{"id":69712,"date":"2026-08-01T13:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T13:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/01\/elvis-presley-plays-a-lackluster-show-in-virginia\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T13:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T13:06:31","slug":"elvis-presley-plays-a-lackluster-show-in-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/01\/elvis-presley-plays-a-lackluster-show-in-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"Elvis Presley Plays a Lackluster Show in Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t<em>Times-Herald<\/em> reporter Cheryl Tucker walked into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/t\/elvis-presley\/\" id=\"auto-tag_elvis-presley\" data-tag=\"elvis-presley\">Elvis Presley<\/a>\u2018s Aug. 1, 1976, show at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, with an open mind. She\u2019d never seen Presley in concert before, and wanted to see how the rock icon could transform \u201ca grown woman into something resembling a vocal mass of jello.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Elvis Presley - Star-Spangled Spectacular - August 1, 1976 Full Album\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HGKl8IJmdVQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tShe was not impressed. \u201cJudging from his performance, they are screaming for what he was, what he symbolizes, rather than what he is or how he sings now,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elvisconcerts.com\/newspapers\/press305.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Tucker wrote. <\/a>\u201cHe performed his songs well Sunday, although he didn\u2019t do very many. But there was no soul, no driving power behind his voice, nothing that could bring me even to contemplate a fit of frenzy. Maybe it\u2019s the years that have taken the toll, or maybe it\u2019s our expectations are set too high. Can Elvis realistically be expected to put a lot of energy into his act when he\u2019s a 41-year-old king? When he\u2019s well established in his profession? When he\u2019s not hungry anymore? Maybe that\u2019s the secret. Maybe you have to be hungry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tTucker asks some fair questions here, but there was more to the lackluster show than age and a lack of hunger. Presley was hopelessly addicted to prescription medication at this point, dealing with a wide multitude of chronic health disorders. He was also still reeling financially and emotionally from his divorce from Priscilla three years earlier, no longer flanked by several key members of his Memphis Mafia, including lifetime confidant Red West, and spending money in a reckless fashion that necessitated a grueling touring schedule simply to keep the books balanced.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tHe had been on tour for 10 straight days when he arrived in Hampton without a single night off, and even did two gigs at the Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia, on July 24. For some reason, the Aug. 1 show took place at 2:30 p.m. even though there wasn\u2019t a second performance that night. Understandably, he was drained. \u201cWe had a late show last night, and I only got two hours sleep,\u201d he told the crowd. \u201cGood afternoon. God that sounds strange. I just got up.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ editors-pick-module lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tLike hundreds of concerts before it, Presley opens with \u201cSee See Rider Blues.\u201d He displays some energy early on, but starts to lag when the show continues with \u201cI Got a Woman.\u201d He\u2019s particularly disengaged on 1950s oldies like \u201cAll Shook Up\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Be Cruel,\u201d but a rare moment of spontaneity breaks out during the start of the band introductions when a fan calls out for \u201cReturn to Sender.\u201d \u201cPlease sing \u2018Return to Sender\u2019?\u201d he asks. \u201cIf we know it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Elvis Presley - Return To Sender - Live Hampton Roads 1976\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lbLC9-bC7po?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThis was a big hit for Elvis in 1962, but it was not part of his standard setlist, and he\u2019d only done it two previous times despite the countless shows he played after the 1968 comeback special. But he somehow breaks into an impromptu rendition along with his backing group, which includes guitarist James Burton, bassist Jerry Scheff, drummer Ron Tutt, and the vocal groups the Sweet Inspirations and J.D. Sumner\u2019s Stamps Quartet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe show is a little over an hour, including solo spotlight moments for many of the band members, but they somehow cram in 25 songs, many mere snippets. And grand showstoppers from the past like \u201cSuspicious Minds,\u201d \u201cIn the Ghetto,\u201d and \u201cAn American Trilogy\u201d are all absent, each probably requiring too much energy to execute.