Four days in March
The four days in March, were the 17th through 20th, 1976. Elvis would be playing in Johnson City, Tn. Never heard of it, till it popped up on the tour schedule. Got out the map and found it. Then we had to take a Sunday trip to see if we could find tickets. My husband, Steve had just been laid off from his job. So doing a few Elvis shows was no problem while he looked for another one. Got a few leads on tickets, but everyone was being real quiet about what they had. The sheriff had promised to crack down on scalpers. Everyone would get a fair chance to see Elvis.
We stayed in the Holiday Inn in Johnson City. Freedom Hall was a very small place on the campus of the local high school. Steve went over to check out the ticket situation at the box office. He was able to buy third row center for that night's show. Seems Col. Parker had come in and told them to add two seats down the aisle to the center section. Before he left the box office, the girl got two front row seats. He bought them. Sold the third row to the lady in line behind him.
This was the opening night of touring in 1976. Rumors had been going around all day that Elvis would come over for a soundcheck, but he didn't. That night was a magic one for me. Front row center seat. Elvis wore the dark blue eagle suit. When he started, "Love Me", he gave a scarf to a lady on the other side from us, but he didn't kiss her. Then he came to our side. Elvis reached out the scarf to me. As I stood to get it, he pulled me up to him and kissed me! Then we were mobbed. Ladies came from everywhere. Elvis held me till everyone was seated, then let me go. I have one picture from that night. When I saw it, I was stunned to see I had my hand up around his neck.
In all that excitement, I had forgotten to give Elvis a pair of sunglasses I had for him. When he came back over to our side, I called his name, holding the glasses over the crowd. He took them. Putting them on, when everyone was seated, he turned to me and started talking! I stood up and he said, "here she comes, she wants them back. Can I have them?" Of course I said he could. The he said I wanted to make him look like Elton John or Isaac Hayes. I was later told by one of the bodyguards, Elvis kept the sunglasses and played with them in his room. A few days later, I got my second autograph, thanking me for the glasses.
Elvis sang for about an hour and half that night. I remember a killer version of "Hurt". This song wasn't so good in Pontiac on New Year's Eve. Then again, what was? The place was so big and cold. The audience reception for Elvis was overwhelming here. This whole tri city area had gone Elvis crazy. Found out how much the next morning. The newspaper not only carried a review of the show, but pictures of the crowds waiting to see Elvis leave his hotel. It was wild. Elvis was staying in an old Holiday Inn in Bristol, TN and driving to Johnson City each night. The story going round was the hotel belonged to some friend of Col. Parker's. He had gotten a promise from the Col. that if Elvis planned in the area, he would stay at his hotel. All the doors opened to the outside, so Elvis was trapped. People waited outside all day. This was the worst place I ever saw Elvis stay. One night, a police car got trashed with people standing on it to get a better look of Elvis leaving. All of this ran every day in the local paper. Including a couple of nice shots of Elvis.
The second night in Johnson City, I had seventh row. Elvis had on the same jumpsuit. His hair was shorter and with bangs. Someone's girlfriend was cutting his hair everyday. A very good version of " It's Now Or Never" sticks out in my mind. Steve hollered for "Rags to Riches" and got a very strange look from Elvis. Our seats on the last night in Johnson City were on the side. Elvis wore the white jumpsuit with the puffy sleeves from Pontiac. "How Great Thou Aren't" was the stand out that night. Steve took a beautiful picture of Elvis with a bouquet of flowers. The flowers looked like they came from someone's garden. Elvis was smelling them. He appears to really be enjoying them.
Elvis flew to Charlotte, NC for his next two shows, but we drove. Had to go to his hotel to pick up some tickets. This was the last time I saw Vernon Presley looking very healthy. He came off the elevator and some children stopped him. I remember thinking all of Elvis' looks didn't come from his Mama. Vernon was a handsome man, before he became ill. Something in the way Vernon was carrying himself that day reminded me of Elvis.
The afternoon show in Charlotte was wild. Same blue eagle jumpsuit again. Charlie dropped the guitar when Elvis threw it to him that afternoon. A girl managed to get up on stage that afternoon, so security was beefed up for the night show. Alot of kids were put up on-stage with Elvis. I never understood this till I had kids of my own. I thought it was just the parents way of getting close to Elvis. Now, with my own kids, I know there is a certain singer they have loved all their life. Even at a very early age, they would have loved to been near him. I know now,these people have that wonderful memory of being on-stage with Elvis,even if just for a short time.
All too soon, it was over. Time to head back to real life. In a few months, we'd back out there. Going to see Elvis again.
