pMaMlllllllllllULlllWMl.l IMIIIII lllll -V At? -rs' 'ff wiiii ti -i Mill' i 'I iftwrf liniMrf- iitiloii i nirnf 'in mniniilir ill "nJ imihiiiih miiii mini iiiiii minimiwii urn mi 1 11 ml HIT i i i in 1 For at least one By WAYNE HARADA Arlvprlispr Entertainment Editnr Elvis Presley received a golden crown and a standing ovation at the conclusion of his unprecedented satellite-live TV concert beamed to a global audience of over 1.5 billion in the wee hours of the morning yesterday. A perspiring Presley simply held the crown as he accepted the accolades and thus, The King vanished backstage, another night's work completed. The H.I.C. Arena, jammed with 6.000 Hawaii fans, became a supersized TV studio for the hour-long spectacle, "Aloha from Hawaii," which was televised to nearly 40 nations. IT WAS A THRILLING, compact hour long on music, loud on screams as Presley performed a total of 25 songs, including a rare and poignant rendition of Kui Lee's "I'll Remember You." Like Friday night's dress rehearsal, yesterday's performance was a benefit for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund. behind llie scenes gold fans battle over Idiot cards and an argument were among the behind-the-scenes "seens" at yesterday's Elvis Presley "Aloha from Hawaii" concert at the H.I.C. Arena. The idiot cards a 1 known as cue cards, com -F IN 'A 4 A Jri -1 Li Elvis holds "mahalo" plaque from cancer fund. hour early yesterday, this crown awards But unlike any other charitable production here, this one had that aura of The Big Time: a superstar doing a super performance, right before the eyes of the world. Camera crews were everywhere: on stage, in the aisles, in the audience, zooming in on Presley and his breakthrough performance, coordinated by RCA Record Tours. "Aloha from Hawaii" is the first entertainment special telecast live to a global audience; it will be expanded into a 90-minute NBC-TV special, for viewing here and on the Mainland later this year. PERHAPS ONXY A phenomenon like Presley could pull off such a coup, at such a wicked showgoing time 12:30 a.m. curtain, Hawaii time yet draw a full house. The concert was similar in format to his pair of November shows at the H.I.C: it began in darkness, with the "2001: A Space Odyssey" fanfare preceding Presley's entrance; it ended with Presley singing "Can't mon in the world of television were used by Presley during a couple of his tunes. The cards, with handwritten song lyrics, were flashed to Presley from beneath the pair of centrally located NBC-TV cameras, on the 4 Advertiser Photo by Charles Okamura Advertiser Photo by Y. Isnu was the scene at the biggest show on earth, literally: Elvis, in white on stage, at the H.I.C. Advertiser review Help Fallin' in Love with You." Of course, there were differences. For starters, Presley hurled his flowing, white, studded cape a trademark for his finale number. That was a souvenir collector's dream come true. Too, the usual assortment of scarves went sailing into the audience at certain points of the show. THE SPECIALLY ERECTED set, on an unusually large stage with a protruding platform, consisted of a basic black scrim that was as long as it was high, reaching to the ceiling of the arena. A series of mirrors framed both sides of the stage, and special lights silhouetting the Presley form, spelling out his names not only in English but in foreign tongues flashed on and off occasionally. belt Arena's main floor. The argument involved two women fans of Presley, who fought for possession of the belt he hurled to them. One claimed she got it, the other disagreed, and some hot words were exchanged all while the show was going on. OTHER SIDELIGHTS: Prior to showtime, City Auditoriums Director Matt Esposito said the Kui Lee Cancer Fund was $1,000 richer thanks to check received from E. A. Presley. The singer himself, of course. Presley collected about a half-dozen leis during the telecast. Two disappointed would-be lei presenters were two daughters of the late Kui Lee, who tried to signal Presley's attention from the shadows of the stage. A bearded fellow sat on the huge stage all night with an important mission at hand to wind up or uncoil the microphone cord for Presley. Zulu was one of the scores of fans who contributed large sums to the Lee fund in return for posters, pictures and other Presley mementos. Mayor and Mrs. Frank F. Fasi had front-row-center seats, just below the central platform stage, but opted for a seat further back, for better perspective on the show. WThile Presley ner-formed. another Presley watched. The singer's dad, Vernon, was in the audience. to Once Presley emerged, he never was off stage. Once the show was under way, it didn't stop for commercial breaks. FOR THE HAWAII audience, his "I'll Remember You" vocal easily was the most sentimental. The Presley version retained the Hawaiian flavor, but also capitalized on the international scope of the tune; it easily could emerge as next No. 1 hit. His "American Trilogy" medley fusing i i "Battle Hvmn of the Republic" and "All My Trials" was another emotional instance, sending several hundred fans to their feet. But apparently the necessity to move on the show when such TV airing time is so precious forced Presley to cut short the audience response. The concert was smartly SvV Li r- 'i iiiii i Vim am ii Ihhiik iim iinjiiii ml iiiih i iw i in i i i i-'r Advernser Photo by Cratg Kojima Spinks, date Denise Cohen with THE cape: in the right place at H.I.C. 5 ati Bruce Spinks, Advertiser sports writer, plucked Elvis 1 JL ISO SJJOVCS Presley's studded cape at the H.I.C. Arena concert early 4 yesterday. IVntCY UCltZS didn't have to move out of my seat to get it," said Spinks. fClYlf And what will he do with the souvenir? ALilLLS CUIJC know guess put it in a safety.deposit box." HONOLULU ADVERTISER King Ml paced and packaged to suit all camps in the Presley following. There were the old hits "Love Me," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Hound Dog," "Johnny B. Goode," "Long Tall Sally." THERE WERE THE re-c clicks "Suspicious Minds," "Burning Love," "What Now, My Love." There were the soulful slices C. Rider." "Something," "Fever," the latter with the classic Presley shuffles, from the hips on downwards. And there were the special Presley renderings of "Welcome to My World." "It's Over." "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." ONLY ONCE DID he pluck his guitar. After all, he had all the musical backing he needed: a six piece combo that travels with him, J. D. Sumner and The Stamps plus The Sweet Inspirations doing the background vocals, and a gigantic orchestra of about 40 Dieces, including a splendidly nimble string section consisting of some of our Monday, Jan. 15, 1973 C-3 vis symphony musicians. Presley kept his talk to a minimum. He quipped about "Hound Dog: "I was just a baby when I did that song. With sideburns." He introduced Jack Lord as one of his actor favorites. And he reported that his original goal of $25,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund had been exceeded, with more than $75,000 raised prior to show time. PRESLEY'S ALOHA for Hawaii has been demonstrated before, when he helped raise funds for the building of the USS Arizona Memorial a decade ago. Yesterday's show reaffirms Presley's and manager Col. Tom Parker's philanthropic fondness for Hawaii. Like the enduring nature of Kui Lee's music, the incandescence of Presley is incomparable. Perhaps, Presley had a hidden meaning regarding the late Kui Lee, when he sang the composer's closing lines in "I'll Remember You," as follows: Love me always, promise always, you'll remember," too." i
