EAP Index World: The Final Farewell (CD

Title:

The Final Farewell

Label:

Rainbow Records [RR 19770626-2]

Format:

Double CD

Number of tracks:

Running time:

103:30

Type of album:

Concert

Linked to:

Unofficial discography

Year:

2008

Recording date:

June 26, 1977

Release date:

2008

Singles:

---

The Final Farewell is a Rainbow Records double CD featuring part of the pre-show and the entire June 26, 1977 show in Indianapolis, Indiana, which would prove to be the last of Elvis Presley's career. The work is an improved version of the 1988 CD "The Last Farewell", by E.P. Records, and the 1993 J.A. Records effort "Adiós, The Final Performance". Eternal Flame Productions released the same tracks in a remastered version in 2016, titled "The Final Performance, Indianapolis - June 26, 1977".

On June 17, 1977, Elvis began what would be his last tour. For ten days he would perform in 10 different cities, including Omaha and Rapid City, in which he recorded his special "Elvis in Concert", and culminating with the magnificent, for that moment, concert on June 26, 1977 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In total, Elvis would pass through an audience of 117 thousand people and raise more than US$ 1.5 million in those few days. In 1977, his 59 shows would bring in around US$ 7 million, a low sum compared to previous years when only a 30-day season in Las Vegas grossed US$ 2.5 million and national tours brought in more, on average, $50 million.

Of course, Elvis' poor health played a part in why these numbers were low, since newer fans began to see him as a music dinosaur. Another point was the musical style of the time, which also began to change rapidly towards Punk Rock and Pop, alienating younger audiences. The work of the media, which vilified Elvis whenever they could, also played a part.

But Elvis was Elvis and if there was one thing he could count on, it was his millions of fans across the US and the world. His voice, which at that time was starting to sound like that of tenors, was something else that never failed him. Even at the worst shows of 1977, and there were many, unfortunately, his voice remained intact and sonorous - albeit slurred and tired at times.

After his concert in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the night of June 25th, Elvis flew early on the 26th to Indianapolis, where he would perform at the end of his tour that night. According to members of the Mafia, he complained of not being able to sleep and of some headaches during the flight, but nothing serious or that suggested the need to cancel the concert.

There was a certain enthusiasm about him and a willingness to sing old classics from his shows and so some changes were made to the setlist. With such modifications, the performance would become something amazing.

Elvis had some contractual obligations at that time. Upon arriving at the Cincinnati airport, he was greeted by RCA executives and awarded a record equivalent to a 200x Diamond sales certificate due to the fact that the label's Indianapolis factory had reached the two billion pressed LPs mark during the production of "Moody Blue".

At ease in his special DEA attire, Elvis attended to executives and the press as he descended from the Lisa Marie, taking photos for news stories and archives. Fans waiting at the airport could see him from afar and receive a wave, but there was no approach for photos and autographs due to his flight delay and the need to rest.

Elvis receives a prize at the Indianapolis airport; June 26, 1977

Elvis, Vernon, Ginger, Joe Esposito and Ed Parker took their limousine right after and headed to the hotel where they would stay until the time of the show. Just before 7:30 pm the King of Rock and his entourage headed to the Market Square Arena, where 18,000 people would see him perform in his Mexican Sundial jumpsuit. In fact, many people would still be outside the arena, trying to at least listen to the performance, as tickets sold out quickly and the audience was larger than the venue could accommodate.

At the time, with each passing show, it was noticed that the public's interest increased and the next event sold out beyond expectations. Elvis Presley was still a strong name in the music world, but there is a chance that his audience was realizing that those could be his last moments on stage, whether due to retirement or illness. In a way, the whole worship felt a bit morbid.

Backstage, Elvis prepared for his concert to the sound of the pre-show that was taking place in the arena. As usual, his backing vocals carried a few songs and excited the audience for the big moment. JD Sumner and The Stamps are the headliners, singing Gospel classics and songs from their new albums. Following, The Sweet Inspirations sing some hits of the moment like "Black Sunday" and "If You Leave Me Now", in addition to a long medley of songs by Stevie Wonder. The performance of the trio leads to the end of the pre-show and the most anticipated moment of the night. The lights go down and the magic happens one last time.

Elvis arrives at Market Square Arena

Below is a detailed review of the concert.

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CD 1 - PRE-SHOW

JD Sumner & The tamps Quartet:

- 1. Great Good Morning

- 2. Street Corner Preacher

- 3. Gone at Last

- 4. Operator

- 5. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

The Sweet Inspirations:

- 6. Black Sunday

- 7. If You Leave Me Now

- 8. Get Away

- 9. Introductions and Intermission

CD 2 - ELVIS IN CONCERT

- 1. Also Sprach Zarathustra: The audience is ecstatic and it's no wonder. Despite all the difficulties, Elvis enters the stage with contagious energy.

