Back in 2004 Follow That Dream Records
released an album named "Closing Night". It
featured a soundboard recording of the infamous
finale of the "Elvis Summer Festival 1973".
Well, the first seven tracks were taken from the
dinner show of the same day, because the
engineer didn't tape the start of the concert.
The disc was housed in a 5" digipak, whose
design looked quite amateurish.
On September 20, 2024 the UK-based Memphis
Recording Service provided an update. The sound
carrier now is packaged in a 5" hardcover book
of 32 pages. It offers some background
information, photos of the king on and off stage
as well as pictures of promo material regarding
this stint. The audio recordings have been
remastered and transformed from mono to stereo.
Of course no engineer in the world can conjure
up additional tracks, but a stereo effect can be
generated by copying and pasting the mono signal
and using various audio tools. The result is a
major improvement! To sum it up: "Closing Night
1973" beats FTD's original release at all
levels. And while Sony's own collector's label
still refuses to release their stuff digitally,
the Memphis Recording Service makes all of its
albums available on the streaming platforms.
Also Sprach Zarathustra
(September 3rd, dinner show)
The show starts with an excerpt of Richard
Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra". The band
takes over with the "Opening Riff" and Elvis
enters the stage. Charlie Hodge hands him his
guitar and the show is underway.
See See Rider
(September 3rd, dinner show)
The king sounds somewhat nasal and out of
breath. He seems to be aware of his condition,
because in-between he jokingly asks, if he's
singing the right song. During the performance
something happens to Elvis' microphone sponge,
because he makes some remarks about it after
having greeted the audience. With Charlie he
also jokes about their general condition, which
is quite believable this evening. Elvis slurs
his speech and doesn't sound awake.
I Got A Woman / Amen
(September 3rd, dinner
show)
The Ray Charles hit "I Got A Woman" is performed
in an average way. When he speaks, the king once
again leaves the impression to be under the
influence of something.
Love Me
(September 3rd, dinner show)
Elvis follows the usual opening with a routine
presentation of "Love Me". He uses the song to
make contact with the females at the edge of the
stage and hands out some scarfs.
Steamroller Blues
(September 3rd, dinner
show)
His second last single is performed very well,
at least by the band. Elvis himself isn't able
to inject the necessary amount of energy.
You Gave Me A Mountain
(September 3rd, dinner
show)
The same can be said about "You Gave Me A
Mountain". It's not a bad performance, but
compared to the version in "Elvis On Tour"
(1972) or on his recent sales smash "Aloha From
Hawaii Via Satellite" (1973) he sounds just
tired and also doesn't hold the notes long
enough. In-between he bashes the sound system in
the showroom, but says afterwards, that he was
just joking. Elvis also introduces his sound
engineer, who gets some laughs by answering
"Thank you, Elvis".
Trouble
(September 3rd, dinner show)
Now the king announces a medley of Spanish folk
songs and intones "Guadalajara". Of course he
was just joking and presents a version of
"Trouble" from his movie "King Creole". The
oldie is arranged very well and the guitar solo
sounds unusual for a Presley show. Unfortunately
Elvis cannot compete with his musicians. His
vocals lack drive and his articulation is
unclear.
Rock'n'Roll Medley
Elvis makes fun of "Long Tall Sally" by
substituting the protagonists of the song with
members of his own troop. At the end of "Hound
Dog" he shakes to the music, which drives the
ladies over the edge. Afterwards he claims, the
medley wasn't rehearsed. I don't know why he's
trying to sell bullshit like this. Everybody
knows, that the medley of "Long Tall Sally",
"Whole Lotta' Shakin' Goin' On", "Your Mama
Don't Dance", "Flip, Flop & Fly" and "Hound Dog"
is a standard of the current set list.
Love Me Tender
The king announces "I'd
like to sing a little bit of Love Me
Tender for you" and imitates a
too fast running tape. The second try is done in
correct speed, but Elvis changes the lyrics to
"Adios you
mothers, bye bye pappa too, to hell with the
Hilton Hotel, screw the showroom, too".
The audience has fun, but I guess Colonel Parker
goes ballistic. He's just dealt out a new
contract with the Hilton and I seriously doubt,
that the management of the resort likes to be
bashed by the one, they are paying the highest
fee in town. It's certainly unprofessional, but
also funny.
Fever
Elvis opens the song with the line
"Myrna Smith and JD
Sumner had a very mad affair, when their wifes
and husbands caught them, they saw nothing but
teeth and hair". When I
heared this version for the first time, I had to
laugh out loud!
What Now My Love
Now the lights are going down and a bed (!) is
rolled on stage. The king sings the dramatic
song while lying down, at one point he places
the microphone on a strategic place under the
sheet and makes some explicit movements. WTF is
happening tonight?!?
Suspicious Minds / Bridge Over Troubled
Water
The band starts to play "Suspicious Minds", but
Elvis sings the lyrics of "Bridge Over Troubled
Water"! After fourty seconds he looses track and
says "Just drop
everything, everybody fall out!".
