Home
Back

Elvis In Concert '77

This TV Special is the last televised footage of Elvis before his death two months later, taken from various sources

Elvis In Concert is a  TV special . It was Elvis' third and final TV special, following Elvis (aka The '68 Comeback Special) and Aloha From Hawaii. It was filmed during Presley's final tour in the cities of Omaha, Nebraska, on June 19, 1977, and Rapid City, South Dakota, on June 21, 1977. It was shown on CBS on October 3, 1977, two months after Elvis died. It is one of the few videos of Elvis which remain unlikely to ever be released for home viewing and is only available in bootleg form

On June 1, 1977, it was announced that Elvis Presley had signed a deal with CBS for a new television special. It was agreed that CBS would videotape concerts during the summer of 1977. The final special was culled from footage from two performances on June 19, 1977, in Omaha, and June 21, 1977, in Rapid City, although much of the footage from Omaha was considered unusable due to sound and performance problems. This concert has been heavily edited and bootlegs (possible stolen tapes) have appeared on auction web sites over the years. The show was shot on NTSC videotape although many film conversions have appeared over the years. The crew also filmed footage of Elvis at the airport in Indianapolis, receiving a golden record by RCA, on June 26. This is the last known footage of Elvis ever filmed, and he can be seen wearing his favourite DEA jacket.

During the special, Presley performs a number of songs spanning his career. A notable moment is his performance of "Are You Lonesome Tonight" in which he appears to forget the words during the song's long monologue portion, improvising mumbled jokes instead; this footage was included in the later documentary This is Elvis to illustrate his poor condition at the time. (Darrin Memmer's book "Elvis Presley - The 1977 CBS Television Special", published in 2001 by Morris Publishing, makes a strong case that Elvis regularly played around with the words during the spoken portion of the song on stage, rather than it being a case of poor memory; indeed, a 1969 performance of Elvis breaking into laughter during the same section of the song has been widely released.) Elvis also sings his much-performed "My Way" although he has to use a lyric sheet on this occasion (despite having played the song several years through the 1970s); this performance is notable for the song's prophetic lyric, "And now the end is near and so I face the final curtain."

According to Roy Carr and Mick Farren in Elvis: The Illustrated Record, CBS officials considered postponing broadcast of the special in hopes of obtaining better performance footage of Elvis, but his death in August 1977 rendered this moot. Its broadcast received mixed reaction; Carr and Farren condemned it as a "travesty", adding, "Had it been shown during his lifetime, it would have caused more irrevocable damage to what was left of his career than almost a decade of starring in third-rate movies."

A misconception regarding Elvis in Concert stems from a statement broadcast by Elvis' father, Vernon Presley at the program's conclusion (and also included on the soundtrack album) in which he said viewers had just witnessed Elvis' final performance. In fact, Elvis made five more concert appearances before giving what would be his final show in Indianapolis, Indiana, on June 26. However the CBS special was Elvis' last professionally recorded concert. The special actually contains two messages by Elvis' father. One taped in a hotel room during the tour in June when Elvis was still alive, and the other taped in the back office of Graceland shortly after Elvis death where he thanks the many who sent letters and cards after Elvis' death.

Shooting Dates:-
19th - 21st June 1977

Locations:-
Omaha, Nebraska
Rapid City, South Dakota

Main Performers:-
Elvis Presley - Vocals, Guitar
James Burton - Guitar
John Wilkinson - Rhythm Guitar
Charlie Hodge - Guitar, Vocals
Jerry Scheff - Bass Guitar
Ronnie Tutt - Drums
Glen D. Hardin - Piano
J.D Sumner & The Stamps Quartet - Vocals
The Sweet Inspirations - Vocals
Kathy Westmoreland - Vocals
Joe Guercio And His Orchestra

Release Date:-
8th November 1957

Director-
Dwight Hemion

Producers:-
Dwight Hemion / Gary Smith

Running Time:-
60 minutes (including commercials)

Track Listing

Elvis Fan's Comments
Opening Riff
Also Sprach Zarathustra
See See Rider
That's All Right
Are You Lonesome Tonight?
Teddy Bear
Don't Be Cruel
Elvis Fans' Comments II
You Gave Me A Mountain
Jailhouse Rock
Elvis Fans' Comments III
How Great Thou Art
Elvis Fans' Comments IV
I Really Don't Want To Know
Elvis Introduces His Father
Hurt
Hound Dog
My Way
Can't Help Falling In Love
Closing Riff
Special Message From Elvis' Father
I Got A Woman
Amen
Elvis Talks
Love Me
If You Love Me (Let Me Know)
O Sole Mio / It's Now Or Never
Trying To Get To You
Hawaiian Wedding Song
Fairytale
Little Sister
Early Morning Rain
What'd I Say
Johnny B. Goode
And I Love You So