- 2. See See Rider: The first thing you notice is that the song is playing slower than usual. It's not a radical change and it's almost imperceptible, but it shows that Elvis was concerned with adapting the show to his voice and energy that night.

- 3. I Got a Woman / Amen: Also performed slower, it's a standard rendition. The difference is that Elvis is really willing and does a lot of elaborate steps during the performance. After an extra-long striptease and dive bombs, he ends the song with karate chops and throwing the guitar into the shadows, right into Charlie Hodge's hands.

- 4. Love Me: "Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to say that it's a pleasure to be here. You sound like a very good audience, and we hope to entertain you tonight. We're going to sing a lot of songs, old ones, new ones, and some you've never heard, you know... Polish folk songs." After a long introduction, the song starts, again slower than usual, and the King of Rock starts handing out scarves to his hysterical fans.

- 5. Fairytale: "This next song is one that we, uh... It's kind of the story of my life, it's called 'Fairytale'." This is one of the few songs he was singing with enthusiasm at the time, and you can see it under all the difficulties of that night. The version, however, runs at a slower pace than usual.

Elvis in Indianapolis; June 26, 1977 (last two photos - ©Keith Alverson)

- 6. You Gave Me a Mountain: Elvis' voice sounds very strong in the rendition and recalls some of the best shows of that last season. The band's rhythm seems to have briefly returned to normal and the crowd really enjoys what they hear, especially as the King of Rock starts to get carried away and show the true power of his voice.

- 7. Jailhouse Rock: "My third movie was called 'Jailhouse Rock'. There's quite a lot of words to it, but, uh... I shall try." As soon as the song starts, Elvis cuts it off. His still very sharp ear noticed that his new drummer Larrie Londin had skipped a note and that was all it took for him to want to start all over again. The rendition then proceeds as usual.

- 8. O Sole Mio / It's Now or Never: The first signs of fatigue appear when Elvis begins to stall during the introduction of Sherrill Nielsen: "So I'd like to ask Sherrill to do, to do, do, do, do - 'that's all, folks!' (a joke from Porky for his stuttering - cool!) To do the Italian version of 'O Sole Mio' and then we'll do 'It's Now or Never'. Listen to his voice, ladies and gentlemen."

Nielsen does his usual part and Elvis stops the music to ask him to repeat the last part. (Why didn't anyone tell Elvis that the magnificent voice he heard as Sherrill screamed wasn't the same one we heard?) Genuinely excited by his tenor, the King of Rock delivers an impressively well-executed English version.

- 9. Little Sister: "I'd like to do a medley of some of my records for you, little ones." The song is well-received, but performs less well than in previous days. The audience doesn't care and claps along to the beat, something that cheers Elvis up.

- 10. Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel: The rendition is standard, with Elvis handing scarves to wild fans at the edge of the stage. It's interesting to note that Larrie Londin's drumming makes an incredible difference in this version.

Elvis in Indianapolis; June 26, 1977 (first and last photo - ©Tom Loomis; others - ©Len Leech)

- 11. Release Me: "Thank you very much. Uh, let's see... Please Release Me. In what key do we do it?" The first surprise of the night is received with real enthusiasm by the audience. Elvis had already sung it on two other occasions in 1977, but the song was officially out of his shows since September 1973. The version clearly does not live up to the most famous ones from the beginning of the decade, but it shows an Elvis who leaned towards different things than to which Parker and part of his audience would like to lock him to. The tempo is much slower than normal. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. That was totally unrehearsed."

- 12. I Can't Stop Loving You: "This here next song... Uh, this next song... You know, we'd like to do different tonight, ladises and gentlemen, uh, there's a list of songs that we can do." The audience suggests "I Can't Stop Loving You", a classic absent from the stage since July 1974.

Elvis misses the entry on the first attempt, but starts again and shows that he still remembers the lyrics perfectly. Aside from the not-so-high notes and slightly slower rendition, the song is well-performed for something spontaneously chosen.

- 13. Bridge Over Troubled Water: Fans ask and Elvis complies: "Let's do 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'." The version is quite slow and Elvis uses notes more suited to his vocal power at the time, but the audience applauds effusively for the effort to fulfill that request for a song that has only been sung sporadically since September 1974. The audience's screams and applause take over fully at the end.

- 14. Band Introductions: It's time to introduce his group members. The Sweet Inspirations, JD Sumner, The Stamps Quartet (introduced individually), Sherrill Nielsen and Kathy Westmoreland come first.

