Best Tour Ever?

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sat May 28, 2005 6:23 pm

On which tour was/is Elvis most at the top of his game and the most exciting to see? I guess '78 or so was pretty stunning, and I loved '83, but for me 2005 is hard to beat. There's something immensely satisfying about him having a fuller span of LPs to dip into including a cracking new one that comes across very well live, as well as all the oldies. You couldn't ask for more conviction. And he seems a happy man, but in no way complacent, middle-aged or sold-out. It's a great night out.

Emotional Toothpaste · Sat May 28, 2005 10:33 pm

Great question Otis. Since I didn't become a rabid fan until '88 or so, I suppose I missed out on all the early tours. I've only seen him at 4 shows total. First, the Brutal Youth tour when he stopped in Chicago - was great to see w/ the Attractions and my first show -- but being at the World Ampitheatre I was too far away to see anything. Then saw 2 shows on the same tour w/ just him and Nieve - I think the Lonely World Tour. Those were GREAT concerts. One in San Franciso which I think was one of the opening shows of that tour, but I especially liked the later one in St. Louis where we were standing right up front, maybe 8 ft from him. Then the last show I saw, with the Imposters on the When I Was Cruel tour at the Pageant in St. Louis -- also a great show but I think the Imposters detract and muddy the sound a bit, at least "live" anyway.

I prefer the quieter Elvis shows. I guess I'm showing my age. In my limited 4 show experience, I vote for the Lonely World Tour.

martin · Post by **martin** » Sun May 29, 2005 8:38 am

I agree with you Otis it is facinating to see how well songs from different periods blend together this is the best tour ive seen

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Sun May 29, 2005 9:01 am

Emotional Toothpaste wrote:I prefer the quieter Elvis shows. I guess I'm showing my age. In my limited 4 show experience, I vote for the Lonely World Tour.

I'd separate band and duo into two streams, meself. I saw London and Birmingham on the North tour, having missed out on Lonely World, but was hugely impressed, and couldn't really say whether this new one with the Imposters is better or not, only that for me nothing can beat the full band scenario, and I can watch Pete Thomas all evening. It will be interesting to see whether he maintains this level of live brilliance from here on, or whether, God forbid, it will start to fade. I reckon he'll be the first to be aware of it if so.

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Mon May 30, 2005 1:00 am

The Lonely World tour was hugely special to me, as it was the one to bring me back into the live-show fold after an earlier bad experience. I worked my way to the front of the crowd (with Tallulah) at the Suffolk Downs stop on the Guinness Fleadh, where Elvis headlined due to Van the Man's illness. Well, Elvis may as just have hit me over the head with a golf club, for the effect it had on me. I was in a haze of rockstar-contact-high for about a month (or was it a year?

) and I vowed never to miss him again if at all possible.

Among other things, I caught him 6-7 times on the WIWC tour with a string of stunningly good seats/views, and so when NORTH came out I felt I'd lived through something with him, and I sort of had, as my own 14-yr marriage fell apart about one year behind his own 15-yr one. I'm 90% sure I saw Cait with him at the Asbury Park show-- certainly the most exciting one for me, standing with my little sis in what is more or less an outsized gymnasium, crammed into the front in a true rock-show body press, all on a summer night by the ocean in my beloved home state-- and I had to wonder, when NORTH came out, just what the two of them had been going through in that time when I'd been through so much myself.

The NORTH tour broke my heart all over again as a result, but will probably always be my favorite anyway.

Tim(e) · Post by **Tim(e)** » Mon May 30, 2005 5:25 pm

I am absolutely hopeless at remembering the names of tours, but for mine (as someone who has been to at least one show on every tour he has done to Australia), a top 3 in order would have to be:

1. Tour in support of King of America
2. Costello & Nieve tour
3. First tour (My Aim Is True) when he was an "angry young man"

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Tue May 31, 2005 11:03 am

It's certainly the best Imposters tour.

It's a difficult question to answer. How could you compare the Spectacular Spinning Songbook to any other tour? Or the first solo tour in 1984? Or the Rude 5 shows? Or the Confederates shows?

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Tue May 31, 2005 6:00 pm

I don't know, but that's the challenge you've been set!

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Tue May 31, 2005 8:27 pm

I'm gonna comment on this next week after seeing them, but I have to say it's strange that, to my knowledge, Elvis always more or less stuck to one mode per gig on tours, even with the Spinning Songbook.

Instead of playing 40 songs alone/with Steve on one tour and 30 with a band the next, why not start off with 5 solo songs or so, bring Steve on for another 10, then take a short break and finish off with an Imposters set (with "It's OK to stand now" cues)?

I only know Swedish Elvis audiences, and they'd definitely be up for a travelling Meltdown, but I guess the reason he doesn't do it is that he wants to make it clear to the dregs that "This is not a rock show!" when he sings Northy songs and that the regular balding middleaged and spectacled crowd should "Stand up and dance!" when the band is on.

Why oh why can't we have the best of both worlds?

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Tue May 31, 2005 9:32 pm

Actually he did that at Glastonbury in 87 - played a solo set and then a curtain pulled up and revealed the Attractions who proceeded to rip into a full band set with Knowing Me Knowing You as an early highlight.

Tour wise I would have to go for the 1991 tour with the Rude 5 - during the infamous beard years - fantastic show that concluded with the Poor Napolean / Instant Karma medly and a good five minute squealing fuzzing feedback frenzy - just ahead of the pre - Imperial Bedroom tour in 82 that showcased a lot of the songs destined for that album including a stunning Kid About It that absolutely slaughtered the eventual version on the record.