Title: Tucson 76 (released in 2000)

Label: FTD

Date: June 1, 1976, Community Center Arena, Tucson, Arizona (except See See Rider recorded on May 30, 1976, Ector County Coliseum, Odessa, Texas, afternoon show and Love Letters - same date, but evening show)

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

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

Tracks: 1.See See Rider 2.I Got A Woman / Amen 3.Love Me 4.If You Love Me 5.You Gave Me A Mountain 6.All Shook Up 7.Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel 8.And I Love You So 9.Jailhouse Rock 10.Help Me 11.Fever 12.Polk Salad Annie 13.Introductions: Early Morning Rain, What I'd Say, Love Letters, Long Live Rock'n'roll 14.Hurt 15.Burning Love 16.Help Me Make It Through The Night 17.Danny Boy 18.Hound Dog 19.Funny How Time Slips Away 20.Can't Help Falling In Love (Duration: 74 min. 51 sec.)

Elvis: He is tired, but inspired - a pretty rare situation. The mood of the show is very similar to Elvis' last live performance in Memphis (released on Goodbye Memphis bootleg CD). He is also surprised when he finds no fans behind the stage (it's great to hear the man say "There's nobody back there... I'm used to people yelling 'Turn around, turn around!' and nothing back here.")

Highlights: Should it be mentioned that the only known live version of Danny Boy sung by Elvis is The Highlight of the show?

Review: Year 1976 is well known by Elvis fans as the year of high quality soundboards and [mostly] low quality concerts on them. Especially, the August-September concerts were of very low quality, but the sound was brilliant (see Old Times They Are Not Forgotten for instance). The worst was still to come, however, when Elvis hit the stage in Tucson on June 1. He is rather under influence of something or has had a good sleep, since he is in good spirits on this show. The following day's concert (released on El Goes El Paso bootleg CD lately) can't boast such an inspiration, since this Tucson concert lasts 75 minutes and features some rarities - this didn't happen too often with Mr. Presley in 1976.

The CD starts from the middle of See See Rider intro, this is taken from the afternoon show of May 30 in Odessa. There is a lot of David Briggs' electric clavinet in the mix, which adds some funkiness to the sound - I hope that all this concert has a similar mix and will someday be released, since it's pretty essential. The sound is, however, a bit worse than on the show from June 1, which starts right after the end of See See Rider with I Got A Woman (thanks God, the "Well, well" intro is omitted). This is not a fantastic rendition, Elvis' voice is a bit weak, but we can live with it. Elvis urges the audience to "sing it with us" during the Amen routine, adding, "everybody". Shaking his legs before the ending of the song (often related to as self-parody), Elvis admits: "You know, I'm just, I'm just waking up, folks, you know... I know you wake me up, that's what I am afraid of!" and having it ended he says: "That's ridiculous," the best of Elvis' self-irony! Having the song ended, Elvis receives a gift from somebody and says "We hope you enjoy the show... The rest of the show this afternoon, the first part was adequate," continuing to greet the audience. After another scarf giving Love Me, Elvis introduces If You Love Me as a "song by Olivia-Newton John called if you love me let me go, if you don't..." The rendition is fine, the bass playing by Jerry Scheff is fantastic after the first refrain. Following is You Gave Me A Mountain, which is stopped by Elvis right after being started, as Elvis confesses, that he won't be able to make it through the song after "looking at this women's face". It seems that he receives a gift from somebody, and goes back to the song. Elvis' voice seems a bit tired here, I guess it could have been better, but not on this show. One line of When My Blue Turns To Gold Again precedes the usual rushed version of All Shook Up, Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel medley is next in the line of throwaways. "And I Love Her So," Elvis announces. The song is still very nice to listen too, though Elvis' voice is a bit uncontrolled at times, his singing is inaccurate, but at least he hits the low notes at the end of the verses himself instead of J.D. doing them, like in case with the Omaha concert (see As I Leave You), used in the Elvis In Concert project. Jailhouse Rock is very fresh sounding, which is pretty strange, Elvis even doesn't seem to be in the mood of ending it, confusing the group, as he continues singing "Dancing to the Jailhouse Rock". He continues confusing his group, as he says "Then we did a couple years ago a song... A song a couple years ago," he makes a pause at this point, and James Burton gives him an E-chord, as most often Elvis announced Trying To Get To You this way, but he was talking about another song this time, as he says "called Help Me". The rendition is a fine one, though Elvis' voice is a bit uncontrolled again. Fever is next, and Elvis says "It's a rough way to make a livin', boy," during the intro. Both the audience and Elvis seem to be having a good time during it. No America The Beautiful this evening, as Elvis says "Polk Salad Annie". This is a typical late 70-s version, a lot of instrumentation, a bit complicated arrangement at times. It seems that a part of the show was edited out, as you can clearly hear a splice at around 3:56 of track 12, and for whatever reason Elvis says "Watch it, Bruce", maybe there had been a feedback, but why editing it out? Who knows. "The Last Farewell? God..." Elvis replies to a request from the audience continuing with the well known: "Let me you introduce the members of my group to you, before we go any further". There is nothing outstanding during the introductions (except for a very decent version of What'd I Say - it's hard to figure out what's so special in it, but it really moves), and surprisingly both versions of Hurt are not stunning too (we always expect something special from this song). Elvis' voice is weaker here than it is usually. Still, "not stunning" doesn't mean bad.

It's hard to say whether the shout "Burning love" comes from the audience or Charlie Hodge, but Elvis decides to do this song, he seems to have some trouble remembering the words, but this version is pretty rocking, with the band giving their 100% and Elvis his 110%. Really appreciating are the great back vocals that the Sweet Inspirations do during the last verse. Elvis is in a great mood and doesn't seem to want to end this song. "What are you saying?" Elvis replies to a request from the audience, "For The Good Times? Let me see... For The Good Times... We'll just settle for Help Me Make Through The Night". Elvis delivers a fine rendition of this song, and his voice seems to be more under his control by this point. But the real gem of the evening is the next song. "O.K., ladies and gentlemen. Ladies and gentlemen... You asked for a song earlier that just came out on the new album that did, that... The Last Farewell, boy, woo! I wish I knew it!" and somebody in the audience shouts "Danny Boy!" Elvis seems really confused, as he begins singing the first line and then asks: "Is Danny Boy on that album? All right, I haven't heard it... Oh... What key we're in?" We can imagine the way all the musicians on stage begun trembling, as this kind of things was not a usual thing in 1976 for Elvis anymore. Except for some little mistakes on bass, the song is great and the arrangement is more dramatic than the official master as we have all the group playing it here.

There's no real need to go through the rest of the songs, as they really mean nothing now - Hound Dog is a throwaway, Funny How Time Slips Away is a standard show pleaser and Can't Help Falling In Love is a regular show-closer.

The Burning Love - Help Me Make It Through The Night - Danny Boy 10 minute segment is what makes this concert irregular and essential. Danny Boy alone was worth the price of the tickets for this concert, and in case with us - the price of the CD. The rest of the show is quite familiar for the bootleg collectors (with so many 1976' releases), but there's a strange charm in this particular concert, it's hard to explain. You have to experience it.

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