Such An EPiC Night

A big thumbs up for EPiC!

As I told my friend Troy of The Mystery Train site, watching EPiC together with my brother on "opening night" was an amazing experience. The clarity of the footage (I have never realized just how much Elvis was sweating during those August shows, now I could see every drop. Incredible how hard he was working!), the sound and the colors, fantastic! And above all, Elvis at his very best! Over and over I was reminded of why I love Elvis and his music, and I thought more than once how happy I was that I do, and that I will always do so, until the day I die.

I also liked how the editing of the material showed the interaction of Elvis with his musicians more clearly than in the original movies. And the gospel section from 1972 really moved me.

"Little Sister"/"Get Back" was one of the highlights, maybe also for some of the orchestra members. I spotted one of them really enjoying that performance, leaning forward with a smile on his lips. I guess the movie is full of those little details, I have to watch it a couple of times more (not only for that reason, of course). If you have seen EPiC: did you notice that Elvis' microphone in 1972 had his name written on it?

"Polk Salad Annie," "Suspicious Minds," "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "How Great Thou Art" were other highlights. The theater was almost full, and two young women who sat to my left really started moving when they played "Suspicious Minds." We Swedes aren't that emotional at times, maybe a bit reserved, so that was nice to see. Also, that there were older as well as younger people in the audience. At the end all were applauding.

This was just some random thoughts, I am grateful for Baz Luhrmann putting it all together this way. At the same time, I am grateful that the original directors (Sanders/Adidge/Abel) filmed so many hours from multiple angles. Finally, I am grateful, oh so grateful to Elvis for being there with his music!