Charlie takes it literally and falls down, to
which Elvis reacts by saying "Bless you, son!".
It's very entertaining, almost like a party - on
and off stage.
Bridge Over Troubled Water
Finally the king decides to do "Bridge Over
Troubled Water". In mid-song someone in the
audience shouts something and Elvis looses
track. "What's the words? Give me the words!" he
says. Then something unique happens: The
audience stands up and sings the song together
with the king's bandmates. "Oh, that's nice.
Listen, "The Ted Mack Amateur Hour" says Elvis.
Now he's back in the game and brings the song to
a dramatic, powerful end.
Suspicious Minds
Of course the king also sings "Suspicious
Minds". But he's obviously not very motivated
and one cannot help to believe him when he
changes the lyrics to "You know, I hate this
damn song. I really do". However, the
audience loves the performance and has fun.
Introductions
When Elvis realizes, that Charlie Hodge is
picking up the sheet music, his mood swings to
the opposite and he gets mad. "Someone else come
out backstage and pick up the sheet music? Joe,
Sonny, Red, Lamar? There's 25 other employees
backstage!" he heatedly says. But he soon calms
down, introduces the band and proudly mentions,
that Joe Guercio's orchestra has been named
"Orchestra Of The Year". The king also
introduces George Hamilton, Colonel Parker,
Bobbie Gentry, Vernon Presley and Linda
Thompson, who are in the audience tonight.
Finally Elvis promotes the forthcoming
engagements of Shirley Bassey and Bill Cosby.
Once again his mood swings, because someone in
the audience shouts something. Clearly annoyed
he tells the man, that he is running the damn
show. To be honest, I don't know what's running
Elvis today.
My Boy
The ballad "My Boy" is sung very well. The
king's voice sounds better now and he injects
the right amount of energy and feeling.
Afterwards Elvis praizes Charlie Hodge for his
harmony vocals and also mentiones their
long-lasting friendship.
I Can't Stop Loving You
Elvis presents "I Can't Stop Loving You" with
power, at the end he toys around with the word
"yesterday". After a loud response from the
audience, the king jokingly says "Thanks for the
polite applause".
An American Trilogy
On a night like this nobody can expect a serious
rendition of "An American Trilogy". When the
choir sings "I wish I was in Dixie", Elvis
claims, that he wished that, too. Later he also
turns Dixiland into Disneyland. However, the
second part of the song is sung in a straight
and impressive way.
A Big Hunk O' Love
A somewhat tired "A Big Hunk O' Love" follows.
Afterwards Elvis comes back to "An American
Trilogy" and holds a little speach. "The guy
that plays the flute solo, Jimmy Mulidore, he's
played it 144 times and never missed it once.
Fantastic Jimmy. The trumpet players, they have
actually split their lips from blowing so hard,
really. We kid a lot, and have a lot of fun, but
we really love to sing and play music and
entertain people. That's the name of the game.
As long as I can do that, I'll be a happy old
sonofabitch!"
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face
Elvis continues with the power-ballad "The First
Time Ever I Saw Your Face". He sings with a lot
of emotion and once again his voice is sounding
much better than earlier tonight. Then he thanks
the management of the Hilton for giving him the
gold chain, that he is wearing tonight. But then
something surreal happens. All of a sudden he
starts telling off the administration of the
resort for dismissing a waiter named Mario! What
the hell is going on in Elvis' brain?!?
Mystery Train / Tiger Man
The angry mood leads to a powerful rendition of
"Mystery Train". Before he segues into "Tiger
Man" the king says "I'd like to dedicate this
next song to the hierachy and the staff of the
Hilton Hotel" and continues with "I'm the king
of the jungle...". Of course the audience loves
all that jazz, but Colonel Parker certainly
knows, that he will have a lot to explain.
How Great Thou Art
Maybe to calm things down Elvis decides to sing
the gospel hymn "How Great Thou Art". It's a
very sincere performance and due to the
enthusiastic reaction of the audience, the king
even gives an encore.
Help Me Make It Through The Night
From his previous years' longplayer "Elvis Now"
the king performs the country ballad "Help Me
Make It Through The Night". He jokes around here
and there, but doesn't forget to sing.
Softly, As I Leave You
Now Elvis sits down on a chair and performs
"Softly As I Leave You". Well, he actually
whispers it in over-dramatic fashion. Nobody
knows, what this is all about, maybe except
Elvis himselvis.
Can't Help Falling In Love
As usual the king ends the show with "Can't Help
Falling In Love". When the "Closing Riff"
chimes, Lamar Fike appears again. Elvis jumps on
his back and is carried off the stage. But he
soon returns, hands out another few scarfs and
shakes some hands. Suddenly he runs through the
curtain and disappears. The "Elvis Summer
Festival 1973" is over.
Verdict
While the packaging and the audio quality
are great, the concert itself is nothing but a saddening
display of a troubled, strung-out person.
Even the funny moments, and there are quite
a few, cannot mask the harsh reality.
(C) Memphis
Recording Service