Sunday, August 19, 2007

The Memphis Sessions Boys concert

I saw these fabulous musicians several years ago during EW when they played at the Daisy theatre on Beale St. So I just had to stay in Memphis long enough to see this performance(otherwise I would have left that day).

This was a fabulous concert. We all got our money's worth and then some. BJ Thomas was totally awesome and Mark James rocked the place with his songs.







Reggie and Mike share a thought together:




I must admit I really don't understand why the TCB band was there, certainly not to back up the Danish singer who was reading the lyrics of the songs he sang. It's always wonderful to see them, but I couldn't help wondering why, with all the trouble it probably took to get them, why they weren't used to better advantage.


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Additional performers included Dickey Lee, who wrote "She Thinks I Still Care", among other songs. Here's a link to a bio: http://www.tsimon.com/dickeylee.htm

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Bill Black's daughter, Nancy, sang 2 songs, too.

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My final comment: I wish this had been a strictly Memphis Sessions band concert with just BJ Thomas and Mark James doing the singing. Having said that, I still enjoyed the show immensely!

Friday, August 17, 2007

The 2 Concerts – Part 1

What a night. It’s 4:00 am and I’m wired, so I’m blogging about it, even though I haven’t finished the Dolan house and vigil entries yet.

I had a VIP seat which entitled me to go to this lounge and wait for the concert started. Just before it was to start Todd came in to introduce Priscilla AND Lisa!! They were just there for a minute to thank us for being such loyal fans. That was very cool. And Priscilla autographed over 500 reprints of one of the famous family portraits for us to have. Yikes! My hand hurts just thinking about it! Thank you, Priscilla.

Do you remember how the previous big concerts started out with Elvis’ arrival with motorcycles and limos? This time he came via helicopter. They did a reenactment of an arrival on film. Joe E, Jerry Schilling (in tour jackets) and “Elvis” in costume ready to go to a concert go out to the field at Graceland to get into a waiting helicopter. You see shots in the helicopter – of Joe and Jerry and a profile of “Elvis” looking out the window. Then you see an aerial shot of the Fed Ex Forum. They land and get out. As you hear Elvis’ entry music all of a sudden you see Elvis walk across the stage – sort of. They have Aloha footage of him walking across the stage behind the curtain and it looks like a spotlighted Elvis entering the stage WE are looking at. Very cool. And that’s just for starters.

Knowing that this is the last time we’ll see these shows, I paid more attention to the live musicians than to the filmed Elvis. I’ll always have the DVDs of Elvis, but to see these guys and gals – that’s a finite proposition. So I concentrated on them this time. They are all legends in their own right and I so appreciate their talent and their bodies of work.

The Jordanaires, Stamps and Imperials were part of the show and each had full solo songs, as did the Sweet Inspirations.

The Dempseys played with DJ for the 50’s stuff. I’m really sorry Scotty, for whatever his reasons, decided not to participate. He is missed and I can’t help thinking he has cut off his nose to spite his face (hope you all know that expression!). Considering this is the very last one of these concerts it would have been really nice for him to be there.

They threw in more modern clips of Elvis singing the 50s songs along with the usual 50’s TV footage. You know, like from the ’68 special. That was lots of fun, too.

I think the 60’s “movie songs” section is new. Neither the TCB band or DJ Fontana participated, although the Dempseys and the Jordanaires performed for these for various songs. James came out to play dueling guitars with Bradley Dean Birkedahl of the Dempseys.

Then came the 70s stuff. I can’t be sure, but it looks to me like they added new footage on the side screens. I’m really not sure, but do you remember seeing timing stamping at the bottom of the film? I don’t.

The place was electric and people were on their feet all the time to sing, sway, applaud, wave..

I’ve just hit a wall (sleep-wise) It’s 3:30am and I’ve got to get some sleep. But I had to get started. Later

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Scotty Moore - Last Man Standing

What can I say about this concert? It was happy, sad and exhilarating – all at the same time.

I saw the second-to-the-last ever performance of Scotty Moore (the last being the 5:00 show after this 2:00 show).

