September 2nd 1974 Closing Show

Its highly embarrassing how he carried on that night and to a lesser extent the previous nights midnight show...if he'd just left it at the statement' that all the stuff you read in movie magazines is all Junk'... and stopped their- that would have been 'ok' but he went way over the top for pretty much ALL of his 'behavior'-cars,karate etc shows,.....all through September 1974. very sad time for being an Elvis Fan

I agree and its wierd because from December '73 up til August '74 opening night Elvis had done a really good job at getting himself healthy again, solid shows, his weight was really good and then something after opening night happened i don't know...doctors , the rumored luke warm mediocre response the audience gave him opening night for all the new songs I'm not sure but something triggered a fast decline, that lasted til what his Birthday in 1975?

There was something wrong ON opening night. Elvis's speaking voice is very different to, say, Memphis from a few months earlier. Elvis went into the season a mess, and slowly got worse. That opening night performance is not one of Presley's best efforts, despite the change in material that we as fans like and appreciate. But there were the comments about "play around you lose your wife" (already done that), "play too long you lose your life" (almost did that even). That's not the onstage behaviour of someone who is well and "normal".

He was being honest though!

Yeah but being 'honest' in that kind of manner in PUBLIC is NOT a good idea at all!~

You had to be there. None of it came across in reality as people seem to imagine. I'm not the only person to have made this observation of course.

You had to be there. None of it came across in reality as people seem to imagine. I'm not the only person to have made this observation of course.

Exactly. We are listening to this audio with the knowledge that he indeed had a drug problem but those in attendance didn't know that so it didn't come across as drug induced. I saw Dean Martin in Vegas when he complained about the movie magazines from the stage and said that everything they write about him is false so it's all in the context it's heard.

Did Dean threaten to break necks and pull tongues out? Did he call them sons of bitches?

If so, that's a tape I'd like to hear.

Did Dean threaten to break necks and pull tongues out? Did he call them sons of bitches?

Not sure.

But this man run riot at his last Vegas engagement.

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Did Dean threaten to break necks and pull tongues out? Did he call them sons of bitches?

If so, that's a tape I'd like to hear.

I will say this, you don't want to do that at every show, because then everyone would expect it.
You got to please your audience.

Did Dean threaten to break necks and pull tongues out? Did he call them sons of bitches?

If so, that's a tape I'd like to hear.

Can't remember his exact words but he did cuss and said something like, "Don't buy or read that filth or garbage". He got big applause from the audience. Probably a speech he was making at each show during that particular run. He was always in the movie magazines as well.

Like I said, Elvis's outburst was reported favorably at the time because he was seen as striking back at the rags that had hounded him for years. May Mann did a big piece about it in one of the legitimate magazines and I think Rona Barrett reported favorably on it as well. I used to buy all those mags as a kid, mainly for the pictures of Elvis.

Don't forget Elvis fans such as Anne E.Nixon have said many times that they thoroughly enjoyed the show and that they thought it was an extremely 'entertaining show'~!

Some people also thought Omaha '77 was an extremely entertaining show.

Some people even get enjoyment out of seeing a train wreck.

Its highly embarressing how he carried on that night and to a lesser extent the previous nights midnight show...if he'd just left it at the statement' that all the stuff you read in movie magazines is all Junk'... and stopped their- that would have been 'ok' but he went way over the top for pretty much ALL of his 'behavour'-cars,karate etc shows,.....all through September 1974. very sad time for being an Elvis Fan

To me, the worst part of that evening wasn't his "drug speech" but his carrying on with Priscilla... that stuff had to be embarrassing for everyone present...

Yeah. Like when he's singing "It's Midnight" and in the middle of the song he says, "Listen Cilla" and goes into:

"Where is all my self-control? I'm burning way down in my soul and needing you. Wishing I could be the man I try to. Hating me for wanting to be with you. Knowing you don't love me like you used to. But it's midnight and I miss you".

Obviously singing directly to her, you know. All with Sheila Ryan sitting in the same booth with Priscilla. I'm sure that wasn't awkward at all.

Its highly embarressing how he carried on that night and to a lesser extent the previous nights midnight show...if he'd just left it at the statement' that all the stuff you read in movie magazines is all Junk'... and stopped their- that would have been 'ok' but he went way over the top for pretty much ALL of his 'behavour'-cars,karate etc shows,.....all through September 1974. very sad time for being an Elvis Fan

To me, the worst part of that evening wasn't his "drug speech" but his carrying on with Priscilla... that stuff had to be embarrassing for everyone present...

Yeah. Like when he's singing "It's Midnight" and in the middle of the song he says, "Listen Cilla" and goes into:

"Where is all my self-control? I'm burning way down in my soul and needing you. Wishing I could be the man I try to. Hating me for wanting to be with you. Knowing you don't love me like you used to. But it's midnight and I miss you".

