Gold Crown awarded to 'King' Elvis | Review Aloha From Hawaii

Gold Crown awarded to 'King' Elvis
By Wayne Harada : Honolulu Advertiser (1973)

Elvis Presley received a golden crown - and a standing ovation at the conclusion of his unprecedented satellite live TV concert beamed to a global audience of over 1.5 billion in the wee hours of the morning yesterday.

A perspiring Presley simply held the crown, as he accepted the accolades - and thus, The King vanished backstage, another night's work completed. The H.I.C. Arena, damned with 6,000 Hawaii fans, became a supersized TV studio for the hour-long spectacle, 'Aloha from Hawaii', which was televised to nearly 40 nations.

It was a thrilling compact hour - long on music, loud on screams - Pesley performed a total of 25 songs, including a rare and poignant rendition of Kui Lee's I'll Remember You.

Like Friday night's dress rehearsal, yesterday's performance was a benifit for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.

But unlike any other charitable production here, this one had that aura of 'The Big Time': a superstar doing a super performance, right before the eyes of the world.

Camera crews were everywhere: on stage, in the aisles, in the audiance, zooming in on Presley and his breakthrough performance, coordinated by RCA Record Tours. 'Aloha From Hawaii' is the first entertainment special telecast live to a global audience; it will be expanded into a 90- minute NBC-TV special, for viewing here and on the Mainland later this year. Perhaps only a phenomenon like Presley could pull off such a wicked showgoing time - 12:30 a.m. curtain, Hawaii time - yet draw a full house.

The concert was similar in format to his pair of November shows at the H.I.C.; it began in darkness, with the '2001: A Space Odyssey' fanfare precedinig Presley's entrance; it ended with Presley singing Can't Help Falling In Love. Of course, there were differences. For starters, Presley hurled his flowing, white, studded cape - a tradmark for his finale number. That was a souvenir collector's dream come true. Too, the usual assortment of scarves went sailing into the audiance at certain points of the show. The specially erected set, on an unusually large stage with a protruding platform, consisted of basic black scrim that was as long as it was high, reaching to the ceiling of the arena. A series of mirrors both sides of the stage, and special lights - silhouetting the Presley form, spell out his name not only in English but in foreign tongues - flashed on and off occasionally.

Once Presley emerged, he never was off stage.

Once the show was under way, it didn't stop for commercial breaks.

For the Hawaii audience his I'll Remember You vocal easily was the most sentimental. The Presley version retained the Hawaiian flavor, but also capitalized on the International scope of the tune.

His An American Trilogy medley - fusing 'Dixie', 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' and 'All My Trials' - was another emotional instance, sending several hundred fans to their feet. But apparently the necessity to move on the show - when such TV airing time is so precious - forced Presley to cut short the audience response.

The concert was smartly paced and packaged to suit all camps in the Presley following. There were the old hits - Love Me, Blue Suede Shoes, Hound Dog, Johnny B. Goode, Long Tall Sally.

There were the recent clicks Suspicious Minds, Burning Love, What Now My Love. There were the soulful slices - See. See. Rider, Something, Fever, the latter with the classic Presley shuffles, from the hips on downwards.

And there were the special Presley renderings - of Welcome to My World, It's Over, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry.

Only once did he pluck his guitar.

After all, he had all the musical backing he needed: a six piece combo that travels with him, J. D. Sumner and The Stamps plus The Sweet Inspirations doing the background vocals, and a gigantic orchestra of about 40 pieces, including a splendidly nimble string section consisting of some of our symphony musicians.

Presley kept his talk to a minimum. He quipped about Hound Dog: 'I was just a baby when I did that song. With sideburns'. He introduced Jack Lord as one of his actor favorites. And he reported that his original goal of $25,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund had been exceeded, with more than $75,000 raised prior to show time.

Presley's Aloha for Hawaii has been demonstrated before, when he helped raise funds for the building of the USS Arizona Memorial a decade ago. Yesterday's show reaffirms Presley's and manager Col. Tom Parker's philanthropic fondness for Hawaii. Like the enduring nature of Kui Lee's music, the incandescence of Presley is incomparable. Perhaps Presley had a hidden meaning regarding the late Kui Lee, when he sang the composer's closing lines in I'll Remember You, as follows: '... Love me always promise always, you'll remember, too'.