Scotty came out with Darwin at the beginning and answered a couple of questions. As Darwin noted, Scotty was as verbose as we’ve ever seen him. I didn’t take notes but one story that stood out to me - he talked about what it was like to meet Elvis and listen to him for the first time. The most impressive thing to Scotty was that even though Elvis didn’t know the chords to all the songs he was singing (at his “audition”), he would stop playing the guitar when he knew he didn’t know the chords, keep singing, and then jump right back in when he did know the chords, without missing a beat. The fact that Elvis knew the lyrics to so many songs also impressed Scotty.

During the interview I observed that Scotty had the biggest grin on his face I have EVER seen.



This was a tribute to Scotty, but it was also a tribute to Boots Randolf who just passed away. In fact, Gail Pollack came out to tell us of the CD that they had just finished recording 3 weeks before he died. Understandably, she was all torn up about it. But if you can find one of the 1000 copies that are signed by all the musicians (except Boots, of course) GO GET IT! It’s called “The Mighty Handful”.



The tribute opened with the band Scotty has toured with in Europe- the Grundy-Pritchard Band. (I apologize, my pics of them were just too fuzzy to post). I can sure see why Scotty likes to work with them. These guys are GREAT! Paul Ansell was amazing on vocals. They played mostly Elvis songs and we enjoyed several of their own creations. If you’re in Europe, go see them. I asked about seeing them here in the States and was told that was unlikely. Too bad.

Next up was “The Mighty Handful”. The place rocked. The Jordanaires came out and sang a set with Billy and the gang. When Billy Swan introduced the Nashville sessions sax player who was “replacing” Boots, his voice cracked. It was so, so sad. Of course he did NOT play “Yakity Sax”, but he did play a wonderful solo tribute to Boots. Beautiful. When they played a song that had featured Boots at the Legends concert they “simulcasted” the video of Boots playing at that show. The music we were hearing was live, but you got to see Boots playing on film. I hope they release the Legends concert on DVD someday. Perhaps 2 concerts on one DVD – that one and this one. Darwin, can you hear me? :-)




After a while I noticed Scotty standing in the wings watching the concert.



Scotty isn’t up to playing an entire concert anymore, but for the final 2 songs Scotty came out and played. What a treat!





A quick private moment.



They brought the Grundy-Pritchard band back out for the finale and they rocked.



This was sad and exhilarating at the same time. I am so glad I was there.

FE Comes to Graceland

If you don’t know who or what Flat Elvis is, please check out this website:
Flat Elvis website

After all the hoopla at the gate we finally walked up to the house. There was a slew of motorcycles in front of the house. These were all won in a raffle and the winners were there, too. So our ceremony was not at the front door as we had expected. Instead, Sandi and Bev handed over all the FEs in a gorgeous display box. Take note of the FE that came back from Hawaii with a teeny little lei around his neck. In addition, Bev printed out all the pages of the website – onto 300 paper pages! It’s amazing and she really put hours and hours into this project. KUDOs to Bev and Sandi.





A beautiful tribute was written and read Charlotte Cameron.



One of Elvis’ youngest fans. That’s Ash’s little boy (whose name I can’t remember as I write).

They put FE and flowers at the gravesite. Right at Elvis’ grave. Isn’t that awesome?






Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Early morning at Graceland on Vigil Day

We got to Graceland before 7:00 am to go to the Flat Elvis ceremony, but there was lots of commotion already at the gate. Seems like CBS TV was there with a bunch of ETAs for a live feed. Joe Mosheo was there to plug his book. Here are a few pictures of this event. Notice how Flat Elvis managed to get into the picture. :)



Food Network comes to Memphis and we get to eat!

I posted this on the EI but here it is for non-EI folks:

The first day of the conference we filled out tickets for a raffle for a very special event for Insiders only.

The Food Network Show "Dinner: Impossible (like "Mission Impossible?)? Here's the description from their website:

Robert Irvine is a real life chef extraordinaire and the host of Dinner: Impossible. Each week, Robert (with the help of his two sous-chefs, George and George) is thrown a new culinary curveball and the team must figure out a way to solve their challenge before time runs out.

