Right..............I've left it a few days to collect my thoughts and here they are!
Firstly, and foremostly, as far as I'm concerned if it was a case of watching a "not perfect" Elvis gig live, or seeing no Elvis gig at all, I would always plump for any kind of gig no matter how good or bad ! I'm almost in "the man can do no wrong" camp !
( although I do realise that everyone is human.......even Elvis ! )
That said, I do appreciate that RAH was not one of his best gigs, but there was still lots of good stuff there.
Yes, his voice gets a bit scratchy as the tours go on.
Yes, the audience were a bit over polite ( probably down to the venue aswell )
Yes, he has recently tended to over play, and maybe over complicate some of the guitar playing, stretching out the songs a bit too much, which can lead to losing the thread of certain songs.
Yes, it could be said that the gig was maybe a bit self indulgent.
Yes, maybe some different songs might have worked better, especially on the singalongs.
Yes, he is getting older ( aren't we all ! ) and using the autocue more and more.
Yes, it was brilliant to see Steve back on stage with him !
Yes , the new arrangements were fantastic !
Oh, and Yes, Georgie Fame was good !
But...........and it's a big BUT, as I said earlier, that any live show from the man is still interesting, entertaining and enjoyable! You have to remember the good bits ( which was most of it) and forget the iffy bits !
As for him taking 5 years off to just write and not perform live........................hell no ! ! !
Firstly, I don't think he would enjoy that as he obviously loves performing, and lets face it, all this talk of him doing it for the money I think are well wide of the mark ! He is a showman and revels in the thrill of the live shows ! Secondly, it would also be no good for all us fans either ! I can't believe anyone would really not want to see him perform live for 5 years !
As i said on one of the other threads, I think the next tour, or dates, should include a full band ( Imposters ? ) to liven it up a bit, and get back to the sound of the"good old days". He can still do some "solo" style songs even with the band around him as he has done in the past, and maybe put more thought into some of the venues. Perhaps another stand-up gig at The Cliffs in Southend as it was amazing !
So that's about it. We'll not all agree on everything, which is what makes the world go round, but for me it was well worth going to RAH although not a classic by any means.
Roll on some new dates next year, sooner rather than later, and then we can start this whole discussion process once again !
Bring it on ! Elvis is King !
That's all folks ! I'm off to the gym now....................and I'm gonna listen to MAIT as I pound the treadmill !
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