Elvis Presley News: delivered by email News Feed SMS

Elvis Presley Mid-South Coliseum : Memphis Tennessee - June 10, 1975

He Rocks 'n' Puffs Along While Fans Love Elvis Tenderly

By Henry Bailey, Memphis Press-Scimitar
June 11, 1975

Concert Date: June 10, 1975 Memphis, TN. Midsouth Coliseum

A little puffier and lot more talkative, but it was still the Essential Elvis Presley - they gyrating, singing genius the Sunday Times of London listed in 1970 as one of the sharpers of the century - who held forth before a capacity crowd at the Mid-South Coliseum. 'We love you, Elvis!' was the shrill, femenine cry heard more than once, perhaps closer to several hundred times among the 12,367 well-scrubbed, screaming fans, friends and curious who greeted Whiteheaven's most famous homeowner.

A photo from this concert was used for the cover of Elvis' 1976 album, From Elvis Presley Boulevard.

Photo taken from inside the booklet of the FTD CD release, From Elvis Presley Boulevard.

Elvis Presley : Mid-South Coliseum : Memphis Tennessee : June 10, 1975.

Whoever said life begins at 40 right in Elvis' case: his steady pulse on the life blood of American popular music tastes continues unabated after 20 eventful years. It was Elvis who, if not the inventor of rock 'n' roll, was the energizer who made it something highbrow critics and pundits could critize but not longer ignore. Along with his longtime admirers, there are culture who now realize the significance of his 'survival' in the face of American buyer power. All those humiliations at the hands of Ed Sullivan's reluctant cameras, known it all reviewers, Army barbers and 31 mediocre Hollywood movies have no effect.

'You just can't deny a man who's managed to stay as long as he has', said Corky Carrell, 19, of Kansas City, who arrived with a friend. 'He is wonderful; and I listen to everything. Acid rock. Hard rock. But Elvis, he was the first rock with style the first to give audiences something to look forward to'.

Steve Fransioli, 62, who manages a service station at Highland and Walker is also an Elvis fan.

'He's kept his nose clean, so more power to him,' said Fransioli, who bought nine other $10 tickets for his wife and eight friends. Not unlike many others; he had seen one of Elvis' five Memphis concerts last March - the singer's first local appareances in over a decade - and couldn't stay away from this one.

County Court Squire Joe Cooper saw four of the five sell-out shows at the Coliseum last year with fellow Squire Billy Ray Schilling, brother of an Elvis bodyguard. Cooper said he was ready for more of the same. 'Billy and I flipped to see who'd pay for this one, and he lost, so he's footing the bill for me as well as his own son. Out of his own pocket, of course', said Cooper. Despite the hucksterism that characterized the show's non-musical moments (consider the 'Van Gogh-like grandeur' of a glossy , 8 by 10 color Elvis photo, says a rotund announcer from the stage), the predominantly white audience was only there to see the form, hear the music, and feel the presence of their - emphasis on THEIR - rock star.

And finally, after Canadian comic Jackie Kahane, the more pleasant musical interludes of Voice ( a new three-man vocal support group) and the soul sound of the Sweet Inspirations, Elvis himself appears to the expected chorus of shouts and a rash of exploding flash bulbs. Schematically, Elvis' 75-minute show was mostly a rehash of his early Memphis shows, which were based on his internationally televised Hawaii concert in 1973. He offered some eye filling views of a tight-fitting, white jumpsuit laced with Indian-style embroided and spangles.

What there was of a rehash the audience didn't mind, and they greedily gobbled up such surprises as hi versions of Diamonds' 'Little Darling' and Olivia Newto-John's 'Let Me Be There'. For those observers of tradition there were vintage tastes of 'Hound Dog', 'Don't Be Cruel', 'Teddy Bear', and 'All Shook Up'.

It takes an artist of some range - beset with sreaming females and dispensing karate jabs and scarves as best he can - to render justice to the saccharine 'Love Me Tender' and do the same for the boisterous 'Tiger Man' with such redoubtable lyrics as, 'I'm the King of the jungle, they call me Tiger Man When you cross my path you take your own life in your hands'. A favorite with the audience was the stirring 'How Great Thou Art' sung with strident fervor by Elvis with some excellent background vocals by J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet.