Well this week the challenge was to show people that Elvis's diet was more than just peanut banner and fried bananas. So Mr. Irvine showed up at Graceland this morning where Priscilla gave him his instructions. He had 4 hours to shop for and cook a wonderful southern banquet. And he succeeded. Wildly.

We all went down to EP Delta and sat at beautifully appointed table settings. They filmed some "B" roll of us waiting for things to start and then Priscilla came in, walked to the front and told us what I just told you, adding that the instructions were to feed 100 Elvis Insiders. (Cheers! Cheers!)


The dinner was amazing. It was actually more like 6 dinners. We were served
a gorgeous summer salad
bean salad
spinach
corn bread
sweet potato
corn
fried catfish
steak
meat loaf
fried chicken (although that didn't appear at our table)and
an unbelievably awesome dessert that we think is bread pudding with ice cream.

It was impossible to get a picture of all the plates together, because they just kept coming and coming and coming. But here they are in one composite shot:

And here's a couple of shots at this event:
THANK YOU EPE AND PRISCILLA FOR THIS FUN EVENT!

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

EI Conference Day 2 - Priscilla

Priscilla looks GREAT!

Her favorite Elvis song: Memphis sessions songs.

The times she cherished were the times she and Elvis got to be alone. He could vent about things in private. She was a sounding board for him.

When she first met Elvis, he had just lost his mother and he was very lonely. She was as private as he was. He was very loyal and that's why so many of are still loyal to him. We feel protective of him. It's hard for her to decide what to share without wondering if she is betraying his confidence.

Jerry says she's done a very good job of protecting his privacy.

She wrote her book (Eliv n Me) because of the stuff written in Albert Goldman's book, among others. Again she wanted to be truthful, but keep some things back to protect Elvis, and that is why it took 3 years to write.

About the decision to open Graceland - she held off as long as she could. But when push came to shove, this is what she had to do to keep Graceland in the family. She thanks God that she found Jack Soden.

AT what time in his life with her was Elvis the happiest. At the beginning "young Elvis". At the ranch, Lisa, traveling with their friends.

She found Gene Smith's wife and invited her to be here. They were very close when Priscilla first met Elvis.

She thinks Elvis would get a kick out of the ETAs.

Did you ever sing with Elvis? Yes.

Elvis liked "Hey, hey Paula". "Save the Last Dance for Me" Roy Orbison songs. Ballads, gospel, story-telling songs.

Priscilla is talking about the process Elvis went through to write the Outstanding Young Men speech.

Elvis believed very strongly that he had a responsibility to send a message to youth to encourage kids to stay in school; it was very important for families to stay together. And he would be appalled at the Linday Lohans of this world. Lisa is trying to help now, too.

Favorite holiday with Elvis - Christmas, especially after Lisa was born.

The story about knocking on doors in the middle of the night to find a golden palomino was a riot.

The last time she spoke to Elvis was a couple days before he died. He wanted Lisa to stay until he left on tour. He was concerned about his weight and he was trying to get motivated about it. But he was looking forward to it. She felt he wasn't up to par health-wise. He seemed a bit pre-occupied and she wonders if she should have called him. She saw him a couple of months before he diied.

Talked about the origins of the TCB and the TLC.

One last question about partnership with Sillerman. She's very confident about the partnership. It took a long time to find the right partner and they're very happy working with them. They will help improve getting all the things there are to see available and visible.
Things are being planned that we'll like.

Priscilla says it won't be like Disneyland and it will be something we'll all be proud of. We should rest assured everything will be ok.

EI Conference Day 2 - the Memphis Sessions boys

What a group. I LOVE this band and can't wait to see them Friday night. They recorded "Suspicious Minds" and "In the Ghetto" with Elvis.

I didn't see this from the beginning. But...
Reggie says Elvis was unique from the get-go and I'm so proud of being part of his career.

Gene said what a feeling to remember hearing Elvis on the radio when you were a kid - and then you get to play music with him.

