Elvis The 25th Anniversary Concert

Looking back on my life, there are a few places I wish I had been. I wish I had been in the grassy knoll in Dallas in 1963. I wish I had been in Ford's theater and yelled, "look out, Mr. President!" and I wish I had been... well, you get the picture! One place I really wish I had been was the Elvis-25th Anniversary Concert in Memphis last year.

Let me tell you, this concert was nothing sort of SPECTACULAR! The Pyramid was sold out, the Elvis Hype was at it's peak and the time was right. But, alas, I Live in Las Vegas and it was nearly impossible for me to get to Memphis. I had to settle for the Elvis The Concert at the Aladdin hotel the Week after, and that was very exciting anyway!

I recently saw, on this websit, the article about the Elvis 25th Anniversary concert that had been released (escaped) onto VCD. I read some reviews about the lanking out of the screen in a few spots and some shakey camera work, but I decided to scour the internet and see if I could not find it for myself. The cover art looked great ( in fact, one review said "don't be fooled by the nice cover") and I am aware that VCD quality can vary a bit from just below dvd to not as good as VHS, but I had to see this show! It was not too difficult to find a few "vendors" offering this gem, so I took a chance. For obvious reasons, I will not divulge the website or the person I obtained this from, but it was not hard to find! Plopping down my $25 bucks for a "double offer". Not only did I get the VCD, but also the CD soundtrack as well, in my eyes... a bargain.

So, it comes in a matter of days, and I anxiously put it into the DVD Player. THERE IT IS... the Pyramid... the stage, here comes Priscilla to welcome everyone. I was very excited. The montage of 50's and 60's music is nothing short of Breathtaking! All I kept saying to myself is ... "I wish I had been there!". Then Lisa comes out, intro's here new song about her Dad (nothing too great, but it's nice to here her sing), then some gospel and then the concert starts... this part, I have attended here in Las Vegas twice, and it's just a great! The audience is in great form and it really adds to the excitement, it makes the show! The quality is not bad, but at least I can be a part of the magic that happened that historic evening in Memphis, 25 years after "he" has gone! I am thankfull to that person who had the guts to bring in his/her video camera and make this available for everyone to see. After hearing numerous articles from RCA and E.P.E, I fear that an official release will never happen. Contracts, publsihing rights and money will make this only a dream for most of us... except those who can find this VCD. I say to you, it is illegal to make, sell and to buy bootleg merchandise, we all know this, but for history's sake, find one and watch it. If you were there, what a momento! If you missed it, like me, WOW... what a show it must have been...