Saturday was a busy day and night - if you picked up on Elvis as well as the Iron Butterfly. It is impossible to say if one concert was better than the other, because they are both so different. Yet, both of them were very good; Elvis was his loose, happy strutting self, and the Iron Butterfly were into their electric magical blues.

Elvis is something total of "Elvis;" he is the show, he is the King, he is where the whole show directs its energies. It is not just Elvis that you hear, but there are the Jarret Singers, The Sweet Inspirations, comedian Sammy Shore, and then Elvis. The waiting is part of the show though, because you have already waited 14 years to see him, unless you picked up on Elvis in Las Vegas at the International and one can easily wait an other forty-five minutes. The Sweet Inspirations are really an incredibly good soul group - four chicks who really sing their brains out while serving as the back up group for Elvis. There is a musical rapport there, between Elvis and his ladies, and there is a great deal of respect and love flowing between the five of them.

They are close to him, but for them he has the same magic that Elvis holds for his fans; they love him. Having never seen Elvis before, in person, I was absolutely amazed at his charisma, because it is really. He walks on stage and time seems to stop; chicks scream and the applause is thunderous. Every move he makes is like a breath of air to his audience, and you can tell that he is getting off on all the energy and sexuality his audience gives him.

The stage is dark, his band is setup - all wearing white, the Sweet Inspirations and the Jarret singers are off to one side sitting on stools, and a single spot comes on and the quiet is uncanny, as Elvis - in white, with fringe flying, his black hair long and his body thinner than before - walks on stage, and he does this, everyone in the audience is right in his hands. When he picks up the microphone and gives that famous baby-like grin, the place just explodes. It is really incredible. He has standard looks and stances, but they seem so natural to him, and he has been doing them for so long that you get taken every time he smiles.

One of the nicest things about Presley is that he smiles almost all the time; he is digging every minute on the stage, and he is loose and free, there is no tension. He is the King of Rock 'n' Roll, and he knows it and beyond that, he knows his audience made him King, and for that he loves them. His freeness is really refreshing. He jokes and cracks up during songs, but it is good because he is being himself. Chicks are constantly screaming during the concert. "Elvis, I love you," and in the middle of a song, he will answer them with "I know honey, we'll talk about it after the show." When people scream things like "sing Jailhouse Rock," he just stops, in a song, and says "Honey, I got 480 of 'em, I'll try and sing them all" and then he flows right back into his music.

Musically, it is no longer the boy and his guitar, though he plays at that image; his band is really good, comprised of electric and acoustical guitars, drums, piano and occasional brass from his orchestra. Their sound is Memphis rock and it is clean and clear without ever even thinking of overshadowing Elvis' voice. Elvis may not be playing an instrument, but he is the leader of the band and of that there is no question. His voice is slightly deeper in 1956, but he still does a number when he sings "I Gotta A Woman," "Love Me Tender," "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Jailhouse Rock," "Heartbreak Hotel," "Whole Lotta Shaking Going On," "Johnny B. Goode," "Wonder Of You," "Hound Dog," "Caught In A Trap," "Bridge Over TRoubled Waters," and his finale, "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You." Elvis is another trip, of another time, but still a trip worth taking. His looseness and freedom are beautiful.

Courtesy of Archie Bald