‘THE ELVIS FINALE’ – By Des Kelly
Sent out, via Charles Schokman, this is the sad but true final chapter of the story of Elvis Presley, undoubtedly one of the finest Entertainers to have graced this Planet. Elvis had everything
He had the looks, the charisma, voice, moves, & talent, rarely seen on Earth, yet was taken away far too soon, in the opinion of millions of his fans.
Without going into details, here is the ELVIS FINALE’ for everyone to see, so thank you Charles for bringing it to our notice.
Desmond Kelly.
(Editor-in-Chief) eLanka.
Awesome. Simply awesome. Sad but beautiful!
He was only 42, but years of prescription drug abuse and horrifying dietary habits had left him bloated, depressed and near death.
He had an enlarged heart, an enlarged intestine, hypertension, and incredibly painful bowel problems.
He was barely sleeping and should have been in the hospital, but he was still a huge draw on the concert circuit and the money was too good to turn down. It had been over a year since Elvis last released a studio album, and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was determined to get more product into the stores.
Despite Elvis’ horrid shape, Parker arranged for a camera crew to film the June 19th show in Omaha for a planned TV special and live album. It eventually did air on CBS two months after Elvis died, but has yet to resurface in any official capacity. Of course, this is not the image of Elvis that his estate wants the fans to remember.
Two days later (21 June), the cameras were still rolling when the tour hit Rapid City, South Dakota. It was another weak and sad night until Elvis sat down at the piano near the end of the show to deliver what was a spellbinding rendition of “Unchained Melody.”
As guitarist Charlie Hodge held a microphone, Elvis dug deep and poured his heart into the song. His body was falling apart, but his voice remained as powerful as ever.
Without any doubt, it is the last great moment of his career. The tour limped along through five more shows, wrapping up June 26th at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana. He died less than two months later. Here is that great performance.
