from Virginia to Tennessee on that leg of his tour. Tickets for his March 12 appearance at the Richmond Coliseum sold out so quickly that the tour was re-routed to accommodate a second show there on March 18. Elvis performed four shows in Memphis on March 16 and 17, hit Richmond, Virginia, again on March 18, and then returned to Tennessee for concerts in Murfreesboro and Memphis on March 19 and 20, respectively.

Elvis Presley's March 1974 tour schedule (partial)

Elvis Presley’s March 1974 tour schedule (partial)

For space considerations on the original LP, RCA edited several songs out of the March 20 Memphis concert for the 1-record release in July 1974. The album also featured overdubbed audience reactions that detracted from the sound quality. FTD restored the missing tracks and removed the unnecessary overdubs in a 2004 Classic Albums CD release of the concert, including a new mix. The same label also issued the expanded show in vinyl format as a 2-record set last year.

It turned out that RCA chose well in 1974 which performances to use on the original record, though. The performance quality of many of the excised songs was underwhelming, with the exception of a fine rendition of “Steamroller Blues,” first released on Platinum: A Life In Music over two decades later. The energetic Memphis version was superior to his live recording of the song in Hawaii that served as a single in 1973.

This new Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis Legacy Edition will also include the previously omitted songs, but whether a new or an existing mix will be featured is unclear.

In fact, Sony’s press release for this album is riddled with errors, an issue far too common these days in the marketing of Elvis music releases, so it is difficult to trust any of its statements. For that reason, I am not even including Sony’s alleged track listing at this point. Suffice it for now to say that Disc 1 will contain the Memphis show, while Disc 2 will contain the Richmond show and some low-fidelity bonus tracks recorded on a personal cassette player of Elvis rehearsing a few months later for yet another Las Vegas stint.

RCA professionally recorded the March 20 Memphis concert for the album project. It is a 16-track recording (audio elements recorded on separate channels) that can be tweaked for optimum sound quality. Though I enjoyed the 2004 FTD mix over the original 1974 version, another new mix could be revealing. The Memphis show is presented in stereo.

Though the background story remains mysterious, the March 18 Richmond concert was supposedly captured as a 16-track recording, too. If so, it remains missing from the Sony vaults – lost, stolen, or erased.

The Richmond concert audio source on both the 2011 and 2014 releases is a tape copy of a mono mix-down of the 16-track recording, with artificial reverb applied. In other words, no further changes can be made to the Richmond mix or reverb since the 16-track original is unavailable. The Richmond concert is not likely to sound very different from Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis on this reissue, if at all.

While Elvis’s sound engineers often made informal reference tapes of his shows from the soundboard mixing console, the Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis liner notes in 2011 only speculated about why RCA apparently recorded the Richmond concert in multitrack.

However, the 2014 Sony press release refers to the Richmond show as a “test run concert” for the subsequent Memphis recording. Some have theorized that the test copy is in mono due to Elvis’s preference for that format over stereo, though his previous live albums had been stereo releases. Perhaps the accompanying Legacy Edition booklet will reveal new information.

Elvis at the Richmond Coliseum, March 18, 1974 (FTD)

Elvis at the Richmond Coliseum, March 18, 1974 (FTD)

In the years leading up to 1974, many of Elvis’s concerts were superior to this particular show in Richmond. However, as with the Memphis show, the fun concert features Elvis in a fantastic mood interacting with fans. Music highlights in Richmond include “Steamroller Blues,” “Polk Salad Annie,” and “Suspicious Minds.”

Over the course of 21 years, Elvis performed 15 concerts in Richmond. The 14th of these shows was captured on Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis and, from what I have read, this was Elvis’s last great concert in Richmond. He performed in Richmond one final time in 1976, but, by that point, his rising prescription drug addiction and abuse had diminished the power of his shows. Therefore, I consider the March 18, 1974, appearance to be Elvis’s true “last hurrah” in Richmond.

Legacy Questions

I am looking forward to the reissues of both the Richmond and Memphis concerts. Despite my personal enthusiasm as an Elvis fan, I find myself wondering whether these two concerts are appropriate choices for mainstream release in 2014.

I fear that the repetitive nature of these shows compared to other recent Sony releases will use up some of the goodwill shown by music critics in reviews of Elvis At Stax, Prince From Another Planet, and certain other titles released in the last few years.