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cFollowing Elvis through the entire act was a flunky whose sole purpose in life seems to be to hand the star a drink between each song and make sure that there is a scarf ever draped around The Neck,\u201d wrote Tucker. \u201cAs quickly as one is placed there, Elvis removes it and flings it at the mass of arms waving up at him. To the one who is closest, who can shove hardest or jump highest goes the relic that undoubtedly will find its way to a well-tended shrine.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tTucker makes no mention of \u201cHurt,\u201d complaining instead she didn\u2019t get to hear \u201cHeartbreak Hotel,\u201d \u201cBlue Suede Shoes,\u201d and \u201cLove Me Tender,\u201d but it\u2019s a clear highlight. For a brief moment, the Elvis of a few years earlier \u2014 the one documented in Baz Luhrmann\u2019s revelatory <em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/tv-movies\/tv-movie-features\/elvis-presley-in-concert-documentary-epic-1235501944\/\">EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert<\/a><\/em> concert film \u2014 returns. \u201cI\u2019m hurt,\u201d he belts, genuine emotion dripping from every word. \u201cMuch more than you\u2019ll ever know\/Yes, darling, I\u2019m so hurt\/Because I still love you so.\u201d He follows it up by sleepwalking through a truncated \u201cHound Dog\u201d that falls depressingly flat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tThe show ends with a perfunctory \u201cCan\u2019t Help Falling in Love With You\u201d that lasts only a couple of minutes. The band vamps once he leaves the stage, and we don\u2019t even get to hear that legendary \u201cElvis has left the building\u201d announcement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\t\u201cHow much longer will the Elvis legend go on?\u201d Tucker asks at the end of her review.\u00a0 \u201cWill they still love him when he\u2019s 64? When he\u2019s even fatter and slower? Maybe the legend will die only when he does. But as I was leaving the coliseum, a little girl, no older than 10, with eyes open wide and awe in her voice announced to no one in particular \u2018I almost touched him, I almost touched him.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tFor many in that crowd, standing in the same room as Elvis and possibly getting a scarf from his neck was well worth the price of admission. And it gave them memories they cherished for the rest of their lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tBut they were not getting Elvis at his best. It\u2019s easy to blame Colonel Parker\u2019s greed and the absurd routing that allowed him zero days off and forced him to play afternoon gigs like this one. Those were all indeed major factors. But the truth is Elvis was simply worn out. He should have been in rehab, not playing a 2:30 pm show at the Hampton Coliseum that bicentennial summer.<\/p>\n<section class=\"brands-most-popular \/\/ recirculation-modules trending-in-article lrv-u-margin-tb-2 lrv-u-border-a-2 u-box-shadow-5-5 lrv-u-padding-lr-1 a-span1 u-padding-b-1@tablet u-overflow-hidden\">\n<h2 id=\"section-heading\" class=\"c-heading larva  lrv-u-text-align-center u-border-color-black a-font-theme-primary-xxs lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-letter-spacing-0063 lrv-u-padding-t-050 u-padding-b-0375@tablet lrv-u-padding-b-050@mobile-max lrv-u-border-b-2\">\n<p>\t\tTrending Stories<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert | Official Trailer | Experience It In IMAX\u00ae\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ak0NdQ90sRU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tFour years earlier, a leaner and healthier Elvis played a much better concert at this same coliseum. A camera crew captured the entire thing for the film <em>Elvis on Tour<\/em>. The raw footage sat in a Kansas salt mine for decades, until it was retrieved by Lurhmann\u2019s team. Now, the director is reportedly considering turning the 1972 Hampton Coliseum footage into another Elvis movie that\u2019ll focus solely on that night.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-line-height-copy  lrv-a-font-body-l   \">\n\tIt would be a wonderful gift to fans: That\u2019s the Elvis the world should remember. But that doesn\u2019t mean he had nothing to offer in the final years of his life. There are even moments during the last shows in 1977, most famously during \u201cUnchained Melody,\u201d when the old Elvis would briefly surface. And despite his horrifying physical decline, the King never lost his voice. It stayed with him until the very end.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<p>\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Elvis Presley - Unchained Melody\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/61-RycNKdJk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/music-features\/50-years-ago-today-elvis-presley-virginia-1235600565\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Times-Herald reporter Cheryl Tucker walked into Elvis Presley\u2018s Aug. 1, 1976, show at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia, with an open mind. She\u2019d&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":69713,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pop","article","has-excerpt","has-avatar","has-author","has-date","has-comment-count","has-category-meta","has-read-more","thumbnail-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}