Obviously singing directly to her, you know. All with Sheila Ryan sitting in the same booth with Priscilla. I'm sure that wasn't awkward at all.

"She took my reason FOR LIVING!"

You had to be there. None of it came across in reality as people seem to imagine. I'm not the only person to have made this observation of course.

Exactly. We are listening to this audio with the knowledge that he indeed had a drug problem but those in attendance didn't know that so it didn't come across as drug induced.

Please.

Beyond the talking which we can go on about for 10 pages, I have to say that musically the summer 1974 Vegas gig was very strong. Better set the whole way through really, and the shows varied a lot more. It wasn't up to 1970 or 1972, but I feel the best music heard from Elvis on stage from Aloha on was this gig and the 1973 tours.

Yes when he 'just sang' he was 'good' but when he talked he boardered on 'boring the audience with Karate' or the Liberace 'rings' dialogue or the drug denial rants..... so he performed much MUCH better when he just kept to singing.!~

You had to be there. None of it came across in reality as people seem to imagine. I'm not the only person to have made this observation of course.

Exactly. We are listening to this audio with the knowledge that he indeed had a drug problem but those in attendance didn't know that so it didn't come across as drug induced.

Please.

No Please. He sounds angry not high or stoned. People hear what they expect to hear. We listen to it now and think of the drugs because we know about it but I bet if your heard it in 1974 you wouldn't have come to that conclusion.

To me Elvis sounds out of control. If I wouldn't know about his drug problem, I'd be guessing he might have had a drink too many. Even his singing is not up to his usual level. He shouts more than he sings and his voice lacks all the beauty it used to have. He made a total fool of himself that night!

I love the show, listen to it quite often. I dont have a problem of elvis speaking his mind, and wanting to talk about karate.
Next to that elvis did quite some good songs in the show to. and It's Midnight for cilla is beautiful and heartbreaking.... he WAS missing her.
Same goes for You Gave Me a Mountain. She took his reason for living

Same goes for You Gave Me a Mountain. She took his reason for living

She did no such a thing.

Elvis had no small baby boy.

He wasn't out of control. He changed from apparent anger to the tenderness of the Hawaiian Wedding Song as if he was turning a switch on and off. He had prepared his show of anger, he was going to shake people up on purpose, thus he did it more than once in successive shows. This is not uncharacteristic Elvis strategy, as we know - many examples throughout his general biography. You had to be there to see how he was, to see his face and intentions, which you can't get from the CDs.

Same goes for You Gave Me a Mountain. She took his reason for living

She did no such a thing.

Elvis had no small baby boy.

At least none that he knew of.

He wasn't out of control. He changed from apparent anger to the tenderness of the Hawaiian Wedding Song as if he was turning a switch on and off. He had prepared his show of anger, he was going to shake people up on purpose, thus he did it more than once in successive shows. This is not uncharacteristic Elvis strategy, as we know - many examples throughout his general biography. You had to be there to see how he was, to see his face and intentions, which you can't get from the CDs.

For me it is just making sure we know that Elvis had a musically strong season and the last to offer any real visuals worth seeing. I'm not sure Elvis should have gone as far as he did, but you can see that it is a rehearsed part of the show, ie Charllie Hodge feeding him lines. Sonny West says Elvis was clean this week, not using anything heavy until the return to Memphis. Elvis does sound too openly emotional and angry, maybe unable to calm himself without a narcotic. Even on the closing there were some solid performances of "If You Talk In Your Sleep".

To me Elvis sounds out of control. If I wouldn't know about his drug problem, I'd be guessing he might have had a drink too many. Even his singing is not up to his usual level. He shouts more than he sings and his voice lacks all the beauty it used to have. He made a total fool of himself that night!

Sadly, I agree. Anyone who had seen and/or heard Elvis perform live prior to those late August / early Sept 74 engagements, must have known something was not right with him. He was totally self-absorbed and not performing for the audience at all, but for himself. Thankfully following that fall tour he dried out and pull himself together... although it wouldn't last.

He wasn't out of control. He changed from apparent anger to the tenderness of the Hawaiian Wedding Song as if he was turning a switch on and off. He had prepared his show of anger, he was going to shake people up on purpose, thus he did it more than once in successive shows. This is not uncharacteristic Elvis strategy, as we know - many examples throughout his general biography. You had to be there to see how he was, to see his face and intentions, which you can't get from the CDs.

Preparing to do what he did makes it somehow worse. It wasn';t an outburst of anger that suddenly took control of him that day - he had planned it all, thinking it was the right thing to do!

Here is link to this Story
Enjoy

http://youtu.be/faCc0ePdgXQ


Elvis seemed to be in a good mood thru out the show - He seemed to be in a stressful mood during this event - due to News paper reports during the time I guess of turning 40 - Thats my own opinion -