Very interesting variety of current musical guests, all doing their cover of the songs that Elvis himself performed back in 1968 for his "comeback". I applaud the efforts of most of the new artist, but, NO ONE nailed it like "The King" himself.
Best of the night included Mac Davis, John Fogerty, The Pistol Annies (great surprise!), and Jennifer Lopez, with Lukas Nelson (on guitar...another great surprise). But, also some complete misses, like Keith Urban, mutilating his version of "Burning Love"....
Strong finish with "If I Can Dream", combining Elvis with the current singers.
NBC was kind enough to remind viewers that they have a link to the original show from 1968, so if you want to watch it in it's entirety, it's available, so very clear that this was a "tribute" not a documentary.
Thank you to all the artists for their contributions, (hit or miss), in memory of Elvis, The King of Rock n Roll....
9 Reviews
More a question than a review . . . .
pgmcauliffe-9724018 February 2019
I really enjoyed this show. It brought back a lot of my memories of the original show, which (by the way) was the last time Elvis and Scotty Moore ever played together. But, who was the bass player? He played both electric bass (guitar) and stand-up bass for most of the show.
EXTRAORDINARILY IMPRESSIVE
dollarbillsemail3 March 2019
This Special is a model for what an All-Star Tribute should really be like. Top performers. Top performances. Great songs. Presented extraordinarily well. Truthfully, I didn't expect much from this show when I first saw it listed. I've seen a good number of these tribute type shows and most are fair to pretty poor. However, this one really impressed me. It was very professional and top drawer all the way through. I especially liked the way they would begin with Elvis starting each song and have the tribute artist pick it up from the point that he left off. Great job! I rate it 10-stars out of 10.
Poor Tribute
lantzlionheart18 February 2019
Very poor tribute in my opinion. Mostly a bunch of artists singing his songs, but very little about Elvis himself. Not one time did they show Elvis singing a whole song. Just little tidbits here and there. Very disappointing. Should have been more historical and less commercial.
Not really a tribute ....
andrewrye-0653521 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I managed about 20 minutes and couldn't take anymore.
Blake Shelton looked as if he had trouble memorising his script and his voice is too weak to seriously cover any Elvis songs as were most of the singers. Ed Sheeran seemed most convincing from the parts I saw. Not sure what Post Malone was supposed to be doing and Keith Urban? Almost as OTT as Jennifer Lopez act. Not sure who told him he could play guitar and his ad libs felt as forced as his singing was lack lustre.
Where were the stars? These were country singers mostly putting a country spin an Elvis' blues and it just didn't work.
Its a 3 for effort but I wish they'd had some serious musicians instead of the shambles they managed to chorale in the boxing ring. maybe someone will come up with a real tribute, play his songs as they were meant to be played and talk to people who actually knew who he was, not an ex-wife with her hand out.
Where were the stars? These were country singers mostly putting a country spin an Elvis' blues and it just didn't work.
Its a 3 for effort but I wish they'd had some serious musicians instead of the shambles they managed to chorale in the boxing ring. maybe someone will come up with a real tribute, play his songs as they were meant to be played and talk to people who actually knew who he was, not an ex-wife with her hand out.
A good try, but....
Mandy99914 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
At first I wondered why there was so little of Elvis himself in this tribute show, but the answer became apparent as the show went on. While I appreciate the effort by modern artists to introduce Elvis to younger audiences, it was painfully obvious they simply couldn't compete with the King.
That said, there were some standout performances. Probably the best of the night was Adam Lambert's "Blue Suede Shoes"; he really captured the spirit of the original song. Ed Sheeran did an interesting take on "Can't Help Falling in Love," although it was a little show for my liking. Carrie Underwood and Yolanda Adams did a creditable job with the gospel segment, although I'd say Yolanda's voice outshone Carrie's, whose tone gets a little screechy when she tries to power it up. Why they didn't have Lisa Marie sing "Where No One Stands Alone" with her father escapes me.
And speaking of Elvis's surviving relatives, both Lisa Marie and his granddaughter, Riley Keough, sounded like wooden puppets. And Riley's an actress! You'd think at least she could do better. Perhaps it's just as well Priscilla wasn't there.
Most of the other performances were okay, if weak, but a few fell completely flat. Keith Urban and Post Malone tried to recreate the laid-back blues of the sit-down show with "Baby, What Do You Want Me to Do?" but it failed miserably. "Jailhouse Rock" was butchered by (of all people) John Fogerty, who just doesn't have the voice at his age to carry it off. And Dierks Bently produced a weird, countrified version of "Little Sister."
Maybe the younger crowd enjoyed this tribute better than I did (a woman in her 50s), but frankly, I think NBC would have done better to simply rebroadcast the original '68 special.
That said, there were some standout performances. Probably the best of the night was Adam Lambert's "Blue Suede Shoes"; he really captured the spirit of the original song. Ed Sheeran did an interesting take on "Can't Help Falling in Love," although it was a little show for my liking. Carrie Underwood and Yolanda Adams did a creditable job with the gospel segment, although I'd say Yolanda's voice outshone Carrie's, whose tone gets a little screechy when she tries to power it up. Why they didn't have Lisa Marie sing "Where No One Stands Alone" with her father escapes me.
And speaking of Elvis's surviving relatives, both Lisa Marie and his granddaughter, Riley Keough, sounded like wooden puppets. And Riley's an actress! You'd think at least she could do better. Perhaps it's just as well Priscilla wasn't there.
Most of the other performances were okay, if weak, but a few fell completely flat. Keith Urban and Post Malone tried to recreate the laid-back blues of the sit-down show with "Baby, What Do You Want Me to Do?" but it failed miserably. "Jailhouse Rock" was butchered by (of all people) John Fogerty, who just doesn't have the voice at his age to carry it off. And Dierks Bently produced a weird, countrified version of "Little Sister."
Maybe the younger crowd enjoyed this tribute better than I did (a woman in her 50s), but frankly, I think NBC would have done better to simply rebroadcast the original '68 special.
Bassist was Don Was
hawverg19 February 2019
Turning in his grave!
johnnyboygrant26 February 2019
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