Elvis : The Lost Performances

Elvis : The Los Performances  The DVD really shines. The Las Vegas performances in 1970 capture Elvis at his most vibrant. He had rediscovered live performance only two years earlier and was still reveling in the power that he held over his audience. The highlights are a medley of ‘Daddy Don’t Cry’ and ‘In the Ghetto’, two songs that are inevitably overlooked in later years. Then we have live performances from the ‘Elvis on Tour’ 1972 documentary, outtakes from which make up the second half of this presentation. I actually prefer this to ‘That’s The Way It Is’ as it focuses’ on the songs Elvis did best. But it is a classic. Do you remember when you first saw this on video back in the 1990s? Now today it has lost none of its appeal.

Sandwiched in between these two ‘sets’ is rehearsal footage for the Vegas shows. Elvis plays guitar, (really!!!) and leads the central elements of his backing band, James Burton, Ronnie Tutt, Jerry Scheff and Charlie Hodge, through some early classics such as ‘Don’t’. Elvis just starts to play what he wants and it’s up to the rest of the band to pick it up and follow. Fascinating stuff.