Bobby Emmons - yikes I can't understand what he's saying!

EI Conference Day 2 - The Sweet Inspiration

Tom asks how they knew what the next song would be (connecting to questions asked of the TCB band). Myrna said they could tell from the first notes they heard.

Fan stories? Not then, since Elvis didn't travel overseas. But NOW, no matter where you go - you can't go one place where Elvis isn't mentioned. Fans would follow the Sweets whereever they would go (in Vegas).

Did you think Elvis would be bigger now than he was then? Myrna says you never thought about Elvis alive and what would happen after Elvis - you just didn't think that way. Amazingly, 30 years later, we're still doing Elvis work.

They hate looking at the clothing styles and hair styles!

EI Conference Day 2 - Joe Petruccio

The most wonderful artist! So much of the artwork you see on EPE gear is his creation.

He got started by posting pictures of his painting online and someone told him to contact Scott Williams. Next he got an email and the rest is history. And we're the richer for it.

If you have a Elvis calendar with artwork (as opposed to photos), chances are it's Joe's work. He also paints other celebrities. He's a star and the most kind and generous person. Check out his website.

http://homepage.mac.com/petruccio/Menu3.html

EI Conference Day 2 - Sandi and Sandi

Wearing twin outfits. Aren't they adorable?

Sandi P - talking about how she met Elvis. Too fast and long to type here. So buy her book. :-)
But she knew him in the 50s and she hung around the Audobon house. Elvis asked her to go for a ride on his motorcycle.

Sandi M - a gate girl invited up to the house - refused for a long time til Elvis asked why. She became a very good friend.

He was very accessible. Fans knew him, and he knew the fans and remembered them.

Sandi P - Elvis went out a lot more than the "prisoner of Graceland" impression. In Memphis and in CA.

Best kisser!

Great pictures! Sandi P got lots of kisses from Elvis in concert.

Now Sandi's pics. Lovely shots.

These 2 women have told many of their stories in books they've written or contributed a lot to. Buy their books!

EI Conference Day 2 - the TCB Band

OK, right now I'm blogging live as it goes on. Tom has introduced the TCB band and is now interviewing them.

James is saying how amazing it is to him to see the same fan faces over all these years.
Ronnie Tutt loves seeing the generations of Elvis fans in one family.

They're talking about rehearsals and takes and retakes which is why the recordings are so great.

Glen talks about how good a tour manager Tom Diskin was. Made things easier, but it was hard work.

Ronnie is saying that when a show was over (on tour) Elvis literally left the building and went right to the airport. The band, however, would take time to wind down after the show and then have to get up very early to leave for the next city's show. It was very tiring. Vegas was easier, although they did 2 shows a night (3 on weekends in the first few years).

Jerry mentions that the big Elvis-the-Concert they do now is actually twice as long as the shows they did with Elvis - and they're twice as old!

Ronnie mentions that he got a chance to spend a lot of leisure time together (karate, etc) and he was funny and warm and a great guy to be around. That's what he misses most.

Glen looks really great. He's lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw him.

Jerry says what he liked a lot was that the music with Elvis kept evolving and that's what he loved. He loved that Elvis loved the musicians.

Fan stories: Ronnie mentions meeting a Turkish Elvis fan. There are 5000 members of an Elvis fan club there! James was in Russia traveling with Jerry Lee and Elvis fans recognized him. Glen just said he can't think of a story on the spot like this. "I drink a lot", he said. Lots of laughter.

When not involved with Elvis-related activities.
Glen - had time off this summer. Working on his garage wall. :)
Jerry - in response to Tom's "what are you working on" Jerry says "Stayin' alive!". He's working with someone who does corporate shows and he comes out and tells stories.
Son Jason (bass player of group Chicago) wants to build a studio to do some recording with the TCB band.
Ronnie: doing grandpa duty, projects around the house.
James: doing his own show James Burton Intl'l Guitar Festival to raise money to buy guitars for kids. First show - raised money for 600 guitars to put into schools. Second show this year raised money to buy over $1200 guitars. Tomorrow he's presenting guitars to St. Judes hospital.