Will mainstream critics and listeners understand Elvis’s sense of humor? For instance, will some misinterpret his joke in Richmond about it being a pleasure to be back in Hampton Roads as an out-of-it singer not knowing which town he was playing?

By following up 2012’s As Recorded At Madison Square Garden reissue with 2013’s Aloha From Hawaii via Satellite reissue and now 2014’s Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis reissue, is Sony simply committing the same release blunders in the 2010s that RCA made in the 1970s? Has locking into an “anniversary” theme for release choices doomed them to repeat history’s mistakes going forward?

Keep in mind that the 40th anniversary of Having Fun With Elvis On Stage is later this year as well.

From 1956 to 2012: Follow Elvis’ journey through Richmond

/ TY / 10 Comments

Despite his enduring popularity, Elvis Presley is rarely given his due as an artist. Though this has improved considerably over the last ten to twenty years, the general public still tends to latch on to things like wacky souvenirs, bad impersonators, and “alive” hoaxes.

My favorite Elvis writer of late has been Sheila O’Malley of the Sheila Variations blog. With a fresh voice, she presents new perspectives on Elvis the artist. Rarely fluff pieces like you might see on other blogs (including this one), Sheila’s posts tend to be demanding reads. Invest the time and there are always insightful payoffs.

I discovered the Sheila Variations not through Elvis but through baseball. A few years ago, I was writing a post about baseball movies for my now-extinct pop culture blog. One of my favorites is Field Of Dreams, adapted from W.P. Kinsella’s Shoeless Joe. While researching the film, I came across Sheila’s blog and a number of extremely helpful posts.

When I find a new blog I love, I tend to search it for other topics of interest. Though it was only one post, I was delighted to find a reference to Elvis there as well. The 2005 post promised of more to come, eventually. “I’ll know when I’m ready,” she said at the time.

I bookmarked the blog and checked it every now and then. Always finding something to enjoy while patiently waiting for the topic of Elvis to return. It took over six years for Sheila to know she was ready to write about Elvis, but when she was, the resulting series of Elvis Essays that began last August 16 and continue to this day have been nothing short of astounding. I’m hoping that she will eventually compile her observations into a book, a documentary, a multi-media experience, or all of the above.

I was quite happy, therefore, when Sheila last month posted a short preview of a future Elvis post centered around Richmond, Virginia. Inspired by the excellent “In Search Of Elvis In Richmond, VA” posts on the Smithsonian’s Elvis At Twenty One blog, Sheila took a road trip from New Jersey to visit some of Richmond’s Elvis sites in person – as well as take in the Elvis At 21 exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This turned out not to result in just one post, but four.

The Sheila Variations: The Richmond Saga

Part I June 30, 1956: Elvis Presley in Richmond, Virginia – Moment By Moment

Part II The Jefferson Hotel

Part III The Mosque and The Monuments

Part IV The Train Station, the Water Tower, and “Elvis at 21″ at VMFA

Sometimes, I’ll read something and think, “I wish I had written that.” This is definitely one of those times.
The Sheila Variations
My favorite random moments:

  • “I showed the really nice guy at the front desk the things I wanted to see. […] I asked him if it was ‘walkable’. He said, ‘Oh, no. It’s about two miles.’ Just one of the many cultural differences between living in NYC and living somewhere else which is more of a car culture.” (from Richmond Snapshots)
  • “Peter Guralnick, in his introduction to his second volume of Elvis’ biography, says that the years from 1958 until 1977 were all about ‘the disappearance’ of Elvis Presley, a sentiment I disagree with entirely. He did not disappear. He was always there. It’s just we didn’t get to see him anymore, unless we went to the movies, or, in the 70s, saw him in concert. […] I know Guralnick means “disappeared” on another level, but I disagree with THAT level as well. How you can say that someone who put out the two gospel albums he did in the 60s […] disappeared is a mystery to me. How you can feel he disappeared when you consider his record-breaking appearances in Vegas [and] at Madison Square Garden, the albums from the 70s, especially Promised Land […] the continued innovation in his music, the continued personal aspect of it […] The nerve of that Elvis guy to follow his own path.” (from Part I) [This segment, which should be read in context in its entirety in the original post for full effect, literally left me wanting to cheer. –Ty]
  • “The Jefferson Hotel certainly isn’t hurting for customers, but they do say on their website: ‘Stay where Elvis stayed!'” (from Part II)
  • “New York often doesn’t honor its history, architecturally anyway. I never even saw the original Penn Station, but it is like a wound in my soul to think of what was torn down. […] But there the Mosque stands, now called The Landmark, with a giant Lion King banner, and the ghosts of Duke Ellington and Ethel Barrymore and Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley literally shimmering in the foreground.” (from Part III)
  • “What would Elvis at 21, strolling down that hallway, have thought if he knew that one day an entire exhibit devoted to his time in Richmond would be on display at the Museum there? It’s all so strange. And beautiful. And perfect. Elvis couldn’t know, he couldn’t predict. He could just believe in himself, and keep launching himself out there into the spotlight. That is what he did.” (from Part IV)

