EPiC | Elvis Presley in Concert

Great performers don’t just entertain, they activate the audience. They make you want to move your body and create something yourself. 

In EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, I was taken aback by the mastery and physical embodiment of Elvis. I’d heard his performance style described before, but seeing it presented in a concert format on the big screen made it real. 

Elvis was an obsessed master of his craft, in meticulous control of everything from background arrangements to lighting while constantly absorbing inspiration from those around him. But he singularly transformed all of that into physical energy. In the film you see his body shake, sweat flying as he throws himself to the ground completely spent. He reportedly lost several pounds each show, and you can feel that level of exertion onscreen as he pushes his voice and body to their limits. He uses the microphone like another instrument, capturing breath, strain, and visceral sounds in real time. The performance goes beyond the music or lyrics: his body itself becomes the storytelling. 

Even in a movie theater 50 years later, you feel the urge to move. I watched people around me tapping their feet, barely suppressing the need to dance. 

Audiences, and perhaps even customers, employees, and collaborators, respond not to polish, but to the visible embodiment of commitment and energy.

That’s why great performances still make us want to participate decades later. It’s why the greats never die.