Monday, August 13, 2007

The George Klein reunion

Since I got to this event late, had to stand in the back, and the sound was awful (except for George's booming voice) it's hard to give a full report, but I did hear a few stories I'd never heard before.




The discussion started out with George Klein with Dick Grob, Charles Stone, Sam Thompson, Kim Davis, Patty Parry, Marian Cocke, Dr. Nick and his son, Dean, Jerry Schilling. Later, DJ Fontana and Mark James arrived, with Joe Esposito arriving at the very end. Although some of the stories were ones we've heard before, the place was jammed with fans and I don't think they were disappointed.

Dick told a story about Elvis wanting to bring VietNam POWs out to Vegas. He wanted to do something for them. What he ended up doing was write the arrangements for and sing "America". There's more to that story but I just don't remember the details right now - at 1:42 am)

Dean told the story about one time in Vegas (a fun trip - Elvis wasn't working). They needed a car to take Elvis someplace but didn't have one. Someone brought up a car to the valet at the hotel and Dean pleaded with the guy (the valet) to borrow this car. Elvis was already coming out the door. The valet said ok, but the car had to be back in an hour and in perfect shape. The guys told Elvis about this and Elvis decided the valet needed a TransAm. It took them all night, but it wasn't until the next morning that they could find a place to buy the black TransAm they gave to the valet as a thank you.

(Gee, wish we'd had this story for "200 Cadillacs")

After the show I went to ask Mark James if "Always On My Mind" was written with anyone in particular in mind. He answered that there were 2 unusual things about that song - first, he wrote it with 2 friends (Johnny Christopher and Wayne Carson Thompson). This was unusual for him. Second, they were give the song title and told to write a song! I've heard that before about some songs. Mark suggested there was some mildly related personal experience he probably drew from. ;-) (emoticon is my comment)




This was not taken at the GK event. I got this picture of me and Mark James after Marian Cocke's benefit.

Marian Cocke's Benefit Dinner

This was quite an evening. Over 1000 people attended this dinner! Many of the usual honored guests were there - Jerry Schilling, Joe Esposito, Dr. Nick, Sam Thompson, Dick Grob, Cynthia Pepper, Patty Parry. And the big surprise - Priscilla! She's never attended this event before and it was a major secret until she walked in. She said a few very nice words about Marian, and then she sat down at her table.


The joyous part of this evening was in the performances by Terry Mike Jeffrey, the Jordanaires and Millie Kirkham. They had obviously NOT gotten together beforehand to discuss anything, not even song titles. But these professionals know their stuff so well, it wasn't even necessary.


First Terry came up and sang alone, accompanying himself on the guitar. Then the Jordanaires came out and did a bunch of great songs (except for the first song after they came out - "Happy Birthday" to Gordon. They sang several songs and then did "It's Now or Never". This blew everyone away. Then they called Millie Kirkham up to the stage to sing the same song - this time with her soprano part. IT WAS SO AWESOME.

Then they sang "Blue Christmas" and Millie told a story I'd never heard. Elvis didn't want to record it so he told everyone to do something silly. Millie started that undulating soprano part. Elvis told her to keep doing it, and she did, for the whole song. When they finished recording it Elvis said "they'll never release it". And now it's the MOST played song on the radio in history.

Marian then gave out several special awards to 4 people, George Klein and Jerry Schilling among them. One was to a woman who had been to all of Marian's fundraisers, and for that loyalty Marian gave her a gold cross that had been made for Marian by Mike McGregor. Isn't that sweet?

There had already been a silent auction earlier, but now there was an additional auction that included some of Marian's personal Elvis-related items. Most significant one (IMO) was the silver fur coat that Elvis gave her. This is the one she mentions in "200 Cadillacs" - she said he gave her a silver coat to match her hair. Tonight Marian said her hair is white so it doesn't match anymore, anyway. If this isn't the last benefit she does, I'll be really surprised.

Mark James performed and some ETAs got to sing one song each with the Jordanaires. I didn't see this but I heard there was one really good one.

