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i mentioned song fragments. let me clarify. my logic has always been this: if he yelps out "in the city, there's a thousand things i want to say to you." then that night, he DID THE JAM song "IN THE CITY" more than he did NOT do it. so, i have ALWAYS included tidbits in my setlist per show. naturally, some like THE KINKS "SEE MY FRIENDS" or THE SMALL FACES "TIN SOLDIER" both appearing in the Summer 1994 Attractions shows, were harder to decipher live and only with the internet boon, have many of these been properly labelled. hence my dilemma with adjusting for chronological placement problems and the need, again, for me to start anew.
my numbers are staggering, but again warrant a little discussion before proceeding. i like to think i am a well balanced partially strict/partially lenient judge. if i was trying to do this same task with BOB DYLAN live, it would never work. he so regularly and vastly reinterprets his own songs on a regular basis, that it is a near impossibility to credit "different" versions. but, with Elvis i think it is easier. naturally, when he works with orchestral or jazz acts, and calls them as "arranged by" this notates a "new" version. also, with the sugarcanes, i feel there were a good ten or twelve songs from Elvis back catalog that DID get a markedly different treatment, enough so to be called a DIFFERENT version. and then there are a handful of songs that Elvis on his own with his usual backing band reworked enough to be called a "new" track played live for my list. these would include things like: The Other Side of Summer (played as a waltz MSG 1991); Pump It Up '89 rap; Temptation '95 w/ Steve duo; Distorted Chelsea '96, Green Shirt '96 or Veronica #2 and National Ransom (attractions version) both from this year 2011. however, let's take a song like Everyday I Write the Book. yes, i have it as THREE different versions, whereas some might feel there are more. i have only credited the Ron Sexsmith version from Spectacle and The Sugarcanes version. whether it gets slowed a little, funked a little, punked a little or Motowned a little was immaterial to my list. please feel free to discuss.
so, a little history is in order. despite loving the artist from the get go in 1977, i could not get someone to take me until 1979. so i did indeed miss the first two or four tours and subsequently a very small handful of early regularly performed songs. but, since then, i guess i have NOT missed a tour (other than the opening slot for The Police due to illness). i get to most neighboring shows and sometimes take a short road trip and very rarely a LONG road trip. i have seen him in eight states (NJ, NY, PA, OH, NV, CA, CT, MA) and D.C. the most i've seen on any one tour is six shows in 1986. and i'm on a great consecutive year streak right now seeing him at least once a year since 1993. i've seen an appearance, naturally, every day of the week, every month of the year and everyday of the month except, NEVER on the 17th. i've seen him in fifty two different venues, twenty times at the Beacon and there have been forty eight different opening songs. i caught three soundchecks, all at Pier 84 in 1982 and 83. without these, i would have never have seen THE WORLD AND HIS WIFE, BOY WITH A PROBLEM, KING OF THIEVES, CHA DOOKIE DOO or THREE TIMES A FOOL FOR I LOVE YOU SO with Elvis playing bass guitar!!!
i've seen with The Attractions, + Martin Belmont, + Glenn Tilbrook, + T.K.O. Horns, + Gary Barnacle, SOLO, with the Confederates, the Coward Brothers, the ONLY 1986 Benmont Tench Confederates (never knew he did the '87 shows until now!), with Nick Lowe, The Rude Five, The Brodsky Quartet, w/ Steve Nieve, The Jazz Passengers, Debbie Harry, Burt Bacharach (duo), Burt full band, Lucinda Williams, ONE AMAZING NIGHT, FIRE AT KEATONS BAR AND GRILL and WELCOME TO THE VOICE, with the Charles Mingus Orchestra, The Imposters, Metropole Orkest, The only Pick Ups + Steve Nieve, Hubert Sumlin, Emmylou Harris, Larry Campbell, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Deathcab for Cutie, Fiona Apple, Billie Joe Armstrong, Allen Toussaint, Marian McPartland, Tony Bennett, Lou Reed, The Sugarcanes, Sheryl Crow, Neko Case, Ron Sexsmith and Jesse Winchester, with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & The E STREET BAND, The Speaking Clock Revue, Jeff Bridges, The Secret Sisters, Bible Code Sundays, Tennessee Thomas, Alex Turner and Questlove. surely i've omitted someone.
a couple honorable mentions for THE IMPOSTER only played at my 3rd and 4th show, until my 83rd and 84th show. BEATEN TO THE PUNCH at my 4th show and then even Elvis himself did not play it again until my 84th show and has not yet played it since. and another oddball fact...HUMAN HANDS only twice live for me; BOTH on NEW YEARS EVE's in 1981 and 2007!!! there are 242 songs i have only seen performed ONCE!
and the TOP FIVE SONGS PLAYED ARE:
ALISON 63
PUMP IT UP 62
DETECTIVES 60
PLU 50
CLUBLAND 42
and for the last sentence: i have seen 616 different songs played live with a grand total of 2611 songs played so far before my eyes and ears! i'm tired....