The normally reticent Elvis offered a number of gentle barbs at his associates, especially scarf-giver Charlie Hodge, after he dropped the superstar's guitar. And there was great applause when he introduced his father, Vernon Presley recovering from heart problems suffered earlier this year.

And few could deny the human drama of a man, bending over too far to kiss a wild eyed fan, splitting the seat of his pants, and then joking about it. After a brief rest , Elvis plans to go on an eight-state Northern tour July 8 which will include appareances in New York and Massachusetts.

Elvis Presley Mid-South Coliseum - Memphis Tennessee - June 10, 1975.

March 1975

Elvis Presley : Las Vegas : March 30, 1975

April

Elvis Presley Macon Coliseum : Macon, Ga April 24, 1975
Elvis Presley : Jacksonville Florida : April 25, 1975
Elvis Presley : 'The Omni' Atlanta GA: April 30, 1975

May

Elvis Presley: Omni : Atlanta Georgia : May 1, 1975
Elvis Presley: Omni : Atlanta Georgia : May 2, 1975
Elvis Presley : May 4, 1975 : Lake Charles
Elvis Presley: Huntsville, AL : May 31, 1975

June

Elvis Presley Cleveland Coliseum, Richfield, Oh June 1, 1975
Elvis Presley Houston, Texas : June 5, 1975
Elvis Presley Mid-South Coliseum - Memphis Tennessee : June 10, 1975

July

August

Elvis Presley : Las Vegas : Opening Night : August 18, 1975

September

Elvis Presley : Graceland : September 10, 1975

December

Elvis Presley : Las Vegas : December 13, 1975 : Midnight Show
Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker : New Years Eve, December 31, 1975

CDs

Elvis : Hits Of The 70s : 2 CD FTD Special Edition
Elvis Today : 2 CD FTD Special Edition
Promised Land [Released January 1975]

Concert CDs

Dixieland Rocks : 1975 : Elvis Presley FTD CD
Dinner At Eight : 1975 : Elvis Presley FTD CD
Southern Nights : 1975 : Elvis Presley FTD CD
Dixieland Delight : 1975 : Elvis Presley FTD 2 CD Set [2 Concerts]
From Sunset To Las Vegas : 1975 : FTD 2 CD Set [Concert + Rehearsals]
Another Saturday Night FTD 5" Soundboard Concert CD

Books

The Elvis Files Vol. 7, 1974-1977
Elvis On Tour 1975 : Photos from the Heart by Sandi Pichon
Elvis live at Del Webb's Sahara Tahoe : 1971-1976
Elvis : Born To Rock : 1975
Elvis : Starring in Oklahoma : July 8, 1975 : Elvis Presley Book
Elvis : The King Of Las Vegas : Hardcover Book : 360 pages, with 1300 pictures
Elvis : The Concert Years 1969-1977 Book
Elvis Concerts : Elvis Presley Book from JAT Publishing
Elvis On Stage By Keith Alverson
Elvis : For The First Time Ever Elvis Book
America The Beautiful : Elvis Book with Free Promo CD

From the book, Elvis For The First Time Ever

Elvis : For The First Time Ever has 96 pages crammed with Elvis photos (both color and black and white) from 1969 - 1977. Joe Tunzi has spent months tracking down these pictures of Elvis presley and getting the rights to use them from the various photographers!

We love Elvis Presley !!!!!!!! : So ... Stop, look and listen baby that's our philosophy ... First thing in the morning, last thing at night ... look, stare everywhere and see everything inside ... Stop, look and listen!

	[Home] [Elvis Shop Home] [Elvis Presley Music Home] [Contact] [Top]
Elvis Presley News: delivered by email News Feed SMS
[elvis presley photos] [elvis presley video] [elvis presley mp3 audio] [elvis presley Lyrics]

Elvis Australia : www.elvis.com.au

Elvis Australia : Official Elvis Presley Fan Club

Home