“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” is a documentary with never - before seen - footage of Elvis Presley’s time and performances in Las Vegas. Released on Feb. 27, the documentary is directed by Baz Luhrmann who also directed Elvis, the biopic of Presley in 2022. Luhrmann once again delivers in his showcasing of the King of Rock and Roll, creating an immersive theater experience.
This documentary briefly explores Presley’s earlier years to get straight to the action of how he would go about his performances.The documentary reveals Presley's first practices, then the second practices and finally the live shows he performed in front of sold - out crowds in Las Vegas. Oftentimes in the documentary, I found myself getting sucked into the performances and feeling like I was really one of the audience.
Presley narrates the story, giving more insight on him and how he was before performing through archival interviews intercut between the performances. If you thought you knew Elvis before, you really get to know him throughout this documentary. The film was edited in an artistic style. Between certain performances, it would cut from the first practice, to the second, to the live performance and showing how everything came full circle.
One of the documentary’s best parts is the framing of Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s manager. In Luhrmann’s earlier biopic, Parker is the one who tells the story, giving somewhat of a justification for why he managed Presley the way he did. Parker is the main reason why Presley never got to travel outside of the U.S and the reason for overworking Presley with the constant performances in Vegas. In the documentary, while brief, Parker is framed how he really was in real life. Presley speaks about the Colonel with his posse and it cuts to pictures of the Colonel and his hound dog plush with Presley’s song “You’re the Devil in Disguise” playing over the scene.
The music in the documentary is, of course, all Presley. It features 27 songs on the soundtrack. Some notable songs include “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” “Tiger Man,” “Hound Dog,” “Polk Salad Annie,” “Burning Love” and “Little Sister / Get Back.” All of the songs are labeled as the EPiC versions. While the King of Rock and Roll will immerse you into the performance, the music will make you want to get up out of your seat and dance.
Elvis fans will love this documentary as it truly feels like a love letter to him, while regular movie goers will find a new appreciation for the King. Elvis Presley in Concert is nothing short of amazing.
Rodney Prunty is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on X @rprunty05