Shake My Hand, Elvis !!
It was December, 1975, Las Vegas, International Hilton Hotel. Underneath my dress shirt, I had silkscreened a t-shirt with the words "Elvis, Shake My Hand." After waiting in line all day long (approximately 10 hours), the doors opened, the line moved, and my maitre'd escorted me to "a" seat. I am no where close to the front row where I need to be to shake E's hand. I gave the maitre 'd $20. to get me closer. He takes me down only two rows. Again, I am not even close. I would still need binoculars. I give him another $20. Believe it or not, he takes me down three rows. Still, I am a long, long way from handshaking distance. I tell the maitre 'd, "Look, what is this?" He replies, "You give me a good tip, I give you what you want." So,..... I give him another $20.(total of $60.). He finally takes me down to the front row, far to stage left.
I am sitting next to a girl who has this HUGE stuffed teddy bear, sporting an Elvis-type jumpsuit. Elvis finally bursts onto stage. After a few songs, Elvis sees the big bear "dancing" near the stage. He walks over, gives the little girl a kiss. Meanwhile, I have taken my dress shirt off, standing on my chair, and pointing to my t-shirt message. Elvis sees me, reads my shirt, and shakes my hand. Mission Accomplished!!
To non-Elvis fans, this is not big deal. But for a kid who got to stay up after 9pm on school nights ONLY if there was an Elvis movie on t.v.; who sang Elvis songs all the time at a time when bands like KISS were "it" as far as his school peers were concerned,.........WHAT A MOMENT!!!!
As a footnote: While waiting in line for the concert, Ronnie Tutt walked by. I told him I wanted his job. He just looked at me and walked off. Gezz, what I wouldn't have done have backed Elvis. It's fun to dream.
BeinfunLake Tahoe 71
I was only 9 when I saw Elvis with my family at the Sahara Tahoe...He was wearing a white jumpsuit..indian beads..and tan and thin as anything. We were in the 3rd row,close enough to see him pretty well, a great rock show !!He started with CC rider and went into tiger man..it actuall scared me a bit,the power of the show. The most unusual momemnt of the show, at least form a childs point of view, was when sang hound dog...with a rubber mask on...a dog or a monkey..extremely creepy...anyway at least I was able to see the King.
A.Mozart
April 14, 1972
The First Time
In the early spring of 1972, my hometown of Greensboro, NC had just renovated our coliseum. It was announced for the re-opening, Elvis would do a concert. This concert would be filmed by MGM for an upcoming movie. I was a senior in high school, engaged to marry my now husband, Steve. After reading about Elvis coming, Steve went to get tickets. We were not Elvis fans. Of course, we knew all about Elvis. Being southern, we were raised on Elvis. So we thought we should go see him, just so we could say we had. However, when Steve went to buy the tickets, the only ones left were behind the stage. And they cost...$10.00!!! Steve said he wasn't paying ten bucks to sit behind God.
The night of the concert was warm and balmy. Since this was the first sold out show in the new coliseum, we rode by. At this time, the building had glass in the doors. People were looking in the doors. So we parked. Going up to the building, we saw people crowded around the doors and trying to sneak in through the outside stairwells. When we got up to the doors, I will never forget what I saw as I looked through the glass.
Wearing the dark blue jumpsuit, Elvis was standing on one foot. He told the audience, that for those who couldn't see, it's a owl on his belt buckle. A picture of him standing like this, appeared in our local newspaper. I was amazed. This was not the Elvis I expected to see. All my life I had seen the movie Elvis. The one that made the gospels albums my Mama bought. Not this sexy, handsome man.
Steve noticed the sound got better as we walked around the building. That lead us to the sound trailer behind the building. There we watched on a close circuit monitor, the camera feed from inside. We were seeing Elvis better than the people on the front. That was the first time we saw Col. Parker. He was in the trailer. Standing at the door, we watched the rest of the concert. When the show was over, we moved over to the wall beside the driveway where the car would come out. Everyone had been moved away, so the car could come out of the building. But the car didn't come. A few years later, the manager of the coliseum explained the delay in a radio interview. Elvis ran off stage, with the guys rushing him into the car. The manager warned them it would dark. They would have flashlights to help them,but to slow down. Of course, they didn't. The first guy hit a trash can, then they all toppled on top if each other. Elvis was picked up and threw in the car. The manager said the last he saw of Elvis that night was his heels against the glass in the car.
