Title: Dragon Heart

Label: FTD

Date: October 1, 1974; South Bend, Indiana + Bonuses (29/09/74 Detroit, 28/09/74 College Park)

Sound Quality: * * * * / * * * * * +

Concert Rating: * * * * / * * * * * +

Tracks: 1.See See Rider 2.I Got A Woman/Amen 3.Love Me 4.Blue Suede Shoes 5.It's Midnight 6.Big Boss Man 7.Fever 8.Love Me Tender 9.Hound Dog 10.Heartbreak Hotel 11.If You Love Me 12.Bridge Over Troubled Water 13.Introductions 14.Lawdy Miss Clawdy 15.Introductions 16.All Shook Up 17.Teddy Bear/Don't Be Cruel 18.Let Me Be There 19.It's Now Or Never 20.You Gave Me A Mountain 21.Johnny B. Goode 22.Hawaiian Wedding Song 23.Steamroller Blues 24.Can't Help Falling In Love 25.Closing Vamp and Announcements Bonus tracks 26.All Right, Okay, You Win (Detroit 9-29-74) 27.Blue Christmas (College Park 9-28-74) 28.Trying To Get To You (College Park 9-28-74)

Package: Instead of usual bad FTD design, this time Jorgensen "tried to get to us" with Chinese style package colored with red and gold colors. It helped, but mostly because of famous Chinese Dragon suit, which Elvis used this particular night. They used 7 photos from the show and one backstage photo with Elvis leaving the Hilton Hotel after the show. In general FTD people tried to do as much as possible to make a bright product. Keep following our dreams, fellows!

Elvis: This is something with our boy: he is as talkative as a parrot. As you may know this tour is a following up after scandal closing show in Las Vegas on September 2, 1974. it started on September 27 in Baltimore (two nights) and ended on October 9 in Abilene, TX. At the moment only 3 soundboards from this tour were out: the great box A Profile: The King On Stage 2 featured two soundboards from this tour - September 28, 1974 College Park and October 6, 1974 AS Dayton and a bootleg Breathing Out Fire (October 6, 1974 ES Dayton, OH). However, all shows except October 7, 8 and 9 were recorded on soundboard. As I mentioned before Elvis was very talkative during Autumn 1974. This show is not an exception: after singing Johnny B Goode he starts talking about bandages on his fingers. As he explains the reason he is wearing them is because his hands were infected after scratching hands and karate practices. The real reason has (again!) Chinese medical roots. Then he follows with his diamond ring which "is a Christmas present to myself".

Show: It can be divided in two parts: usual part (from track 1 up to track 17) and fantastic improvisation part (from track 18 up to the end). Starting from Let Me Be There Elvis becomes interested in the show. He changes and emphasizes words, laughing and changing usual musical accompaniment. As it always happens with Elvis the energy becomes higher and higher with the Steamroller Blues culmination. Thanks to the unknown person in the audience, who asked for this song, Elvis gave a fantastic version saying: "I'm a nympho, nympho, nympho Maaan..." When Elvis was going to end the show after Hawaiian Wedding Song, someone cried for Steamroller and Elvis replied: " You wanna hear Steamroller? God Damn it - we lay on you".

Bonuses: The only interesting bonus is a part of Band Introductions from Detroit - Alright, Okay, You Win, which is a good remembrance that time for releasing other shows from this tour is not so far.

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