* * *

Today was the final day of the Elvis At 21 exhibition here in Richmond. Though I regret not being able to make it out to see photographer Alfred Wertheimer when he visited the museum for an Elvis panel discussion in January, I did at least have the opportunity to take in the exhibition one more time a couple weekends back.

For my return visit, I brought along my Mom, who became an Elvis fan in 1956. It was nice to walk through the exhibit without having to worry about writing a review this time. We followed the museum visit up by watching Elvis ’56 and my Mom’s all-time favorite, Aloha From Hawaii. It was a perfect day.

Elvis At 21 is not over, though. The tour continues at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas, starting April 7 (more info here).

From an art museum to a Presidential library . . . maybe Elvis really is starting to get his due.

Presley wins clash of cultures in Elvis At 21

/ TY / 10 Comments

There are over 23,000 works of art in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, spanning some 5,000 years. There is so much to see there, in fact, that it cannot be adequately covered in a single day.

Yesterday, though, my mission was to explore only 56 of those works, all created just over 55 years ago. In VMFA time, 55 years is but a second.

The traveling Elvis At 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer exhibition covers March 17, 1956, and June 30 through July 4, 1956, in the life of Elvis Presley. The images capture the young singer on the brink of fame, in the midst of a nation on the brink of change.

By March 17, “Heartbreak Hotel” is at number 15 and still rising on Billboard‘s sales chart. That evening, Elvis is to make his fifth of six appearances on Jackie Gleason’s Stage Show – a CBS variety program hosted by Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Initially hired by RCA to take publicity photos, Alfred Wertheimer is along with Elvis in New York City.

Entering The Warwick shows Elvis in a moment of freedom between rehearsals and the actual show. On the sidewalk, he is alone, unrecognized, unbothered – making it one of the exhibition’s most striking photographs.

Later, in his hotel room, Elvis reads fan mail and then rips it to shreds, according to one of the exhibition notes accompanying the photos. Wertheimer asks him why. “I’m not going to carry them with me. I’ve read them and seen what’s in them. It’s nobody else’s business,” Elvis tells him.

With Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and DJ Fontana behind him, he performs “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Heartbreak Hotel” on television that night. Though Wertheimer’s images are stills, there is no doubt that Elvis is very much in motion. In Jump, his feet are not even touching the ground.

When Elvis arrives in Richmond, Virginia, 15 weeks later for two concerts at the Mosque Theater (now the Landmark Theater) on June 30, his life is already changing.

He has made a final appearance on Stage Show and appeared twice on The Milton Berle Show. The second Berle appearance has proven controversial, due to his exaggerated hip movements on “Hound Dog” – a song only recently added to his stage act. In that brief time, he has also given over 85 concerts in tours criss-crossing the country (including two other shows at the Mosque on March 22). He has even cut a new record, “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You.” “Heartbreak Hotel” has now sold a million copies and hit number one. After a series of screen tests in Hollywood, he has been signed to a multi-movie deal. Production has not yet begun on his first film. Elvis does not plan to sing in his movies.

Most Elvis fans have seen Wertheimer’s images at least a dozen times over. It is striking, though, to see them within the context of an art museum. Who in 1956 would have ever believed Elvis would end up here? The prints vary in size, are framed in black, and fill two small halls. The exhibition is crowded with people, but there is plenty of time to examine each picture. Visitors talk softly to each other. In the background, though, I can hear that unmistakable voice:

“Welll, since my baby left me…well, I found a new place to dwell…well, it’s down at the end of Lonely Street…”

It’s true that I have seen these pictures before, but there is always something new. For instance, until this exhibition pointed it out, I never noticed in the image Elvis Leaving Richmond Train Station (AKA Elvis Did Have A Pelvis) that he is actually carrying and playing a portable radio as he walks out of Richmond’s Broad Street Station (now the Science Museum of Virginia).

