Even while sweating chicken grease, Elvis was still the King

He might have flamed out on the crapper at an age when most men are still a couple of years away from their first prostate exam, but Elvis always was, and still remains, the King. How else do you explain what he pulled off on a steamy night in Rapid City, Omaha back in June of 1977?

America at the time was a goddamn mess, its inner cities plagued by drugs and violence, inflation through the roof, and every second person under the age of 30 too coked out to notice.

Funnily enough, Elvis was a mess too, making him a perfect symbol for the bloated excesses of the era. By August 16 he’d be dead, his body finally succumbing to the reality that man cannot live on a smorgasbord of prescription drugs, Pepsi Cola, double cheeseburgers, mashed potatoes, and, of course, fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. But good lord the King could still sing.

Check out the Rapid City clip above. Elvis should have been in detox at that point, not to mention on a serious Weight Watchers diet, his manager Col. Tom Parker instead keeping his cash cow on the road to make sure the money was rolling in. As legendarily incoherent Elvis was during many of his shows, forgetting words, and stumbling around the stage like your semi-senile Uncle Ernie after seven Christmas rum and cokes, the dude could still keep an audience spellbound.

Try not to pay attention to the fact the King appears to be sweating unrefined chicken grease, and instead watch a master make a case that maybe he still had something to offer as he gives ‘er during a version of “Unchained Melody”.

By the way, if you look like this, please hit your neighbourhood gym. Spring is on the way, and, with the winter coats coming off, you don’t want anyone mistaking you for Elvis, especially if you’re working the pumps at a small-town gas station. Elvis already has that gig covered.