- 15. Early Morning Rain: Elvis sings during John Wilkinson's rhythm guitar solo.

- 16. What'd I Say: James Burton's first solo proceeds as usual, with Elvis singing.

- 17. Johnny B. Goode: James' second solo as usual.

- 18. Drum Solo:Larrie Londin does a killer drum solo (same as Ronnie Tutt, but much more elaborate).

- 19. Bass Solo: Jerry Scheff does a root Blues in his solo.

- 20. Piano Solo: Tony Brown does his solo.

Elvis in Indianapolis; June 26, 1977
(first photo - ©Tom Loomis; second photo - ©Len Leech; others - ©Bob Heis)

- 21. I Really Don't Want to Know: Elvis sings during Tony Brown's second solo.

- 22. Electric Piano Solo: Bobby Ogdin performs his psychedelic solo.

- 23. School Days: Finally, Charlie Hodge, Joe Guercio and his orchestra are introduced. Elvis gives it his all in the end.

- 24. Hurt: "One of our latest records is called 'Hurt'." Elvis raises the opening note and the fans scream along. One of the greatest concert classics from 1976 onwards, the song is really emotional for everyone. Elvis does his best despite the odds and delivers a solid rendition that is heard by the audience in almost total silence and adoration. Elvis' final notes in the song seem to really express and release all his pain.

- 25. Hound Dog: Fans rave about the song and the scarves handed out by Elvis during it. Larrie Londin's heavy drumming encourages the King of Rock to go further in his signature dance at the end of the song. He rocks, rolls, jumps and kicks; it spills all his feelings.

- 26. Introduction of Vernon Presley, and others: Elvis introduces Vernon to the emotional audience and calls him to the stage, hugging him affectionately. After thanks to his production team, family, and friends (Elvis calls Jo Smith "my assassin," in a rather odd quip), the moment of final goodbyes arrives.

- 27. Can't Help Falling in Love: "If you want us back, just let us know and we'l come back, you know. Adiós!" Elvis does a phenomenal version of his 1961 hit and takes the opportunity to say goodbye to Felton Jarvis and Joe Guercio during the interpretation.

- 28. Closing Vamp: The audience sighs in a mixture of sadness, melancholy and ecstasy, seeming to know that the last opportunity to see Elvis had ended. The last goodbye had taken place before their eyes. Unknowingly, they hear the famous line one last time: "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building. Thank you and good night!"

Elvis says goodbye to his fans for the last time; June 26, 1977 (last photo - ©Bob Heis)

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THE ANTECESSORS

Title:

The Last Farewell

Label:

E. P. Records [CD78-1]

Format:

Number of tracks:

Running time:

78:00

Type of album:

Concert

Linked to:

Unofficial discography

Year:

1988

Recording date:

June 26, 1977

Release date:

1988

Singles:

---

With a more precarious sound than the double CD reviewed above, but still very good for an amateur recording, the CD was the first to bring Elvis' last concert to the public. The pre-show parts present in "The Final Farewell" had not yet been discovered in 1988.

The work contains the following tracks:

1. Also Sprach Zarathustra

2. See See Rider

3. I Got a Woman / Amen

4. Love Me

5. Fairytale

6. You Gave Me a Mountain

7. Jailhouse Rock

8. O Sole Mio / It's Now or Never

9. Little Sister

10. Teddy Bear / Don't be cruel

11. Release Me

12. I Can't Stop Loving You

13. Bridge Over Troubled Water

14. Early Morning Rain

15. What'd I Say

16. Johnny B. Goode

17. Ronnie Tutt Drum Solo

18. Jerry Scheff Bass Solo

19. Tony Brown Piano Solo

20. I really Don't Want to Know

21. Bobby Ogdin Clavinet Solo

22. Joe Guercio Orchestra Solo

23. Hurt

24. Hound Dog

25. Can't Help Falling in Love

26. Closing Vamp

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Title:

Adiós - The Final Performance

Label:

A. J. Records [CD92-2002]

Format:

Number of tracks:

Running time:

79:00

Type of album:

Concert

Linked to:

Unofficial discography

Year:

1993

Recording date:

June 26, 1977

Release date:

1993

Singles:

---

With slightly improved sound, the CD featured Elvis' last show with a few minutes more. The pre-show parts featured in "The Final Farewell" had yet to be discovered in 1993.

The work contains the following tracks:

1. Also Sprach Zarathustra

2. See See Rider

3. I Got a Woman / Amen

4. Love Me

5. Fairytale

6. You Gave Me a Mountain

7. Jailhouse Rock

8. O Sole Mio / It's Now or Never

9. Little Sister

10. Teddy Bear

11. Don't be cruel