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Elvis-The Concert, the astounding production that reunites former Elvis band mates live on stage with a state of the art video-projected Elvis, continues its historic and critically acclaimed world tour. This is, in effect, Elvis' first-ever world concert tour, which began in America in 1998. In his lifetime Elvis' only concerts outside the United States were five shows in three Canadian cities in 1957. A world tour was an unrequited dream for Elvis and for his international fans. More than twenty years after the superstar's death, the dream has come true. Elvis-The Concert is now an official Guinness World Record Tm holder, noted as "the first live tour starring a performer who is no longer living." Highlights since the show hit the road in 1998 have been three sold-out performances at Radio City Music Hall, Elvis' return to the Las Vegas Hilton, and two smash engagements at London's Wembley Arena. The show has toured in America several times, toured twice in Europe, and has toured in Australia and Japan. Critics and fans alike have been wowed at every engagement. More U.S. dates continue to be booked and return tours of Europe and Australia are in the works. The show's concept is to present an authentic as possible Elvis Presley concert. The producers edited together a collection of Elvis' finest concert performances that exist on film and video and removed all sound from the footage except for Elvis' vocal. The Elvis footage is projected on a large video screen. On stage are a 16-piece orchestra and a group of Elvis' original band mates from the concert era of his career perform live with the Elvis video. All music heard in the concert production is performed live except for Elvis' voice. On either side of the Elvis performance screen are screens that carry live action from the stage. From the first song, it's magic. You're at a real Elvis concert. The original Elvis band mates who participate in this production are: Joe Guercio (conducting), The Sweet Inspirations (female backing vocals), former members of J.D. Sumner & the Stamps Quartet or former members of The Imperials (male backing vocals), and the TCB Band: James Burton (lead guitar), Glen D. Hardin (piano), Jerry Scheff (bass guitar), and Ronnie Tutt (drums). Today, people are accustomed to seeing giant video screens used in live concerts to bring the star closer to the audience. Elvis' presence on screen is so strong, the interaction with his live band mates so seamless, the audience reaction so intense that, a few songs into the show, one can almost forget that Elvis isn't really there in person. Everything in terms of staging, set design, lighting, sound, and overall production is as if Elvis were alive and back out on the road. The audience response to this concept has been overwhelming. Long-time Elvis fans who attended actual Elvis concerts say they feel that same original excitement and electricity. The fans who never got to see him perform, many of whom were born after Elvis' death, say it is a dream-come-true experience they thought was lost to them forever. The production is so authentic and so well done that there are moments in the show when even Elvis' own band mates and members of the production team almost think Elvis is really back in the building! Elvis concert footage for the show comes primarily from material shot for the MGM concert films Elvis, That's The Way It Is (1970) and Elvis on Tour (1972) and from the historic 1973 global television special Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii, via Satellite. This footage contains some of Elvis' finest performances from the concert era of his career, the era that is celebrated by the Elvis-The Concert production. The other main criterion for selecting from these films is that they were originally recorded in multi-track. Thus, the producers are able to drop all sound from the footage, then return to the footage the isolated track that recorded only from Elvis' microphone in these exact concert performances. This early 1970's footage captured Elvis at the pinnacle of his superstardom, at the height of his powers as a concert performer, and in top form physically. Elvis-The Concert is the road-show
follow-up to the historic Elvis in concert' 97, a similar production that
broke the all-time box office gross record at the Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis
on August 16, 1997, the twentieth anniversary of the superstar's death.
Elvis-The Concert, like its 1997 predecessor, is a production created by a
collaboration between Graceland/Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) and SEG
Events. EPE financed the development of the show and the first three legs of the
world tour of Elvis-The Concert and has now licensed SEG Events to continue
touring worldwide with this successful and historic production. EPE continues to
work as closely as ever with SEG Events on this show, which has broken new
ground in the entertainment industry.
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