Title: High Spirit In Vegas (Released in 2008)

Label: Vegas Strip

Date: September 2, 1973, Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada

Sound Quality (Concert): * * / * * * * * +

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

Tracks: 1.Also Sprach Zarathustra 2. See See Rider 3.I Got A Woman 4.Love Me 5.Steamroller Blues 6.You Gave Me A Mountain 7.Trouble 8.Rock Medley 9.Love Me Tender 10.Fever 11.Bridge Over Troubled Water 12.Suspicous Minds 13.Introductions of the band and celebrities 14.My Boy 15.I Can’t Stop Loving You 16.An American Trilogy 17.The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face 18.Mystery Train / Tiger Man 19.How Great Thou Art 20.A Big Hunk O’ Love 21.Release Me 22.What Now My Love 23.Can’t Help Falling In Love

Elvis: He is in a playful mood, he changes lyrics in some of the songs but he is in total control when it comes to songs he clearly likes.

Highlights: Steamroller Blues is absolutely fantastic as are the ballads - You Gave Me A Mountain, Bridge Over Troubled Water, The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and What Now My Love. The usual show-stoppers - An American Trilogy and How Great Thou Art - are not just good renditions, they are actually great.

Review: Earlier this year when the two CDs by Vegas Strip label, featuring previously released audience recordings from the summer of 1973 season, were announced we were intrigued. The Getting Down To Business CD with the August 31 DS has been circulating in a very good quality on CD-R for some time but the speed problem was very annoying. The midnight show from September 2 was an even more interesting entry since we haven’t heard the show previously. Only 24 hours prior his scandal closing, this show is a very important part of history since we now have the possibility to see how Elvis’ mood developed closer to the final show of the season.

The sound quality is fine for an audience recording – the hiss annoys at first but you get used to it pretty soon. As the Also Sprach Zarathustra intro ends Ronnie Tutt’s drum roll starts and Elvis appears on stage to do an energetic version of See See Rider. The Emory Gordy’s bass line in the middle of the song is simply fantastic. “Thank you very much, good evening!” Elvis says and goes into a funny intro of I Got A Woman, and gets a great response we must say. The song itself is a standard version – nothing exceptional. “Do it again, do it again!” Elvis says to J.D. at the end of the song but the band is not ready to follow Elvis’ aim to sing Amen in a fast tempo prior a reprise of the ending. Love Me is next – a yet another throw-away version, but the audience loves it. Steamroller Blues is absolutely fantastic – the audience reacts right from the first notes that James plays. You Gave Me A Mountain is next – as always an emotional version, even though the first verse is spoilt by some controlled laughter from the members of the audience, band and Elvis himself. This rendition with all the accurate phrasing shows what a great performer Elvis Presley was. “I’d like to do a medley of one of my records, something like this,” Elvis says and goes into a playfully sung Trouble. He makes some word changes (“If you’re looking for trouble – just look around my face”, “I don’t take no bull from no kind of man”), but is no less interesting – contrary to the next day’s rendition James is still using that fuzz effect during his solo, though not that overdriven as, for example, on the Profile Concert. The rock’n’roll medley truly shows that Elvis is going to have some fun tonight – he changes some words (“I saw Marty Alan, A bald-head Sally, I saw his wife coming, And he ducked back in the alley”) and ad-libs some (“We’ re gonna have some fun tonight – one way or another”) and even teases the band with a fake ending – the crazy ending of Hound Dog is yet to come the next day, but he already seems to have this in mind this evening.

“I’d like to sing a little bit of Love Me Tender for you,” Elvis says and in a Donald Duck’s voice recites the first words of Love Me Tender to the delight of the audience. “What song? Give me the key, a door key,” Elvis says and finally begins the song. This is a show-pleaser on the first place, and the band succeeds since the audience likes it. Fever is a joke from start to finish, but the audience loves it. On the contrast – Bridge Over Troubled Water is simply outstanding, Elvis controls the phrasing greatly, his singing is powerful – a masterpiece rendition. He also delivers an absolutely fantastic reprise with some great drumming from Ronnie. Suspicious Minds is a throw-away version, unfortunately, and this shows not only by the words’ changing (“Or dry the shi... tears from your eyses”) but also by Elvis’ statement in the middle of the song (as he changes the words to “’Cause honey you know I hate this song”). Elvis takes the time to make some jokes during the intros – for example he says “One of the few guys I ever met with a name weirder than mine – Emory Gordy – Elvis Presley”. There is a short pause in the tape thus a part of the show missing but luckily it is in the end of the introductions. Later on Elvis takes the time to introduce some celebrities in the audience and Charlie: “I saved him for the last because he is the least” before going into a rendition of My Boy. Elvis puts his all into this song but prefer the studio version to any live rendition. “You know what I can’t do? Sing and drink water at the same time,” Elvis says before going into a fine rendition of I Can’t Stop Loving You, unfortunately interrupter by numerous jokes and laughs. But as if he wants to make it a worthwhile experience he gives an outstanding ending of the song. The story repeats in the following rendition of American Trilogy, after some word changes Elvis takes control of the situation and delivers a great ending of the song.

After a fade out we get a very tender rendition of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, followed by a wild and too fast rendition of Mystery Train / Tiger Man medley. Elvis’ voice doesn’t sound to great on this version. “No we really just we love to sing, all of us up here love to sing and play music. And if it makes you happy, you know...[applause] Ah... They don’t like us to stay way too long, wait a minute! They don’t like us to stay for more than like 55 minutes to an hour... But we don’t care what they like!” Proving his will to go on he does a fantastic rendition of How Great Thou Art, with a reprise. A Big Hunk O’ Love is next, a wild rendition, gets the deserved reaction from the audience. “Wanna hear any more?” Elvis asks the audience and it goes completely wild. Release Me is next. It got a very country feel during this season and this version is no exception. What Now My Love is one of the finest songs in this concert and Elvis pours all his emotions into this song, as just in a month he would finally get divorced. The phrasing and Elvis’ voice are simply fantastic. The concert is closed with Can’t Help Falling In Love.

In conclusion we must say that this concert was an interesting experience, as it is Elvis just one day before the scandal closing. It seems like he was getting ready to throw the numerous jokes the following day and some of his commentaries are a sign of things yet to come. The concert itself is pretty strong and with so many jokes and mood changes we can’t say that it is a standard show. If you consider buying a fine show in a fine audience recording this release is for you.

November 2008

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