While all this was going on, the people outside blocked the driveway again. When the car came out, it had to stop. That was my chance to see Elvis up close. I leaned over the wall, not paying attention to how far. Suddenly, I saw these beautiful eyes and a hand going for the doorhandle. I felt myself jerk. Steve grabbed my ankles to keep me from going over the wall. Then I saw Elvis smile, wave and look relieved. He was coming to rescue me!
From that night on, we wanted to know more about Elvis. When "On Tour" opened in town,we made all our friends go see it. It would be two year before we would see Elvis in concert again. From then till 1977, we went to see him as much as we could. And found a new world. The Elvis world.
Cincinnati, OH
I have been an Elvis fan since the beginning - his beginning. I was probably 9 or 10 years old. I never had the chance to see him in person until 1976. I had never really been to a concert of this type before either. I also lived in Athens, OH, not close to any place to buy tickets for his concerts.
The concert I saw was in Cincinnati, OH in March, 1976. Not sure of the date. When I heard about the concert being there I called the Riverfront Colesium about tickets. I went to the Western Union office in Athens and wired the money for the tickets. It cost me as much to wire the money as the tickets cost. As I remember they were $12.50 each. (A far cry from today's tickets for such a concert). This was a lot of money for me to spend considering I was married, had 3 children and I worked full time to keep things going. So this was a real luxury.
The concert was on a Sunday afternoon. We left Athens on Sat. AM headed for Cincinnati. At the time we owned a car that had a vinyl roof on it. Outside of Grove City (just west of Columbus), we are driving along, it's March, cold and very windy. We keep hearing this noise. The vinyl top had ripped loose and was flapping in the wind. We had to slow down to keep it from ripping off entirely. We finally found a place to get off the highway and we found some "duct tape" to tape it up. We finally arrive in Cincinnati about 5 or so. We had left in the morning and this was usually a 3 hr trip. It took us all day. Anyway we checked into the motel, had a nice dinner and went dancing.
The next day I could not wait to get to the Coliseum. We were there wayyyyy early. I was hoping to get a glimpse of Elvis as they arrived but that didn't happen. So we went in when the doors opened and found our seats. It was so exciting. Finally, when they played the 2001 Odyssey, the lights went out, the place was pitch dark except for the flashes of cameras which made it seem like lightning in there. The music roared and my heart pounded in my chest so hard I thought I would pass out. Our seats were not the greatest but I had binoculars so I could get an up close view. I do have some snapshots - they wouldn't let you leave your seat during the performance, so you couldn't get a close picture unless you were front row. But I have one, you just can't be sure it's Elvis, but I know it is! The concert was great. He was overweight and not as agile as he used to be. He did forget words to some of the songs but they just joked about it and went on.
The crowd didn't seem to mind. This was Elvis. He did have to leave the stage once and change his jumpsuit as he ripped the one he was wearing on that famous stretch he used to do. But he came right back and went right on with the show. I have regretted not going to the concert in Cincinnati again in 1977, but my husband at that time didn't want any part of it again and he wasn't about to allow me to go either. So regrettingly, I did not see him in person again.
However, my present husband and I did see the "Elvis in Concert" in March 1998 in Cleveland, OH. He is a big Elvis fan too - we wooed each other over the radio sending Elvis song dedications to each other. Anyway, it was fantastic. You completely forgot about the screen being there and you felt his presence right in the middle of the whole thing. The band was great, the singers were great and it was just the most exciting experience. I listen to his music all the time, I have told my husband that at my funeral, I want Elvis gospel music to be played and when we purchased our dream car, a 1975 Corvette a year ago, our license tags are "ELVIS 75". I have been to Graceland several times and hope to get there during a celebration in August sometime. There is a great Elvis performer in our area and we go to all his concerts, belong to his fan club and he is just about as close to being Elvis as it gets. He is wonderful and does a great "Tribute to Elvis" show. His name is Mike Albert from Columbus, OH.
Thanks for the chance to talk about Elvis. Rose
Elvis concert International Convention Center, Niagara Falls, New York 1975
I had the thrill of seeing Elvis perform at the International Convention Center, August 1975 in Niagara Falls, New York. I was 17 years old and from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was a greatest concert I had ever been to, Elvis absoulutely fanatastic, he had a blue and white jumpsuit with an glittering eagle on the back and glittering and sparkle all over his suit. He acknowledged the Canadian audiences that were in attendance. I had the opportunity to go from my seat, which was a the rear of the arena, to the stage floor which was packed with fans. I felt it was going to be the only opportunity in my life, to get up close and see Elvis. I was able to use my 8mm movie camera to film Elvis up close. One of his stage hands must have noticed my camera and made his way over to me to confiscate the movie cartridge. Luckily, I had already finished one cartridge and put it in my breast pocket, he asked me if I had any more movie cartridges, I said No. To this day I have and still enjoy the unconfiscated movie cartridge, and see Elvis as he walks on stage to the theme of 2001 as I remember that day. I am now 42 and it is still by far the greatest concert I have ever seen.
