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or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com. It's early evening on June 27, 1968, at the NBC studios in Burbank, California.

TV director Steve Binder looks down from the production booth onto a square stage,

and seated in a semicircle

in front of a small audience, several musicians tune their instruments. But one chair is still

empty. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.

Elvis hasn't performed live in seven years. He's been in Hollywood, starring in movies. But with the rise of

bands like The Beatles, Elvis is at risk of becoming irrelevant. Tonight is his big chance at a

comeback. It could relaunch his career as a musician or turn him into a national joke. From the booth,

Steve watches Elvis shuffle onto the stage in a black leather suit.

The cameras start rolling and there's rapturous applause. Steve has planned this as a casual session with Elvis and his old bandmates, but Elvis is clearly nervous. He uneasily sits down on

his chair and then nods at the audience. Then he abruptly says good night and gets up to leave.

Up in the booth, Steve's heart sinks.

He had to work hard to convince Elvis to perform tonight,

but it looks like he's already lost his nerve.

But then the audience laughs and Elvis smiles.

He sits back down, playing it off as a joke as he reaches for his guitar.

Elvis thanks the audience for coming and explains that this session is returned to his roots.

Some of his band tonight were with him when he was first starting out in Memphis in the 1950s,

so this is a real trip down Memory Lane. Elvis adjusts his guitar in his lap and then nods

...