Elvis performs in true Presley style before 18,000
By Rita Rose
The Indianapolis Star:

Elvis looks great and Elvis sounds great!" exclaimed comedian Jackie Kahane to 18,000 enthusiastic, sweaty-palmed fans at Market Square Arena last night.

And Indianapolis once again prepared to great royalty-the hip-swivelling singer who has been called the King of rock 'n' roll since the Mid-1950s.

Elvis. His name was everyhwere: on posters, buttons, souvenir books, T-shirts, hats, and homemade clothes that proclaimed with personal touches, admiration for a man idolized by millions.

The big question was, of course, had he lost weight? His last concert here, nearly 2 years ago, found Elvis overweight, sick and prone to give a lethargic performance. As the lights in the Arena was turned down after intermission, you could feel a silent plea rippling through the audience: Please, Elvis, don't be fat.

And then he appeared, in a gold and white jumpsuit and white boots, bounding onstage with energy that was a relief to everyone. At 42, Elvis is still carrying around some excess baggage on his mid-section, but it didn't stop him from giving a performance in true Presley style.

His opening number, the audience-grabbing C.C. Rider," got his portion of the show off to a flash-bulb-popping, hand-clapping start. His Amen," in which he encouraged everyone to lap and sing along, seemed to bring everyone together, as did "Jailhouse Rock" and "I got a woman."

His older numbers seemed to draw more applause, although just about everything he did created mass? hysteria, especially his "leg jerks." (In case you have never seen Elvis, this particular maneuver consist of one singer, standing perfectly still with his legs apart, then making his legs ripple like jelly, completing the action with moving first one leg and then the other bruptly to each side.)

Elvis has limited his karate movements, but the stances he takes with his guitar generated screams and shrieks from delighted fans. One of his best numbers, we feel, was "It's Now Or Never," followed by a medley of his hits. He also offered "This Time You Gave Me A Mountain," and "Fairytale," plus several others. He also did his famous "I uh, we uh, well, well, well, well, well, well" monologue, which seems to turn dyed-in-the- rood Elvis fans on. He coveted scarves, tossed into the audience after gracing the singer's neck, caused mad scrambles by the stage as he got rid of them just about as fast as they were put around his neck. The fans were well-behaved, considering the usual ampedes that take place at rock concerts.

The first half of the show consisted of the usual stuff - the Stamps singing, Jackie Kahane with his Elvis jokes, and The Sweet Inspirations in song. But we'll mention them only briefly, since most fans just want read about the King.

The packed Arena was indication enough that Elvis is still as popular as ever. Well, well, well, well!