Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii

This is the one to show young people who want to know Elvis. Not the silly movies he made in the 60's. Not even Elvis On Tour or Thats The Way It Is. Show people who want to know what Elvis was all about...Aloha From Hawaii. This is The King of Rock and Roll in his court. He looks stunning. He sounds awesome. You can see the charisma that made him an icon. His white jumpsuits have become kind of a running joke. However in 1973 this was the style a lot of artists were wearing on stage. The one he sports in Aloha From Hawaii looks beautiful. He even tosses the cape and belt out to the audience. I love the 70's Elvis. The jewelery, the jumpsuits, the limos...all the excess he became famous for. I know that excess (in all forms) drove him to an early grave, but here we get to see him in all his glory before it spun out of his control. Aloha From Hawaii is Elvis, takin care of business.

Elvis returned to Hawaii for what became his last great performance. It was broadcast around the world via satellite. Elvis is 38 and looking fit. It is hard to believe he would be dead in just over four years! Burning Love is followed by The Beatles' Something. Fever sizzles and is remarkably relevant for a song that was a hit in the 1950s. There is very little clowning here like there was in Elvis: That's The Way It Is. Elvis is thoroughly confident, and his band is polished and tight after having played together 3 or 4 years. It is all business as Elvis moves from one dramatic cover to another. Song selection seems to reflect his recent divorce.

This is it, folks. This is the greatest concert of all time. To me it's to see the light.

Elvis Presley looks more handsome than ever in the film. He sings better than ever, but doesn't do so much rock 'n' roll than he made in the '68 Comeback Special (original name "Elvis"). There he was king of rock 'n' roll, in Aloha from Hawaii he is King of Music.

Special Edition and Deluxe Edition DVD's includes the new edition which is much better than the original US version, which was aired later than the live concert to Asia, Europe and other areas.

10/10

I hadn't seen, even on TV, an Elvis concert performance in 30 years and even though I grew up with "The King" and rock 'n roll, I still was surprised how good this concert turned out to be. I also remember hearing and reading - for years - how fat and bloated Elvis looked in his "last years" but that must have been later because he looked great here.

It also surprised me that Presley did Beatles' songs along with other tunes made famous by other people....and did them really well. Maybe I shouldn't have been because Elvis did Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes" way back in the beginning of his career and he liked Chuck Berry songs, which he does in this concert, along with a Jerry Lee Lewis and a Little Richard song. I wish Elvis had done more blues numbers because he sounded very good on "Steamroller Blues," a James Taylor song.

Anyway, whether it's a ballad, or a country song, a gospel tune, a rockabilly number.....whatever, Presley sounded good, showing his versatility. He also had - no surprise - a great band and backup singers. I particularly appreciate the work of lead guitarist James Burton, who's still going strong at age 70.

This concert is available, by the way, on two different DVDs: the "TV concert" and an "extended" version which includes his rehearsals and other bonus features.

This might be Elvis four years before his death and, yes, he's not the super-energetic rockabilly kid from the '50s, but the man wasn't just a legendary performer, this concert shows how well he could sing! I'm only sorry it took me this long to fully appreciate the man's talents.

On Sunday morning, January 14, 1973 a historic concert by Elvis Presley was beamed around the world via satellite. In excess of one billion people watched Elvis play to standing room only at the Honolulu International Center in Hawaii. The special engagement was to raise money for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund. A goal of 25 thousand dollars collected was said to be matched and doubled.

Elvis was in peak form musically and physically. He was thin and drop dead gorgeous. His voice was very powerful as he belted out 23 songs, highlighted by 'American Trilogy' and the Kui Lee song that Elvis originally recorded in 1966, 'I'll Remember You'. A top selling soundtrack of the concert was released and is also considered historic.

This was a milestone in the unequaled career of THE KING!