Buy Elvis Presley - Aloha From Hawaii CD

Buy Aloha from Hawaii DVD a two-disc set featuring all the performance material formally shot in conjunction with Elvis' 'Aloha from Hawaii' television special - an historic concert event seen in more than 40 countries by 1.5 billion people when it initially aired in 1973. The original American broadcast version of the show is included for historical context. The Aloha From Hawaii single DVD disc version is also available.

 Elvis Presley | A Musical Prodigy
 Elvis' musical style, as a musician and impact as a vocalist and stage performer
 The Fifty Voices of Elvis Presley
 1977 CBS TV Special

Elvis Presley | Hawaii | January 14, 1973
Jack Lord and Elvis Presley
Interview with Aloha From Hawaii producer, Marty Pasetta
When Elvis Said 'Aloha' From Hawaii, The World Watched
 Elvis Presley 1973 | Marty Pasetta Interview
Mindy Campbell 'Aloha' flight attendant remembers Elvis 1973
Kui Lee Cancer Fund
Beyond The Reef | The Elvis Presley Hawaii Connection
Elvis Presley in concert, Hawaii November 10, 1957
 Elvis Presley Honolulu Stadium, Hawaii November, 10 1957
 Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite | Fact & Fancy

Aloha From Hawaii Press Conferences | 1972

Elvis Presley | Aloha From Hawaii Press Conference: September 4, 1972
Aloha Press Conference: September 4, 1972
Elvis Presley | Aloha From Hawaii Press Conference: November 20, 1972

Aloha From Hawaii | The Concerts

Elvis Presley | Arriving In Hawaii: January 9, 1973
Elvis Presley | Aloha From Hawaii Rehearsal Concert: January 12, 1973
Elvis Presley | Receiving an award, backstage: January 13, 1973, before his Aloha Concert
Elvis Presley | Aloha From Hawaii January 14, 1973

Elvis Presley | 1973

January

 Elvis Presley Hawaii | January 9, 1973
 Elvis Presley Aloha From Hawaii Rehearsal Concert | January 12, 1973
 Elvis Presley Hawaii | January 13, 1973
 Elvis Presley Aloha From Hawaii | January 14, 1973
 Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite | Fact & Fancy
 Elvis Presley Las Vegas | January 22, 1973
 The Elvis Presley Hawaii Connection

February

 Elvis Presley and Jack Lord | Las Vegas | February 10, 1973
 Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali | February 14, 1973
 Elvis Presley Las Vegas | February 18, 1973
 Amazing Grace | Elvis Presley's Hilton suite, Las Vegas, NV | Friday, February 23, 1973

April

 Elvis Presley Phone Bill | April 2, 1973
 Elvis Presley April 22, 1973 (3:00 pm). Phoenix, AZ.
 Elvis Presley April 24, 1973 | Anaheim, CA
 Elvis Presley April 26, 1973 | San Diego, CA.
 Elvis Presley April 28, 1973 | (3.00 pm) | Spokane, WA.
 Elvis Presley Center Arena, Seattle, Washington | April 29, 1973
 Elvis Presley with fans after arriving at the Seattle airport | April 29, 1973

June

 Elvis Presley Municipal Auditorium | Mobile AL | June 20, 1973
 Elvis Presley 3pm Long Island Ny | June 23, 1973
 Elvis Presley Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale | June 24, 1973
 Elvis Presley Cinncinnati, OH. | June 27, 1973
 Elvis Presley Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | June 29, 1973
 Elvis Presley Atlanta | Omni Coliseum | June 30, 1973

July

 Elvis and Lisa Marie Presley | Atlanta | July 1, 1973
 Elvis Presley Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee | In Concert | July 1, 1973
 Elvis Presley Atlanta | July 3, 1973

August

 Elvis Presley The King's Court fan club | August 31, 1973

September

 Elvis Presley September 3, 1973 | Caught In A Trap
 Tom Jones and Elvis Presley shake hands | On stage, September 4, 1973

October

 Elvis and Priscilla Divorce Court Appearance | October 9, 1973

CD Releases

 Elvis (Fool) FTD Special Edition 2 CD
 Raised On Rock - FTD Special Edition 2 CD

CDs | In Concert

 FTD Soundboard Recorded Concerts
 FTD Stereo Recorded Concerts

© Copyright 2024 by www.elvis.com.au & www.elvispresley.com.au

https://www.elvis.com.au/presley/gold-crown-awarded-to-king-elvis.shtml

No part of any article on this site may be re-printed for public display without permission.