Whether you particularly liked his style of music, one has to admit, he was an incredible showman. The other night, I watched his famous 1975 Aloha Concert in Hawaii. He was at the height of his popularity, with white bell-bottom suit, the mutton chop sideburns, the enormous diamond rings, and the tremendous charisma, all there on display. It was quite something to take in.
Unlike the mega stars of this day, who feel the need to incorporate everything but the kitchen sin into their concert, Elvis was there on the stage alone with his band. That's all....no acrobats swinging from the ceiling, no lighting effects or jumbotron screens with close ups. Just him, in all his glory.
We sentimentalize Elvis, like we do some others that we feel left us all to soon. Sometimes it is because of over-indulgence, sometimes illness, sometimes just the luck of the draw, like Stevie Ray Vaughn, killed in a plane crash at the time he was resurrected from drug addiction, and at his very best. Elvis lived to 42 years of age, and like a comet, soared through this life, and then was gone (not to say how many Elvis sightings there have been ever since). Ha ha
It got me to thinking about Mozart, and his exceptional talent and how he, too, was a star hurtling through this world, to the next, immortalized forever through his music. He lived from 1756 - 1792. 36 years in all.
Every time I hear someone say, he died too soon, I pause. What constitutes a full life? Are we just wanting more, or is their purpose served? Would they have continued to create past their expiration date, or was this their perfect moment to depart?
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