Would A World Tour After Aloha Saved Elvis ?

[Liverbobs]

Apologies if this has been posted before but after a discussion with a friend of mine about this subject, I believed that if he had done a world tour after Aloha , this would have been a new challenge for Elvis and he always rose to challenges and maybe wouldn't have sunk into the depression that he did, my friend seems to think that Elvis was "Too far gone" by the time Aloha came around..........

[Sonny]

I don't think Elvis was "too far gone" at the time of the Aloha special.

During Elvis' career many false choices were made, and in 1973 The Colonel (and Elvis) made another mistake by not trying to do a world tour.

After the satellite show it would have been the right time to start a world tour and it would have been a tremendous hit!!!

On the other hand, you should put it all in perspective. Nowadays it's a normal thing for a performer (any performer or band) to make a world tour.
Back in the Seventies it wasn't.

Yes, Elvis could've had another first in musical history I guess...

Sonny

[Joe Car]

I think we all would agree that EP needed challenges. Rather then going back to Vegas after the Aloha, EP would have been much better off with a world tour, no doubt. To say he was "too far gone" in 1973" is not accurate by all accounts. He put on many great shows after this period.

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

To far gone is a bit harsh, but set in his ways for sure and even if Elvis did do a world tour the lifestyle he was leading would still have had to change.

A world tour could possibly have put Elvis under more pressure and increased his dependancy on prescribed medication ultimately leading to the same conclusion.

Its hard to see how Elvis could have changed by 1973 I think a pattern had already formed, I think Elvis was a pretty determined guy and if he had wanted to do a world tour it would have happend no matter what the colonal's objections.

As I have already commented in a previous thread I think apathy surrounding Elvis via those around him and an unwillingness to rock the boat was a major factor in the way the future panned out.

1974 was a bad year for Elvis and you can see why he could have sunk into the depression 1973 he was on top of the world by 1974 it would have seemed like a lifetime away and stuck in the old routine of tour after tour, even a t.v. special around this time would have lifted Elvis, yes I know that had already been done but any t.v. station would have given an eye and teeth for the ratings it would have generated. the CBS Special was just a farewell to the fans and I think Elvis new it.

Matt

[richardo316]

i holehartedly believe that if elvis had done a world tour he would still be alive today. he'sd probably still be blessing us with terrific music as well.

[Leroy]

First of all an Elvis World Tour right after Aloha should have been a logical next step. Especially Europe and the Far East were dying to see Elvis live and I'm sure it would be an great experience for Elvis too. Looking back to what happened with Elvis in the mid-sixties when boredom set in the Colonel should have taken a lesson but he didn't. If it would have saved Elvis live is hard to say but it sure would have changed it. At least for a while. But it had to be done in the right way. First a tour through Canada. Then Europe in 1974. The next year the Asian countries and finaly South America. And maybe it could have put Elvis back on the right track in terms of his life style.

[carolynlm]

Doesn't Australia rate in the 'world tour' category?
Who knows what would have happened if Elvis had done a world tour. But, remember just the morning after the Aloha Special Elvis was sitting on the verandah of his suite, stoned........Why was that? Was the pressure of the Special too much? Elvis knew exactly what kind of response he would get during and after his shows in the US, was he apprehensive about other countries? Unfortunately we will never know, and we can speculate for the next 100 years, and come up with 100 different answers, we should just leave it at that.

[0349054]

I think it would have saved him, at least for a few more years anyway. Elvis bought the Lisa Marie in 75' especially for that purpose, a World Tour. The colonel just stiffled him in the latter years, yes the Colonel was good early on, but Elvis just became to great a commodity.

After the years in Hollywood you would expect the Colonel to avoid at all costs in locking Elvis into contracts, but he did just that when he signed Elvis to the International Hotel.

I think that a World Tour would have served Elvis well though, he would of been able to get away from the Colonel for a sustained period of time, he would be able to sample different cultures and thought systems as well as being exposed first hand to his enormous International Fan Base. Plus, Elvis would have loved to perform in Jerusalem.

I think a world tour would have seen Elvis subsequently re-invent himself yet again. Not forgetting that if he had done a world tour, a large portion of the concerts would have been filmed by TV stations in the host countries! I cant for instance imagine the BBC not filming Elvis if he played Wembley in 1976!

[Lonniebealestreet]

Aside from potentially being rejuvenated by a world tour, as 0349054 was saying, I think it's also reasonable to think there would have been some style changes which would have naturally occurred from being out in the world and exposed to all sorts of new things. Granted, in the post-Aloha period he was not out and about as much as he had been in his earlier years, but look--he had seen all of America, and he probably would have enjoyed taking in some sights and being out among the people and meeting some of the foreign singers he admired. (He wasn't a total hermit anyway.)

Look at how different he was when he came back from the army. He sported this new continental look, he spoke with more distinction and confidence, he expanded his musical horizons with songs like It's Now Or Never and Surrender, and was basically a changed man by all accounts.

As he sort of picked and chose certain elements of different religions and philosophies which suited him, he probably would have picked up all sorts of things from various cultures and gone through a reinvention period.

I can see thinking he was pretty set in his ways by 1973 and not as open to change at that stage in his life, but I don't think that in a new environment, these sorts of things could not have happened. He could have found new interests or explored some existing ones in ways that he did not previously know of...For instance he could have met some amazing martial arts guys in the Orient who could also help him with some of his problems in a way that did not make him feel weak or self-conscious about them.