This event ran very, very long, but it was a most moving tribute to both Elvis and Marian. (And the food was pretty good, too).

End of an era.


Sunday, August 12, 2007

Jamie Aaron Kelley



For those of you in Memphis this week, you should REALLY, REALLY try to get to EP's Delta to see Jamie perform. He has a full band and backup singers now. What a voice! Although he's been moving away from his Elvis show he understands what his audience wants during Elvis week and he does NOT disappoint! He's performing twice a night almost every night this week. Only $20 per ticket and you get MORE than your money's worth! I promise! Just think - you'll be able to say you knew him "when". :-)

Also - a very cool thing: James Burton was in the audience. I took a picture of Jamie where you could see the back of James' head and I was prepared to post with an arrow pointing to James, but it was too blurry. :-(

Here's a link to some pictures I took. Jamie Aaron Kelley I was behind the bar, so I had to crop pictures to remove the bar glasses at the bottom of many pictures. oh well.

One recommendation for this place: go for the drinks only. The menu is VERY limited for Elvis Week and the food we ordered was pretty awful. Just 2 people's opinions. I'm not happy to report this, since I want this restaurant to succeed.

Tupelo

A little commentary about each place I visited.

.
The House


It is the original house on the original site. It's just 2 small rooms, a bedroom and a kitchen, and the furniture is not the original stuff owned by the Presleys. It was built by Vernon himself. It's just a little shack, really. But what a feeling I got when I entered the front room! I didn't feel Elvis' presence here, but I did feel Gladys. This little house was a home and the credit goes to her. I feel something very special here.



The Chapel

This tribute to Elvis was built because of the effort of his fans. It's really very peaceful and calm. Quite lovely.



The Museum

I've seen a lot of pictures of Elvis. But there are some here that I've never seen anywhere else. (And since you must check your camera at the door, you probably won't see them anywhere else, either). Much of what's here was donated by Janelle McComb, but there's lots more now. Some of the items (pictures and other things) have been donated by childhood friends of Elvis' only in the last few years, so even if you've been here before, it's worth coming again. Here are 2 pictures on the outside: a lovely fountain and one of the story quotes on the wall.


The Hardware Store
This is a fun place. Really just a basic hardware store that happens to have sold Gladys a guitar for Elvis. It still sells guitars, along with Elvis gear of all sorts. But what happened here is one of those little turns in a life that you don't see coming and you don't understand the importance of until much later, if ever. Dare I say Gladys' buying the guitar for Elvis (instead of a gun) was one of Elvis' "defining moments" as Dr. Phil likes to call them.

Johnnies's Drive-In


We should have had lunch here, but they're closed on Sundays, no matter what's going on - even Elvis week! ;-}. That's ok. Here's a picture that's on the wall inside the place. It was taken in 1956 by someone (not a fan!!) who was told Elvis was in the diner. He went in to investigate, took the picture and never thought of it again for years. Later in life he found it, recognized the value, and returned to Tupelo to give a copy to the diner. Thanks to Mike Freeman for the history.



The Fairgrounds

Sort of. The actual fairgrounds where Elvis performed 3 times (once when he was 10 years old, twice as a returning home-town hero) is long gone. It's now called "Fairpark" and the only thing left is a reference to Elvis' performances in '56 and '57. Time marches on. This picture was taken from a moving van, so I missed the flags at the top. :)

Wanda Jackson ROCKS!!

I was supposed to get to Memphis by 7:30, check into my hotel and meet up with Pam and Orlinda to go to the Hitone music club. But my flight was over 2 hours late, so I thought I'd missed Wanda's show. But lucky for me the show started late and there was an opening act, Sweden's top rockabilly band (whose name I'm not remembering - I came in late!). Wanda has recorded with them before. So I got to see the entire show of this legendary star.

For those of you who are not familiar with Wanda, she was one of very few female rockabilly stars. She toured with Elvis and dated him. Wanda's voice is absolutely unique; once you hear her raspy, dirty-girl version of "Let's Have a Party" you may be as hooked as I was - AM! For all that raspiness, her voice has great variety. Some of her hits besides "Let's Have a Party" include "Fujiyama Mama", "I Gotta Know".