Elvis Leaving Richmond Train Station (Detail)

Elvis Leaving Richmond Train Station (Detail): Elvis went to Richmond for two shows at the Mosque Theater. Getting off the train, he turned on his RCA portable radio. Richmond, Virginia, June 30, 1956 © Alfred Wertheimer. All rights reserved. Original image courtesy of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Used with permission.

Several other Richmond images are included, including two at the Jefferson Hotel and six backstage at the Mosque. Of the Richmond images presented, one stands out among the rest. It is Elvis on stage in the magnificent Kneeling At The Mosque – used as the (unfortunately colorized) cover for the Close Up boxed set, among other projects.

After the welcome detour to Richmond, it is back to New York, this time for the Steve Allen Show. Wertheimer captures rehearsals for Elvis’ July 1 appearance.

“I went to the Steve Allen Show,” Elvis recalled in 1969. “They were going to tame me down, so they told me to stand still. They had me dressed in a tuxedo and singing to a dog on a stool.”

Much worse than singing to a dog, though, Elvis is also forced to perform with Allen in a “Range Round-up” skit. Andy Griffith and Imogene Coco also appear during the nearly unwatchable Western parody. “Allen signified his own importance by wearing the biggest white hat,” states Wertheimer in a note accompanying one of the rehearsal photos.

Allen’s attempts to embarrass Elvis and put the singer in his place, of course, have the opposite effects. The legend of Elvis only grows.

The next day, July 2, he records 31 grueling takes of “Hound Dog” and 28 more of “Don’t Be Cruel” at RCA’s New York studio. The single would prove to be one of his most popular. Included in the exhibition is RCA Victor Studio I, a shot of Elvis rehearsing “Hound Dog” with his band and the Jordanaires. It is literally history in the making.

Elvis Screams is a Wertheimer photo that has always jumped out at me. I’m pretty sure the first time I saw it was back in the 1980s on the old Cinemax documentary Elvis ’56. The shot goes by quickly, as part of a montage. At the time, I thought the documentary producers had made a glaring error.

To me, the photo looks for all the world like an image of Elvis singing in the 1970-1973 era. It is not often that a 1956 image of Elvis can be confused with one from 1973, yet the only mistake was, of course, mine. According to Wertheimer, the image captures the moment that Elvis accepted take 31 of “Hound Dog.” I still find it fascinating, because my eyes still see the “Aloha” Elvis in this image, despite what my brain tells me.

Another series of images are striking. Elvis returns to Memphis after the “Hound Dog” recording session and departs the train on July 4. He walks alone through a field and then down a sidewalk. No bodyguards, no hanger-ons, no fans. Just Elvis.

The impression is not completely “normal,” however, He has just left the train from a multiple-day trip. He holds only his acetates of “Hound Dog,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” and “Any Way You Want Me” from the recording session. No bags or other luggage in sight.

Next, we see Elvis with his father (Vernon looks positively annoyed with Wertheimer, with a “back off” look) and then with his mother. He has just moved them into a new home. Not Graceland, which is still a year away.

One of the largest images in the exhibition, Elvis plays the rebel on his Harley in No Gas In The Tank – an image which inspired one of my favorite album covers, Return of the Rocker. Surely, there is a best-selling poster to be made here.

Finally, the photo exhibition concludes with images of Elvis on stage that same night at Russwood Park in Memphis. The image that stands out most to me from the entire exhibition, perhaps because it is one I do not recall seeing before, is Elvis Onstage: Russwood. As far as the eye can see are fans. Scotty Moore is picking away on guitar, and Elvis is turning around with a look of intense joy back at the crowd behind them. You can hear the screams. You can hear the music.

“He would listen respectfully backstage to criticism from agents that wanted him to contain his movements on stage. But once Elvis got on stage, he always did it his way. He really did it his way,” states Wertheimer. His text narrative throughout the exhibition is interesting, for it reveals what the photographer thought of his subject and those around him.

It could be argued that Wertheimer spent more time with and was allowed greater access to Elvis than any other “outsider.” For all of their spectacular moments, for instance, the 1970s documentaries That’s The Way It Is and Elvis On Tour are but illusions in terms of revelations about Elvis beyond his music.

Here, in 1956, Wertheimer is able to capture everything with his lens. No one would ever get this close to the real man again. That is what makes the Elvis At 21 collection and Wertheimer’s many other Elvis photographs significant.