He could have found inspiration from any number of things if he had gotten out of the rut he was in. If he got to a point where he did not feel trapped, like he was doing things for fun and not out of obligation, like he was in control of his own destiny, then he would have lived a much longer life. Maybe, just maybe, a world tour could have been a step in that direction. We'll never know.

The thing is though, that after the world tour(s) ended there would have had to have been a new challenge. But if he had done such a tour, the new challenges/sources of excitement could have come from that.

We could speculate indefinitely...but it is fun to do sometimes.

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

Fantastic Comments from 0349054 and Lonniebealestreet, It throws open a whole multitude of ideas which could have given opportunities to a different outcome!

The possibilities are endless, unfortunately I think Elvis' lifestyle and habits at the time caused the stumbling block. They were the barriers to which Elvis himself had trouble coming to terms with, when you consider the problems other stars had and still do with addiction to prescribed medication it seems minor nowadays in comparision, certainly not the obsticle it once was to international travel etc.

Stars today have all these lifestyle guru's, nutrionalists and personal shoppers! Elvis just did it on his own for the most part, most things were much simpler and opinions more victorian in outlook in the 1970's.

The question that has to be asked is, would Elvis have the fan base he has now if he hadn't died? After all Elvis didn't have time to fade away into obscurity. Elvis left a legacy that cannot be rivalled and can be used and manipulated to EPE's advantage.

Just a few comments to throw into the melting pot.

Matt

[peter]

I really don?t know. But I think that if he would done a World Tour he would have to change some his (or Colonels?) traditions:
- I think that he would had to have a special large stage (I think that it would had to be a stadium tour, because ticket sales would be record) - it means something like Pontiac stage, but even larger...
- I think that he would had to play less concerts during the week (it means no show day by day... but day by 2 or 3 days)
- I think that he would had to play longer shows - shows in Europe last about hour and half or two hours... I don?t think that Elvis? basic set with 70 mins would be optimal.
- I think that he would had to change his setlists... C.C.Rider, I Got A Woman... Can?t Help Falling In Love... I don?t think that it would be good set for European Tour....

[Jumpsuit Junkie]

- I think that he would had to change his setlists... C.C.Rider, I Got A Woman... Can?t Help Falling In Love... I don?t think that it would be good set for European Tour....

Can't think why not? I love all those tracks

[peter]

I think that on shows would been a lot of people who don?t know Elvis as well as his fans... I don?t know why, but in Europe is one big habit:
- a lot of people are going on concert only because they think that they have to go... For example: when I was at Rolling Stones concert in Prague, a lot of people didn?t know basic facts and even most well known song by RS. But they was at show, because they thought, that they had to go. It?s usually on the concerts of biggest stars and my point of view? The atmosphere at concert isn?t as good as it could be if in audience would be only from fans. That?s the reason.

But maybe I?m false. On concerts of JLL or Chuck Berry in Prague, it was really great atmosphere....

[Captain Elwood David]

Unfortunately we will never know, and we can speculate for the next 100 years, and come up with 100 different answers, we should just leave it at that.

To be honest, ........ I agree with this.

It is also why I don't usually indulge in such futilities of fiction.


- Capt. "EL."

[richardo316]

you raise an interesting point there peter. but i believe elvis's fan base i europe is big enough that if he'd a gone there wouldn't have been room for people who thought they should go. everyone would have wanted to go

[Sivle Nora]

It seems to me that instead of world tour, what Elvis really needed to do was to drop out for a while, and I don't mean for a month or two. What Elvis really needed following Aloha was a real good bye. Other artists are afforded this luxury, why wasn't Elvis? An artist doesnt have to make albums, go on tours, or perform in Vegas to be an artist.

[rockinrebel]

Of course we can only speculate, but I think it is interesting to read other people’s opinions on this. The Colonel is often cited as the reason Elvis didn’t tour outside the US in the 1970’s, but we don’t know that much about Elvis’ opinion on this either. Did he really want to do it?

I’m reminded of the interview he gave on the movie set in the early sixties when he was asked about his ambitions to become a serious actor. Whilst he was happy to admit that he held these ambitions, he was also quick to point out that the musical travelogue formula was working quite well, and he would be foolish to change this whilst it was still so popular.

Fast-forward ten years to the early seventies and you have a similar situation with touring and playing Las Vegas. There may have been times when Elvis was bored with the routine, but the situation also came with a number of guarantees in the shape of sell out crowds, adulation, and Elvis’ being able to make the trip back home to Memphis relatively quickly whenever he wanted to.

Now we know that a world tour would also have resulted in sell out crowds and adulation, if not mass hysteria, but was Elvis really aware of this, and was he confident enough to travel the world and find out. I know this seems like a strange comment when we are discussing an artist as talented as Elvis Presley, but one area in which Elvis always remained very modest was when assessing his own talent and influence, and I don’t think he was really aware of just how popular he was in other parts of the world.

[TheTiger77]

The only thing a world tour in the late 70's would of done is delay the end.
Elvis would probably done what he always did with a grande challenge. Get healthier, loose weight, get pumped up to meet the challenge. This might of added years to his life but let's not forget that Elvis was an adict.

What he really needed to do was get clean for good! Take time off and get off everything he was taking. Doing a concert in Europe would not of accomplished this.

Trish