Ironically, viewers in mainland U.S. had to wait almost three months to see the concert because the live broadcast conflicted with Super Bowl VII, which pitted the Miami Dolphins against the Washington Redskins. (The Dolphins won 14–7.) NBC got around to televising a recording of the concert on April 4.
Not yet ten years old at the time, I still remember how exciting it was to watch this television special. It seemed like everyone at school had watched it. I've seen the double album from this event at more people's houses than perhaps any other. A huge success any way you look at it.
He seemed a little more serious that night on stage than any other show except for maybe the "68 Special". Gone were the sometimes corny jokes he told on stage. And so too, some of his interaction with the audience. It was different than any of his other concerts. He seemed to realize (if one can) the enormity of the task at hand. Elvis, Marty Pasetta and Col. Tom pulled it off.
When viewing this now, I wish people could look at it with fresh eyes. Trying to remember that you only got to see it once "live".
That thought alone makes it more special if you can remember back to those days.
Watch and appreciate it for the night that it was. There's no need to jump ahead in time. For that night, he was still ELVIS.
