Gold-Spangled Elvis (1976) -- Complete!

[James27]

Do I have to take a wild guess ?

[rlj4ep]

I'm sorry for the delay in posting to this thread....
A really nice find Doc, thanks so much. It's a nice article and it is very well written. As I recall the concerts I attended in 1976 I have to say the review is honestly presented.

Your efforts, posts, and obvious hard work throughout FECC is much appreciated by me and many. Thanks very much.

rlj

[drjohncarpenter]

I'm sorry for the delay in posting to this thread....
A really nice find Doc, thanks so much. It's a nice article and it is very well written. As I recall the concerts I attended in 1976 I have to say the review is honestly presented.

Your efforts, posts, and obvious hard work throughout FECC is much appreciated by me and many. Thanks very much.

rlj

Your kind words make my day brighter, thank you.

I am a bit surprised this 1976 show review from the #1 rock 'n' roll magazine has seemingly garnered fewer than a hundred views of the actual article. You will not find it online anywhere else, I scanned it from my personal archive. Harper Barnes was an intelligent fan who saw the show for exactly what it was, and what it was not. And notice he makes no rude mentions of Presley's weight or outfit. He's more interested in the man, his music, and its impact on the gathered fans in St. Louis. Given the flurry of excitement here recently about a few "new" 1976 shows surfacing on the audience-recorded bootleg circuit, I wonder why members are avoiding an even-handed look at the performance. In many ways it is a reality check, but done with professionalism.

The entire 3-22-1976 show from the Keil Auditorium in St. Louis is online, so anyone may hear what Barnes experienced that night:


..


This would be the last show where Elvis had Shane Keister (piano) and Larrie Londin (drums) in the band. Londin is really excellent, he played exactly as Presley wanted, but with the added enthusiasm of being a new member of the band. Keister had enough, and left, never to return. Also, this is apparently the last time Elvis delivered a cover of "Let Me Be There" in concert. It is somewhat restrained, but his affection for the 1973 Olivia Newton-John hit still shines through. Sorry, midnightx.

[rlj4ep]

Harper Barnes was an intelligent fan who saw the show for exactly what it was, and what it was not. And notice he makes no rude mentions of Presley's weight or outfit. He's more interested in the man, his music, and its impact on the gathered fans in St. Louis.

Thanks Doc. I like what you said in the quote I lifted above. Mr. Barnes is totally objective and doesn't allow his own personal thoughts to interfere with his purpose for being at the show. When it comes to Elvis we all have our particular likes and dislikes. Personally I grow weary of those who have written about Elvis who have personal agendas or come from a clearly subjective perspective. I prefer to know the truth, but presented with an solid sense of objectivity. Barnes accomplishes this in his review.

Thanks also for the opportunity to hear the performance. Very kind of you.

rlj

[AndrewJ]

Thanks for posting Doc and taking the time to scan it for us.

An interesting contemporary take; it shows that by 1976 Elvis was indeed a rock n roll 'obelisk' - fans went to see him more out of reverence than relevance. Barnes is also very kind to Elvis' declining ability to perform, mentioning weight problems and inside problems, but not speculating on the causes, and gently suggesting that the gathered ensemble is behind the power of the performance.

[promiseland]

Thanks for posting the article. This has been a very enjoyable topic to follow .

[arnaudbxl]

This is one of the most interesting (and humorous) concert review I've read. Obvious the critic noted some worrying points here, but with an "all doors are still open for the future" mindset, which is refreshing.

I personnally really love the concerts where Larrie Londin play the drums, he brought something so enthusiat in his play, the one in Cincinnati is really excellent.

Thanks for sharing Doc!