By the time Elvis Aaron Presley, aka the King, died in the bathroom at his Gracelands mansion in Memphis on August 16, 1977, he was seriously obese and permanently drugged up, his dangerous good looks and blazing natural talent long gone. His last public performances, bursting out of outfits that once fitted his sleek frame like a glove, were disasters.
But like all diehard fans, I reserve the right to remember Elvis in his prime, in particular the night in July 1969 when he played a two-hour set at the Las Vegas International hotel.
In my mind's eye, I still see him winding up an epic seven-minute version of Suspicious Minds, trademark white jumpsuit soaked in sweat and split strategically at the crotch. He went on to knock our socks off with Blue Suede Shoes, Johnny B Goode and the haunting lament In the Ghetto.
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philip jacobson on a classic night with Elvis in Las Vegas, 30 years after his death |
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This was one of the first live gigs Elvis had undertaken for almost a decade: his singing career had been overshadowed by his roles in a series of truly dreadful movies. There were rumours that his unforgettable voice had gone, jibes about him being left "all washed up" by the musical revolution led by the Beatles. After booking our budget-busting trip, my wife and I worried that we might be making an expensive mistake.
Yet everything went like a dream, from the moment we were given a room on the same floor of the International as the Presley entourage to the prime position table for the show that we were given as visiting Brits. Our only regret was that we never thought to ask the King's huge minders whom we encountered in the lifts if he would autograph our programme. 
FIRST POSTED AUGUST 10, 2007 |
