classicsoncall Review of Elvis on Tour

Elvis on Tour (1972)

"I've never gotten over what they call stage fright" - Elvis Presley

[8/10 · 2 January 2015]

Sometimes it takes me a good long while to get on board with modern day celebrities and entertainers. I was never a fan of Elvis or the Beatles for example until well after the fact of their established careers. I don't know why that is, maybe it's just the perspective of passing years adding to their productivity and influence on other artists. This 1972 documentary film recorded Elvis Presley over the course of a fifteen city U.S. tour, remarkably done in a span of just as many days. In appearance, Presley is about midway between his early classic look as a hip swinging rock n' roller and the embarrassing spectacle of the overweight, over medicated singer who succumbed to his addiction some four years later. Unlike a number of other reviewers on this board, I didn't think he looked that good physically, although the performance and showmanship that went with the distinctive voice is on prominent display throughout. Backed by J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, Elvis mixes up his repertoire with rockabilly (Polk Salad Annie), heart throb material (Love Me Tender) and much to my satisfaction, some nice Gospel work (Jesus is the Light House and Lead Me, Guide Me). In between numbers, we get a look back stage at Elvis and his band members, and the gushing fans who can't believe they ever got to see him in person. I don't think "Elvis on Tour" is the definitive work one would rely on to get the full essence of the man and his music, but it's a well put together documentary over all and a satisfying look at the King of Rock and Roll.