The pre-show is over, the Showroom Internationale is darkened and the chandeliers are pulled up to provide a better view of the stage. The orchestra starts to play an excerpt of "Also Sprach Zarathustra", then the band takes over with the "Opening Riff" and Elvis enters the stage.

While the king collects his guitar from Mr. Hodge, the band segues into "See See Rider". Elvis delivers a powerful rendition, similar to what MGM filmed in April for the forthcoming movie.

The Ray Charles classic is presented in rather cool fashion, but during the second part the king puts his foot on the gas. He also includes a few bars of "Amen" before returning to "I Got A Woman" and throwing his guitar back to the faithful assistant.

Elvis mutters "Proud Mary", but it appears to be a cue for his musicians and not an announcement for the audience. Nevertheless Elvis invests a lot of energy and delivers the tune very well.

While the band plays the intro, the king drinks a zip of water and therefore misses his cue. He turns it into a joke, then he sings a nice version of his top40 hit from earlier this year.

After the applause has faded Elvis says "Thank you, Lovin' Feeling" and the musicians begin to play. It's a powerful rendition, vocally the man from Memphis is in great shape.

Just a few seconds after the end of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" Jerry Scheff starts to play the intro of "Polk Salad Annie". But Elvis still is busy with a fan at the edge of the stage, so the intro lasts a lot longer than usual. Even during the song the king doesn't stop to communicate with his followers. He's obviously having fun and can be heared laughing. Due to Elvis' banter with the fans the musicians get a lot of freedom and jam a little. Afterwards the singer officially welcomes the audience and admits, that he hadn't planned it that way. Regarding the long fan contacts he adds "We'll entertain you, one more than the other".

The intro of the first new song of the evening doesn't work and Elvis uses the opportunity to joke a bit. Of course the second try is perfect. The king uses his voice to its full extend and the orchestra as well as the harmony singers also demonstrate their abilities in impressive style.

Elvis starts the oldie parade of his show with "Fever". Here and there he moves a bit to the beat, which causes the ladies to gasp.

Up next is the ballad "Love Me". The king makes contact with the fans and  throws a scarf or another into the audience.

The 1957 sales smash is presented within 60 seconds, but also with a lot of drive.

Once again Elvis doesn't take more than a minute per song, but the zesty presentation makes up for it.

The king takes more time for his first national number one hit. He presents it in a modern, bluesy arrangement, which fits the classic very well.

With "Blue Suede Shoes" Elvis raises the tempo of the show, but he's presenting the song in a rather business-like fashion. It's a quick nod to the past, not much more.

Now the man from Memphis pairs his own "Little Sister" with The Beatles' "Get Back". The songs fit very well and Elvis obviously likes to sing them.

Unfortunately one cannot say that about "Hound Dog". At first he sings it slow, then he moves over to the usual rock'n'roll tempo. Just like "Blue Suede Shoes" Elvis seems to consider the tune to be a leftover from the past, something he doesn't care for, but feels obliged to include it in the show.

The ladies gasp in joyful anticipation as the king tells them, that his first movie was "Love Me Tender". But then he turns their hopes into ashes by stating, that he never liked the title song and therefore wouldn't sing it. Instead he opts for "It's Over". The big orchestrated ballad is not a regular feature of the Presley show, so it's great to hear one of the rare outings. Elvis sings with a lot of emotion and once again proves the greatness of his voice.

Elvis continues with "Suspicious Minds", his chart topper from 1969. He doesn't move as wild as in the movie "That's The Way It Is", but still shakes his body a bit and includes some karate figures.

To catch his breath the singer takes a minute or two to introduce his stage crew.

Sinatra's signature tune starts off very sparsely. It's just the piano, a violyn and Elvis' voice. But soon the band, the choir and the orchestra join in and the finale is much more bombastic than Ol' Blue Eyes' original. 

Now the king jokes a bit with the fans, then he proceeds with "A Big Hunk O' Love". After the business-like renditions of "Blue Suede Shoes" and "Hound Dog" one might think, that Elvis has lost interest in rock'n'roll songs. But "A Big Hunk O' Love" is presented with zest and the king obviously enjoys what he's doing.

While James Burton plays the intro of "An American Trilogy", a woman loudly screams through the Showroom Internationale. In deep voice Elvis asks "What, kid?". Then he segues into a serious and simply perfect performance of the three American traditionals. Once again I cannot help to praise the band, the orchestra, the harmony singers and the lead vocalist. They are doing great jobs.

Elvis bows out with a simple "Thank you very much" and cues the band by saying "Blue Hawaii". Of course he doesn't mean the title song of his blockbuster movie from 1961, but "Can't Help Falling In Love". This one also was in the film and the single "Can't Help Falling In Love" / "Rock-A-Hula Baby" sold several million copies. After the song is over the band seamlessly moves over to the "Closing Riff". The golden curtain comes down, Elvis shakes a few more hands and poses for the fans. Then he disappears behind the drapery.