Fans of Elvis were left furious and upset when a special Elvis concert played at the Caird Hall, Dundee. And now the creator of Elvis Presley — On Stage has apologised and admitted full responsibility for the problems that led to fans walking out mid-
performance.
Stig Edgren responded to complaints about the editing, sound quality and general production values of the performance. Stig, who has worked with Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises for more than 20 years, said: “I’m sorry they had a bad experience.”
Gordon McDonald, 77, a retired general retail manager who lives in Broughty Ferry, was one of those unhappy with the show. He said: “We have gone to every Elvis tribute that comes to town and nothing will put me off, but it was poor. Poor beyond description. I wouldn’t like to think that they were putting their name to this one.”
Mr McDonald had seen a similar tribute concert in Glasgow several years ago, where Presley’s original band members performed alongside a holographic version of the singer. This time round he had persuaded his friends to come along to the Caird Hall thinking it would be similar?
Instead, footage of Elvis was projected onto a screen and the show was plagued by technical problems.
“The sound was so distorted that unless you knew the words of the songs you wouldn’t have been able to make them out,” said Mr McDonald. “We could see them trying to bring the image down to the right size. I was so embarrassed.” One Broughty Ferry-based fan said he and his wife left at the intermission. “It was so disappointing. It was just a shambles. Elvis would turn in his grave if he knew his fans were being treated like this.”
Hearing the criticisms regarding the performance, tickets for which cost £35 each, Stig encouraged audience members who were dissatisfied to contact him. He said: “I think these people saw the show that I did previously. The other show had a different variety of footage. It was re-cut. That was me, too. I’m so sorry, it’s my fault that they didn’t like it. It’s a brand new show and we are learning too. ”
I think it is time to stop with trying to bring Elvis back through these tours. It was special then as usual they run a good thing into the ground just like FTD does with constantly releasing outtakes and concerts with the same setlist over and over. It is greed and does nothing but harm the legacy of Elvis
I went to see the show in sheffield and i was left disappointed, the production format was not as good as Elvis in Concert which i have seen many times, the visuals in the new show was blurred in parts and the images varied in size which didnt work for me also the concept was supposedly worked around elvis 1970 vegas shows so why include songs from the 68 special and the sit down segment was a pointless inclusion and broke up the "live" concert feel..the band was actually very good and brought a lot of energy to the performances but sometimes drowned out elvis' vocals notably on bridge and just pretend! i actually booked two shows but in hindsight would have only booked to see it once, it will be the last time i will go see it in this format and i think the next tour should feature elvis as an hologram like they did with sinatra if not i doubt i will support another show like this elvis fans deserve much better
Perhaps mr McDonald his ears were faing him as well.. C'mon the guy is 77!..
no jerome dont patronise the guy not all 77 year olds are deaf and blind, i am 46 and the production is sub standard and if it was my fathers legacy i would never have approved this show even the guy who was behind this production Stig Edgren admitted the show had its problems so why put it out on tour....if you are going to do something do it right or not at all especially when people are paying with there hard earned money to see it!!
Hi Roytcb, I agree wholeheartedly with your remarks about the quality of the show, if you can't bring it top notch then don't bring it at all, it damages our man's image.As for Jerome's remark(s) we all know what to expect . It's regrettable that such id...s are tolerated on this site. Hope the webmaster(s) sooner or later put a stop to these almost always chlidish (and sometimes real stupid) comments.Pls deliver us from such 'fans' ! On the other hand, maybe they should not be too harsh with a child of probably 9 or 10 or 11 years old ? Always El.
I'm going to see it in Paris, the 9 of June. I'm not expecting the magnificence from "The Concert", but honestly hope to see something fair and nice. It is probably just a matter of taste in the new format since the footage we have in Youtube from Sheffield, is a very nice one, with a good live support and fine arrangements. For me this is the most essential part of the Show: Elvis voice, song line up and a good live support. The format is also important but, in my opinion, it ranks second. I've seen the concert six times, each year it came to Europe, from 2000 in Paris until 2012 in London. Elvis Voice is returning and I had to go and listen to it, since that Voice was and is a capital part of my life, and a "reason for living". If the technical problems are over, no matter the format, it's very difficult for me not to like the show. After all The King and his Voice will be there...
I seen this Show last night in Cardiff and it was outstanding
I saw the show too in Cardiff on the 16th. I just want to share some of my observations. Firstly the live band were fantastic with a really great drummer. In my opinion they shouldn't be hidden behind the screen but should be out front just like the TCB band were, it gives the whole thing more of a live feel. The screen should be behind the band as in Elvis The Concert,
There was only one big screen instead of 3 as there was in the last production. I have to agree with some of the previous comments regarding Elvis' voice which was lost at times and barely audible.The '68 comeback section unplugged was where the show lost it's pace. The sound was awful at this point (Lawdy Miss Clawdy) but when it returned to Vegas '70 footage thankfully things got back on track. I have to say my friends who had seen Elvis The Concert with me previously and were blown away by it , were disappointed with this production.
Elvis The Concert it's not, but still enjoyable nonetheless .
I have seen previous versions of the 'Elvis In Concert' show some 24 times but I can honestly say that the latest outing 'Elvis Presley Live On Stage' is by far the best yet. The sound is outstanding as are the band and Elvis on the big screen. He looks almost holographic. I attended the Milton Keynes concert and at the end Elvis got a standing ovation from the whole crowd. I will be attending the Oxford and Hammersmith shows and can't wait. I am overwhelmed.
Nice to know it's OK now ! Hi Brian, just out of interest : don't you miss the original TCB band a little ? Always El.
I saw this show and it was dreadful. Amateurish and not a patch on ELVIS THE CONCERT. A very low-budget production with none of the original TCB band and a poor choice of film footage. The fact that 'fans' will still pay £35.00 or whatever to go and see it shows that they're desperate to try and hang on to the idea that Elvis is still 'with us' even though he checked out over 35 years ago. Get over it - I have. (And I didn't pay anything to see the show - a mate of mine works at the venue so I saw it as a guest of his. Otherwise I wouldn't have went. I went out of curiosity and because I'd enjoyed ELVIS THE CONCERT so much in the past. But this new version just sucks and is so obviously nothing more than a money-making exercise trading on past glories.)
The current show is ten times better than the previous versions and the musicians outdo the TCB Band easily who were definitely trading on past glories in my opinion. James Burton's guitar was never loud enough for me and the only Sweet Inspiration left had to sit down for most of the show. This situation was embarrassing and could no longer be allowed. The new musicians and production are outstanding and hopefully will return next year. Elvis would have been proud of them.
We went to see the show again in York and the majority of people enjoyed it but i did see some people walk out part way through the show,we actually enjoyed it more than the first show we saw in Sheffield probably because we knew what to expect but still found the 68 sit down segment dire which spoiled the momentum of the show and the musicians popping round the curtain looked amateurish,trilogy was a welcomed addition as an encore and a wise move by the production team as this brought a standing ovation by the crowd, the band was on top form and i cant help thinking that the drummer looked a little like a young Ronnie Tutt and i must say he was smoking hot, my conclusion to the show is that it was nearly there but lacked in certain areas especially the visuals which should not be the case with an artistic like Elvis Presley it should have been a gig fit for a king but it didnt work out that way and it made me feel that EPE was just out to make a fast buck instead of a first class show which after all is what we expect...this is the last time i will pay my money to see a show in this format I think EPE need to go back to the drawing board and look to invest in a hologram show as the current format as run out of legs