By 1974, Elvis Presley had essentially reached the last stage of his iconic performing career. It might be fitting, then, in a closing-the-circle kind of way, that Elvis Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis—the final live Presley album released during the King’s lifetime—commemorated his first concert in his adopted hometown since 1961. With a nod toward the 40th anniversary of that performance, Legacy has reissued the record in an edition that includes not only the full Memphis concert (the original LP only featured about 40 minutes of the set), but also a full “warm up” concert performed two days earlier in Richmond, Virginia and a handful of songs taken from live in-studio concert rehearsals recorded later that year.

Each concert begins in epic 2001: A Space Odyssey fashion with an invocation of “Also Sprach Zarathustra” and ends with the now-iconic announcement that “Elvis has left the building.”  Similar setlists were used for each show, and the reissue contains repeated performances of rock standards (including “I Got A Woman, “Long Tall Sally,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Don’t Be Cruel”), gospel songs (such as “Why Me Lord”) and iconic Elvis numbers (like “Suspicious Minds,” “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and “An American Trilogy”). This repetition isn’t anything to quibble over, however, because both Elvis and his backing ensemble delivered spirited performances throughout both concerts. Ever the consummate showman, Elvis’ stage banter is often worth the price of admission here, and he doesn’t skimp in the vocal department. There’s an energy to Presley’s delivery that often propels these songs to transcendent heights.

Tacked on to the end of the second disc of the set, the in-studio rehearsals present an insider glimpse of Elvis and his band workshopping material. There’s a lighthearted air to these performances (before the run through of “Down In The Alley,” Presley asks, “Well, what can we screw up next?”), and it’s fascinating to compare the onstage King to the off-stage Elvis. Coupled with the Richmond performance, these tracks make this reissue of Elvis Recorded Live On Stage in Memphis something worth revisiting.