Elvis Forever
Maurizio Bianchi
San Bernardino,CA
My rememberences of finally seeing the King live in concert were two fold. April 1974 I drove 35 miles to San Bernardino California and stood in line for over an hour. Finally reaching the front of the line the woman said "sorry no checks" Damn I thought, this is Saturday and no banks open. Also no ATM's "what were atms"
I drove all over San Bernardino and finally found a dept store that would cash a personal check. I returned to the Swing Auditorium and stood in line once again. I over heard the lady in front of me tell the ticket person that she had tickets but wanted to exchange them for seats with her friends you were farther back. The ticket lady did what she asked. I was next in line and the ticket lady smiled and said "How would you like 7th row center" Wow this nut exchanged 7th row center seats and now Ive got them. Yes we sat in the 7th row only 20 feet from the King. I snuck about 4 minutes of 8mm video with no sound while some girls mom kept the security guard at the end of our row occupied so her daughter could sneak to the stage. The King was bigger than life as if God himself was up there on stage. He looked the best he ever looked in his life and sounded excellent. JD sang a note that just when you thought he was as low as anyone could go, he dropped a whole octave and shook the entire building. This concert is something I will never forget.
But so is July 1976 at the Long Beach Arena....Not sure of the month actually it was all a blur. I stood in line for Ticketron at 4am. Was the first in line and when they opened got tickets in the back of the Arena. It seems all the radio stations had everything bought up. Well when Elvis hit the stage I went numb. Here was my life long idol. Big, Bigger than ever. He appeared to be nearly 300lbs. Bloated, FAT... I cried, I walked around the Arena, trying to get closer to the stage. But the closer I got the more I could see I was not dreaming... I don't remember the songs he sang or much more about the concert. Except that while sitting in the back I could see Elvis take a very large diamond ring off of his finger and give it to a girl in the front row. The guards rushed her back to her seat. I do know this, we can all make excuses that he wasnt fat etc but all the excuses in the world wont make it go away.
This however is NOT how he should be remembered for most of his life he was the same man I saw in 1974. Only a very short sad period in his life did he fall from Grace and in the end because of his belief in God, he is forgiven.
Long Live The King!
ElprslyComeback 68 !!!!
One day, in early 1968, I happened to see a notice in the TV Guide magazine that Elvis Presley was going to do a special on NBC-TV. I decided to write to NBC to see what it would take to get tickets. A couple of months later I received two tickets for June 27, 1968, at 8:00 PM, at NBC-TV Studios in Burbank, California. And the tickets were free!!!!!!!!
When my wife and I arrived we had no idea what to expect. We'd seen nothing describing the type of special Elvis was doing, only that it was to be a Christmas special. We stood in line outside the studio along with Arthur O'Connell, who co-stared in two movies with Elvis. A male NBC employee, who was monitoring the line, was talking with some young girls directly in front of us. He told the girls that NBC had apparently sent out about 50 tickets before Colonel Tom Parker found out. Col. Parker did not let them send out any more because it was suppose to be for invited guests only.
When we finally got in, we were seated on some make-shift bleachers. I would guess there were no more than about three hundred people, including cameramen, technicians, etc., in the entire studio. Shortly after we were seated, Col. Parker came into the studio and began selecting females to go down and sit around the square stage Elvis was to use. My wife would have been one of them but she had taken her shoes off and couldn't get them back on. Her feet were swollen from standing so long.
The studio lights were dimmed and a local Los Angeles disc jockey, the Real Don Steel, came out to introduce Elvis. As he was going through a lengthy dissertation, a door opened over in a dark far corner of the studio. A shadow entered the studio and the roof must have gone up a couple of inches. Don Steel did not get another word out. Elvis, dressed in a black leather outfit, walked into the spotlight and history was in the making.
I had been an Elvis fan since he began at Sun Records, but had never seen him in person. I want to tell you, I was not disappointed. For one thing, he was the prettiest man I had ever seen, or have seen since. The concert, if you want to call it that, was nothing more than a jam session. He and his friends talked about old times and sang seemingly whatever happened to pop in their heads. I had never seen Elvis play the guitar the way he did that night. His voice was absolutely fantastic. He was the 50s Elvis with a little more sophistication. It was pretty obvious that Elvis was back.
