Aloha From Hawaii - Elvis Presley

When Elvis finished his 'movie career' he decided that he needed to perform in concert again. He felt that he had lost touch with his fans and needed to get back to what was important, making music. This came in the form of the 1968 comeback special which was a huge success. He performed to a small informal audience with his original band members looking oh so sexy in black leather sang his classics and talked about his life and chatted with his ...
.../> He then became a headliner again in Las Vegas and was determined to leave the movies behind him and perform to live audiences again. He was filmed in 1970 rehearsing and preparing for stage performances the footage was made into a documentary movie called 'That's the way it is' and people began to realise just what they had been missing when Elvis was away making the movies that he had been contracted to complete.

By 1973 Elvis's ... more

When Elvis finished his 'movie career' he decided that he needed to perform in concert again. He felt that he had lost touch with his fans and needed to get back to what was important, making music. This came in the form of the 1968 comeback special which was a huge success. He performed to a small informal audience with his original band members looking oh so sexy in black leather sang his classics and talked about his life and chatted with his band members and cracked jokes. Elvis was back.

He then became a headliner again in Las Vegas and was determined to leave the movies behind him and perform to live audiences again. He was filmed in 1970 rehearsing and preparing for stage performances the footage was made into a documentary movie called 'That's the way it is' and people began to realise just what they had been missing when Elvis was away making the movies that he had been contracted to complete.

By 1973 Elvis's popularity was reaching new heights and he was asked to perform in a charity concert in Hawaii. The concert named 'Aloha from Hawaii' was performed in front of a packed audience and beamed out by satellite to billions of homes worldwide on January 14th 1973.(The concert actually received more viewings than Neil Armstrong's moon landing.) Elvis had already started wearing his famous white stage costumes which he is usually remembered for,but usually as fat and unattractive in a tight white suit, sorry none of that, Elvis was looking good. The white suit that he wore is remembered by fans as the 'Eagle Suit' and he also wore a matching cape. At this time he also had his personal problems, he had seperated from his wife Priscilla and his health problems were just beginning, but none of that showed as Elvis sang one of the greatest live performances of his career.

The concert was broadcast to over 30 countries and broke all viewing records in the far east and as far as australia. Unfortunatley, this was to be the last Elvis television special to be ever be broadcast as Elvis passed away only four years later on 16th August 1977.

This concert was so different from his 1968 comeback special as the concert was pure music. Elvis didn't chat as he usually did, he concentated on entertaining the enormous viewing audience with his amazing voice(no pressure !!)

He perfomed his classic songs with passion, the up tempo 'burning love' which focuses on the deeper side of love. This song was released in 1972 and was his biggest 70's hit in the US, 'suspicious minds', another love song about lack of trust, Elvis felt strongly about these songs as he was still hurt by Priscilla and was devastated when she left him for another man .He also included one of his early hits 'hound dog' which he recorded in 1956 when he was just starting out. He also performed his own unique powerful versions of other artist's songs, the sad but beautiful 'you gave me a mountain' about a man and his struggle to find a place in life, the Frank Sinatra hit 'my way' which everyone knows the words to , and the poignant 'I'll remember you' which seems fitting as the world will always remember Elvis. The magnificent and patriotic 'American Trilogy'closed the performance. What a way to end as Elvis sings of his love for his country and immortality . To me it is not really about which songs he sang it is about the way he sings them in his own unique style with his love for music that shines out. The songs have feelings and can reach out and touch you as he sings them so well.

Elvis also paid his tribute to Hawaii by performing some of the songs that were included in the soundtrack of his movie 'Blue Hawaii', which he made in Hawaii in the early 1960's. The beautiful 'Hawaiian wedding song' and the title track 'Blue Hawaii'.

I believe that Elvis was the greatest live performer. The songs that he sang in Hawaii in 1973 still contain the same magic now as they did then. Watch the concert now and the passion and love for music that Elvis possessed is clear to see. This concert was ground breaking and was the first of it's kind to be globally broadcast by satellite and I don't think ever will again.  

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