* * *

Feeling almost like an afterthought, though at least providing an appropriate soundtrack that can be heard throughout the experience, there is a little television and bench in the exit alcove at the end of the exhibition. The short video, licensed by Jackie Gleason Enterprises for Elvis At 21, features three complete performances of Elvis on Stage Show:

  • “I Got A Woman” (January 28, 1956)
  • “Blue Suede Shoes” (February 11, 1956)
  • “Heartbreak Hotel” (February 11, 1956)

The audio and video of the performances breathe additional life into the Wertheimer photos just witnessed.

Elvis At 21 is a simple exhibition, and that is all that is required. The works and the subject stand alone. The short video, though, leads me to wonder about the possibilities of future Elvis exhibitions benefitting from complete audio-visual integration.

* * *

I am an American, so I must admit that I looked forward to seeing what Elvis items would be available in VMFA’s gift shop almost as much as I did seeing the exhibition itself.

As we all know, Elvis merchandise can range from the sublime to the chintzy. Fortunately, most of what VMFA had to offer was closer to the former category. No Elvis potato heads, thankfully. I picked up Elvis 1956: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer (2009), a terrific hardcover that presents all of the photos and information from the exhibition.

I also splurged on Elvis At 21: New York To Memphis by Alfred Wertheimer (2006), a massive, coffee-table sized volume that explores even more of his photographs.

Jerry Hopkins’ consolidated Elvis biography and Sonny West’s Still Taking Care Of Business were available there as well, as were some lesser titles. Anachronistic considering the theme of the exhibition, the omnipresent aviator-style Elvis sunglasses that he wore in the 1970s were also available – in both gold and silver plastic, of course. There was even a stuffed “Steve Allen” style hound dog. For this occasion, I stuck with the Wertheimer books.

* * *

For anyone who is ever near Richmond, Virginia, I can always recommend the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. If you are an Elvis fan, though, then you really should try to make it out while this exhibition is still there. Elvis At 21 will be available through March 18, 2012. Museum admission is always free, while tickets for the exhibition are $8 for adults and $6 for seniors, students, and youths. There is no charge for museum members.

Richmond TV station debuts unseen Elvis photo from 1955

/ TY / 4 Comments

Greg McQuade at CBS 6 News in Richmond, Virginia, has helped unearth a previously unseen photo of Elvis.

“Sylvia Brendle was a high school junior when she snapped a never-before-seen picture of Elvis at the Mosque in May of 1955,” McQuade states (“Elvis fan shares unseen photo as new exhibit opens at VMFA” — wtvr.com).

The photo is significant to Richmond fans in particular because the May 16, 1955, concert at the Mosque was the first time Elvis appeared here in Richmond. The singer was still on the SUN Records label at the time. Just six months later, he would sign with RCA Records and soon go from being a regional star to an international one.

CBS 6: Elvis At The Mosque, Richmond, Virginia, 1955

Also covered in McQuade’s story is the Elvis At 21 exhibition at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibition features legendary photos of Elvis snapped by photographer Alfred Wertheimer, including several of Elvis in Richmond in June 1956.

Elvis eventually did 15 shows in Richmond, the last one in 1976.

Elvis arrives in Richmond, Virginia

/ TY
Elvis Inside Taxi (Detail)

Inside Taxi (Detail): In the back of a local cab, Elvis is about to leave for the Jefferson Hotel. He has two performances at the Mosque Theater that afternoon and evening. Richmond, Virginia, June 30, 1956 © Alfred Wertheimer. All rights reserved.

Elvis is back in Richmond, Virginia. This time, he’s not staying at the Jefferson Hotel or the John Marshall Hotel. Instead, he’s checked in at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

The Elvis At 21 exhibition, featuring 56 legendary photographs of Elvis by Alfred Wertheimer opened today at the VMFA in a special sneak preview for members-only. The exhibition opens tomorrow to the general public and remains at the museum through March 18, 2012.

While museum admission is always free, tickets for the exhibition are $8 for adults and $6 for seniors, students, and youths. There is no charge for museum members.

On Christmas Day only, entry to the Elvis At 21 exhibition will be free to everyone, states Alex Nyerges, museum director, in the latest issue of My VMFA magazine. “(This) is our gift to those who come here on Christmas,” he says.

Check out Elvis.com’s “Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to Host Elvis at 21 Exhibit” article for more information.

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Original image courtesy of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Used with permission.