While I understand that this week is all about Elvis, you really should go meet Wanda at the Expo and BUY HER CD! She's got an Elvis tribute album and she does NOT disappoint. I know how we can be tough on people covering Elvis songs, but you will just love her versions.
Another note - Wanda has also recorded several gospel albums. Maybe she'll have those to sell, too.

Wanda Jackson, THANK YOU!

Saturday, August 11, 2007

At the Airport

OK, so I was anxious. I got to the airport 3 hours before my flight! I thought I might make an earlier flight but it was full, so here I am, connected to the Internet, listening to Sirius Channel 13 (Elvis, of course). I'm hearing interviews of people already in Memphis and I want to be there already!

I'm carrying 3 pieces of my Elvis luggage - a big one, a small roll carry-on and the computer case. (Checked the big one, of course). It such fun because I always get comments about it, but there is sometimes a spoiler. The TSA guy wanted to look through the carry-on and when he asked if it was mine he said he was surprised because he thought I might not want to claim it. (grrr). Of course I responded "Absolutely, this is mine) :-)

Later! Hope to get some pics of Wanda Jackson performing.

Friday, August 10, 2007

24 hours from now

I'll be en route on my American Airlines flight (let's hope!). I've got one more laundry to do and I'm ready to pack (yes, the suitcases have been out for 2 weeks already).

I am really looking forward to this week - especially the blogging part! I'm hoping to give you all a good sense of what's going on at the events I cover. First event will be Wanda Jackson in concert, although that will be written after, not during the event. I'm so excited about that.

Well, laundry and packing, here I come!

Monday, August 6, 2007

LMP is doing SOMETHING for the concert!

I just learned that Lisa Marie will be "doing something" for the big concert! I hope it's something like what she did in 1997 with "Don't Cry Daddy". I wasn't in the audience for that but was able to get a bootleg video. It was amazing - and I kinda surprised myself with my reaction to it - serious lump in my throat, tears. And then there was her big smile at the very end, like she was so proud. If that really was what she was thinking, she nailed it. Here's a Youtube link to the bootleg. Enjoy. Don't forget to note that smile at the end. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlY3NG16rkU

I've seen Lisa in concert and really enjoyed the show. I make it a point to get her CDs before I see her so I can understand the lyrics of her songs. ;-) She writes great songs.

Maybe she'll perform live this time( instead of or in addition to a video). Whatever she does I'm thrilled that she has decided to participate in a big way for this event. Yep, it's unbef#%^lievable and it's terrific!

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

EW - What I'm most looking forward to

I've got 5 concerts scheduled (maybe 6?...) tours, the EI conference, a Tupelo tour, benefits, Flat Elvis and much more. Whatever I think I'm looking forward to most will probably NOT end up being what stands out after the fact. I think it depends on my expectations of each event.

For example, I've seen Elvis-the-Concert 5 times. So that's not at the top of my list. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE EtC. But as I said, I've already seen it 5 times. It just affects my expectations. But suppose they manage to surprise us with something spectacular - like Lisa performing. The expectation is a great concert, but the memory would be of a special event. See what I mean?

I bought a ticket for that second (midnight) concert the same night even though I still can't fathom what will be new or what they would do that wasn't done for the first concert. If it's just a repeat for those that couldn't get tickets for the first concert, I'll be really annoyed. It's gotta be a little different, though, since I know that DJ Fontana isn't doing the second concert. But there could be a nice surprise there, too. Never underestimate what Todd and co. can come up with.

The Tupelo tour - I'm taking it for the first time ever this year. I have no expectations that this will be a "special" event. And yet - people tell me it's a very moving experience. So there ya go. I'll let you know.

I'm NOT looking forward to the heat.

I AM looking forward to seeing all the folks I already know in the Elvis world and meeting lots of new folks. If you see me typing away at an event c'mon up and introduce yourself!