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Elvis In Concert – 30 Years Anniversary DVD Edition

July 17, 2007 | Video
The legendary TV Special filmed on Elvis Presley’s last concert tour will now be released on DVD.

From the press release:

This new remastered edition is the best dvd version that has surfaced so far. “We’re here to entertain you, and to make you happy. So just enjoy yourself, and leave the driving to us” said Elvis to an adoring crowd on his last tour. Elvis had been doing just that for over 20 years - entertaining his fans and making them happy. Two shows were filmed by CBS on what was to be Elvis’ last concert tour. The June 19 appearance in Omaha, Nebraska and the June 21 in Rapid City, South Dakota. Only three songs were used from the Omaha performance in the final special, which was broadcast on October 3, 1977.

"If you haven’t guessed by now, you’re on television” Elvis said with a characteristic grin to the audience at the June 21 show. “Don't let the lights and cameras throw you, and try not to throw the lights and cameras if you can help it.” Elvis In Concert was Elvis’ first filmed production in four years after the blockbuster Aloha From Hawaii television special. The contrast in his appearance between the two shows is striking. He was obviously way overweight, said Elvis’ friend Joe Esposito, a few years after Elvis’ death. Although he did look ill during the filming was the magic still there. Elvis was also still singing great! Just hear Elvis singing thru touching and powerful performances of songs like How Great Thou Art and his latest RCA single Hurt.

