Twilight Of The King: The Fading Rays Of Elvis Dance On The Last Stage

Elvis Presley at a concert in Memphis, USA (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Today, June 26, 43 years ago or in 1977, the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley held his concert for the last time. In plain view, in that concert Elvis did look bad. Elvis showed no agility in his last "dance."

About 18 thousand people filled the grand concert of the singer of the song Jailhouse Rock. When he first got on the stage, Elvis, who was usually energetic, now looked weak, pale. Expectations about Elvis who often move swiftly in dance are a little faded. The star shows physical signs of being overweight, a condition that has long been questioned by Elvis himself.

The grand stage was opened with the number Also Spake Zarathustra. Despite the movement, Elvis' performance at the start of the concert was still outstanding. He seemed to still easily master the stage. The high notes throughout the song are still very easy to reach.

The first song is over. On the sidelines before entering the second song, Elvis made a brief opening speech. While strumming his guitar, Elvis began to bring the second song, See See Rider. Not more than a minute to present his second song, sweat was seen pouring down from Elvis's forehead.

He wiped the sweat away while wrinkling his forehead. From there it looks like Elvis is getting tired. Even so, he still tried to smile and make his appearance maximized.

Overall, there really is nothing strange about the ultimate show. Except, for some reason he introduced almost all of the band members accompanying him. Reporting from Liveabout.com, some people saw the unusual action as a marker, as if Elvis knew he was living his last days.

Twilight the king

Becky Yancey, secretary of Elvis Presley told how the rockstar who was his employer was living the late days of his life. What Yancey experienced is outlined in her book, My Life With Elvis.

Yancey said, at Elvis' home in Graceland, Memphis, the aides, staff and some of his siblings live. From Yancey's narrative quoted by Tempo magazine, in his daily life, the man who was born on January 8, 1935 in Mississippi is a party enthusiast.

Of the many people who inhabit Elvis's palace, only Yancey dares to come upstairs, where there is the room of the star. In the room, Elvis used to live alone or with the woman he dated.

In his palace, Elvis often held film parties. When the film will start depends on his will. It is not uncommon for guests to wait from evening, while the new film starts at 01.00 midnight. If Elvis doesn't like the movies that are playing, the party might even end in ten minutes.

Apart from his home, this musician and actor also often holds parties by renting nightclubs. Elvis invited some of his friends and fans to enliven the event. When Elvis has danced, the floor is usually clear of the other dancers who were busy joking around.

Parties have become part of the lifestyle of the star who won three Grammy Awards in his lifetime. Until his 40th birthday, there was news that Elvis was sick.

Nobody knows what Elvis is sick, except for a personal doctor and three of his closest friends. There are those who say that he is seriously ill because he is too tired to maintain his thin body which is easily fat.

It was also reported that Elvis had undergone plastic surgery to beautify his face, to remove the fat on his double chin. The reason is, at that time Elvis wanted to appear in public with the same body as the sexiness symbol of the 1955s.

In his early years, Elvis became often angry. One day, the housekeeper was late in opening the gate for several minutes. Elvis then told the driver to just hit the iron gate with his luxurious Cadillac.

At night, August 16 1977, Elvis collapsed on the bathroom floor of his house. Elvis, who was supposed to have a concert that day, had to be rushed to the Baptist Memorial Hospital.

Until 3:30 p.m. that day, Elvis breathed his last, at exactly 42 years of age. Elvis died of heart failure which it later discovered was due to his dependence on drugs.

Footage of his final concert was later made into the album The Last Farewell. Meanwhile, Elvis' last song, He'll Have To Go was recorded on October 31, 1976, at his home in Graceland. If there's a last song Elvis plays, it's Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain. The song was played by Elvis at his home in Graceland, hours before his death. An ending song.