Elvis Presley's return to the concert stage in 1969 was a big showbiz deal. So big, in fact, that he was able to establish a residency in Las Vegas that partially kept him off the tiresome concert circuit. If you wanted to see Elvis, you had to come to him. And the people came in droves.

Elvis Appreciation 101: First, read the superb two-volume biography by Peter Guralnick. Next, listen to this edition of On Stage, which is actually a fortified re-release of the albums On Stage and Elvis in Person. Of course there's a mountain more of Elvis releases to discover but if this doesn't get your attention, you might as well quit there.

As this 2CD live release proves, the King was not about to disappoint fans who spent a good chunk of their hard-earned money to see the Elvis Presley Show. He sings medleys and short versions of the early hits ("Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "Blue Suede Shoes"), full versions of his then-most recent chartbusters ("In the Ghetto," "Suspicious Minds") and a smattering of schmaltzy renditions of songs made famous by others ("Yesterday," "Sweet Caroline," "Runaway"). Of the latter fare, the grittier material fares best ("Walk a Mile in my Shoes" fits him like a sock, for example).

This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2010.