Chapters: ?Elvis Fans Comments / Getting Ready For The Show / Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey)/Opening Riff / See See Rider / That’s All Right / Are You Lonesome Tonight? / Teddy Bear, (Let Me Be Your)/Don't Be Cruel / Elvis Fans Comments / You Gave Me A Mountain / Jailhouse Rock / Elvis Fans Comments / How Great Thou Art / Elvis Fans Comments / I Really Don't Want To Know / Elvis Introduces His Father / Hurt / Hound Dog / My Way / Can't Help Falling In Love / Closing Riff/Interview With Elvis’ Father / Special Message From Elvis’ Father ?
Playing time 55 min. ?Director: Dwight Hemion Writer: Annett Wolf
Source:Various
Steve V wrote on July 17, 2007
This is an official release? Where, what region? It looks to be just the TV special with no extras.
TCBCOLLECTOR wrote on July 17, 2007
This is nothing more than a rehashed bootleg. Keywords "best to have surfaced" which means crap quality as usual. You can only "remaster" so much, but if your source is crud, the final product will not be much better.
Viva wrote on July 17, 2007
There are much better versions than this one out there on DVD, and almost all have a lot more footage than is on offer here.
mature_elvis_fan75 wrote on July 17, 2007
Of course its a tacky bootleg,what else did you expect?
ep1tcb wrote on July 17, 2007
We all can discuss long or shot about this one. Yet another release we can add to the tower of june 1977 releases. Nothing new. Just keepthe next line in mind once and for all. THERE WILL N E V E R BE AN OFFICIAL RELEASE OF THE JUNE 1977 CBS TAPES OF ELVIS PRESLEY. That's all you have to keep in mind. It doesn't matter if 10.000.000 fans will buy it, and it brings good cash to the owners... They will not do it. Once again for those who did not quite understand... THEY WIL NEVER RELEASE IT. So hang on tight to what's among us, in whatever pour the quality may be. It's the best you'll ever get. pooohhh.... I sure hope that was a little bit clear.
stanton wrote on July 17, 2007
I collect them all, all the tapes of the `77 CBS Tapes; because they ARE definitely the last we have from Elvis live and I am even happy when I find 2 minutes on a DVD I didn´t see yet or owned before. I bought the Sun King lately and found out the quality is low, but there are maybe 2-3 minutes of footage on there that I didn`t have yet, and so ths is fine with me. I would buy it if there was 1 minute of new footage on it. But that is my personal opinion.
Shaky wrote on July 17, 2007
Buyer Beware, Some 30th Anniversary Editions are improved with Stereo Sound others are just a VHS mono print copied to DVD without bonus features!.
EspenK wrote on July 18, 2007
TCBcollector, you say "crap quality as usual", but there are good versions of this show out there? Last time I saw this concert were only a few years ago, and if my memory serves me right the quality of that copy was a "typical" VHS quality, first generation recording off TV. Of course, VHS in itself suck hard, so it all depends on how you define quality. Notice that the DVD described here contains only the TV show, not the additional material shot for this show. And that tv show is available in decent quality and has been so for many years.
Jerome wrote on July 18, 2007
they try to trick us by using the (selfmade) 30th aniversary logo. And look at the cover photo. Who on earth would pick this photo? That's not Elvis.. that looks more like Tom Jones!!
Pedro Nuno wrote on July 18, 2007
Thank You God! It’s only a bootleg! To officially release this concert in the 30th Anniversary of Elvis Dead would be in so Bad Taste that would put the media and everyone instead of talking about his music, talking about his “fatness”, “strong out look”, and mediocre stage presence. He had a good voice you may say. Yes he had, but only for 2 or 3 songs during the show. In that period Elvis was ill. He should be resting and thinking about his way of life, and not touring. P.S. I have the 2 complete shows from Rapid City and Omaha.
byebye wrote on July 18, 2007
I hate censorship and agree with Bono that this is where Elvis is showing most heart on TV. To me he becomes more of a rock god with this one, rather than a king like in the Aloha special. And that by only showing he´s a human being with faults, overweight but the same time self irony. The motive for holding this one back is due to lack of respect for it´s audience and insults all our intelligence. Like some regim they decide for you and me what to watch with Elvis(!?), and that my friends is called censorship, and blocks freedom. This TV show from Elvis´ last living year in "77 is part of music history from the greatest entertainer from the 20 century. They cant stop this, and should therfor make a official release with best possible quality.
Aron wrote on July 18, 2007
Jesper, I totally agree ...
Jerome wrote on July 18, 2007
never ever will they bring out, as discussed many times before, an official (complete) release. He could hardly walk, talk and give a show at that time. Of course he gave some good vocals but as stated by the owners of this footage, y'all know who, this simply will never see the daylight of an quality release. Again the main reasons: his speech is too slurry, he's coördination pretty hard, the show has too many intervals of band introductions, he looks like sh*t, EPE wants to defend his image, and the footage that have been brought out so far can be considered as highlights..
TCBCOLLECTOR wrote on July 19, 2007
ESPNK: Yes I am aware of the quality that is floating around. I have a pristine copy of both shows complete, and the CBS Special from the master source. Therefore I am not concernded about the June 1977 material. I simply expounded on the decription provided by the manufacturers. Not many have access to my quality, and I understand that, but most fans are getting ripped by these descriptions.
jcorley wrote on July 19, 2007
TCB Collector, if you have such pristine master source copies of the CBS material, why don't you make yours available? Put them on DVD/DVD-r to the tens of thousands of us that are still stuck with poor tenth-generation (or worse) VCD/VHS quality versions, especially of the 2 shows separately. I'm sure most fans would pay top $ for such, as I know I would. You are right, we have been ripped off for years, and I have bought enough versions of the CBS material that if added up would probably make a good car or house payment. Let me know how much to make the check out for. :-)
mature_elvis_fan75 wrote on July 21, 2007
I got something you dont, nah nah nah lol
byebye wrote on July 22, 2007
That´s right Colnago. What EPE should do is to edit this CBS special carefully. And hey, with todays technology you´d might even have something reallly good in the end, instead of the poor unedited version/glimpses out there now. If you listen to the "Elvis in concert" album, you realize how many golden performances he made. That album is also overdubbed, and that´s how this special could sound. *What makes Elvis appearance adverse visually on his part in some sequences, is the unintelligible amateurish light on him in. But that can be arranged for the better, digitally so that every fan would be pleased :)
Devon wrote on July 24, 2007
I dont need to buy this one i was there and seen it live!!!!!
Steve V wrote on July 27, 2007
I wouldnt say Look Out Broadway is a great tune, in fact its one of the low lights of his movie career. I wouldnt want that on a compilation.
Wiebe wrote on July 29, 2007
The reason why Elvis looked a bit worse than he really was in Rapid City, is the bad make-up job. They put way too much brown stuff on his cheeks, making his face look much wider. If you look at the Omaha show, his face looks normal, not too fat. Too bad the Omaha show was not as good. Some of my none-Elvis-fan-friends, prefer to see the In Concert stuff because the show has great soul. The Band is great, El's voice sounds richer than ever. I hope they will once release it. What's the problem; we all know much more about addiction than we did 30 years ago, there's no more tabus. Release it in great quality and you will notice that Elvis was not so much different in 77 as he was in 72 or 73.(OK about 30 kilos) As for the guy that has all that in great quality: release it. I just wonder what you mean by great quality. All the 8 times I bought this stuff they always told me it was in great quality. So I doubt that the quality of your DVD's (the complete shows, not the special) is anywhere near the quality of say This Is Elvis the VHS tape, let alone the Aloha special edition DVD set. I'm not going to buy this release, you can probably download it from newsgroups.
dbacke1 wrote on July 29, 2007
I truly think that EPE have missed out on a golden opportunity again. If they used a positive angle in the marketing and production, they could put out an awesome release of this material. A multi-DVD set, with both concerts and bonus material, re-engineered and remastered to today's standards. Perhaps even HD quality. Elvis sings well, and he is probably his most down to earth and human on stage, more so than "Aloha". He is self-deprecating and humorous, and more loose. I don't know why EPE is so afraid of releasing this. This is his swan song, and his fans deserve to see it. I actually think that many new fans would be gained with this release, because they could see just how courageous he was right to the end. Most of today's artists wouldn't even have the courage to mount the stage if they had a sniffle, and Elvis was in poor health at the time these concerts were filmed. He was where he always wanted to be, on stage, and performing was the only thing he had left that still gave him joy. I hope that some day EPE gives this material the release it deserves, and stops holding back!!!
Dan wrote on July 30, 2007
i agree with dback1!!! It was one of the last concerts that i first saw that i became an Elvis fan. The fact that he was a little heavy didn't diminish the charisma and electricity that he brought. My very first Elvis record was the "Elvis in Concert" double album. I remember playing it soo much, it wore out and we had to get a new one. You are correct, EPE IS missing a golden opportunity on this release, but you know as well as I do, as long as Priscilla and Lisa are alive, the material will NEVER see the light of day....very sad!
L,POOL KID wrote on October 07, 2007
i wish the fans comment's had been edited out,it detracted from the show and like other people have stated it made elvis seem like a guest on his own show.It cut out whole performance of some or most of the songs.