To say it was a special, memorable night for me would be a gross understatement. It was a night of Memories.......
The next, and only other, time I saw Elvis perform was on November 13, 1972, in San Bernardino, California. Swing Auditorium, which is gone now, a small private plane flew into the roof of it, was a huge place. It was totally sold out for the Elvis concert. I remember the affair being like a circus. There were people selling all types of Elvis memorabilia, barking like they were on a carnival midway. The show opened with the Sweet Inspirations, then a comedian that I was not at all impressed with, and then an intermission.
During the intermission, I remember Col. Parker coming out a door near the stage and looking over the crowd. I was standing up looking around, as were most of the audience. Col. Parker seemed to be looking directly at me and motioning, as if to say, "Come here," with his hand. Stupid me. I looked around to see who he was motioning to. When I looked back, he pointed in my direction and motioned again. I just couldn't imagine he might be motioning to me, so I just stood there. Col. Parker shrugged his shoulders, walked over to a couple near the front, and took them back stage. When they came back out, they were showing a polariod photo to people around them.
Elvis was fantastic that night. He looked great. He was in good voice. And he was funny. I have seen a lot of performers in my time, but I have never seen anyone with the charisma of Elvis Presley. The audience was totally his. The only odd thing I noticed was that he was wearing a blue jumpsuit with a white belt.....and black shoes. I just couldn't understand why he would wear black shoes with that outfit.
At the time of the concert, "Burning Love" was number one all over the country. When Elvis sang the song, he had the mike in one hand, a glass of water in the other, and his foot propped up on the platform Charlie Hodge was standing on. Even with that, the song sounded fantastic.
A footnote to this concert was that it was almost two months to the day when Elvis would appear all over the world via satellite.
Al McGill
Knoxville, Tennessee
San Antonio, TX
The year was 1975 and i was scanning the San Antonio sunday newspaper and noticed a feature that he was to appear in october. It had an address for me to send my funds for three tickets. It was'nt long afterwards, that i found out that the show was sold out (as usual).I did'nt think too much about the refund, that i never received.
So as time went by and the Friday that he was to appear, i get an envelope with a san antonio post mark, on the same day of the show! Inside was the three tickets for the show scheduled for later that night. At the time, i was stationed in fort hood texas, which is about a three hour drive with the show to start around 7:30 (it was 2:30 when i get all this).
I got special permission to leave work early (which was very hard being in the military), but once i got things squared away, all you saw was a blue streak (i drove a ford maverick painted blue) headed south on i-35 towards the alamo city. I got there just in time to get seated and see the opening acts. My only disappointment in seeing the concert, we that he only appeared for about 45 minutes.
As for the other two tickets. My supply sergeant friend "had" a wife who was simply one if the biggest fans of Elvis. She was ecstatic to find out that i was going to give her the two other tickets.
To conclude this story. She died in child-birth the following February, as i was one of her pall bearers!
Raymond A. Pinales
Springville, UT
Chicago 1957
Hi Elvis fans,
First I take exception to your comment that Elvis did not tour much in 1957, as started in your web site. He did...this was billed as his farwell tours before going into the U.S.Army. This was the only year that he wore the famous gold suit.
I was 12 years old at the time...and a big Elvis fan since seeing him on Stage Show in January of 1956. I had the pleasure and good luck of seeing all of them live on TV. So when word finally got out...that Elvis was comimg to Buffalo,NY..I just had to go. I asked my parents...and the said yes...and they also went to see him with me. Tickets were $3.50 each....believe it or not where we sat,and on the floor near the stage, the price was $5.
We had a Rock n Roll pioneer disk jockey in town, by the name of George "Hound Dog" Lorenz..(WKBW-1520am)..who was instrumental in bringing Elvis to town. He also was the guy who introduced Elvis as he made his intrance on stage. With this being April Fools Day, there was a rumor going around that this was just a joke....and Elvis was not here at all. Well our War Memorial Auditorium was packed to the rafters for this once in a life time concert (14,000) Elvis first had some other entertainers open the show....no one you had ever heard of...there was a juggler as I remeber...and he was constantly interupped by the nervous & excited audience....with the chant " WE WANT ELVIS" as were the other performers...except the Jordanaires who got a very nice welcome....and applause. Then finally there was a break as Elvis' band ( Scotty Moore,Bill Black and D.J. Fontana were on stage,and as the "Hound" introduced Elvis, he pointed to his left....but no Elvis...so he introduced him again....and looked to his left..no Elvis again...but...to his and everyone's suprise...Elvis came out from the right side of the stage...laughing...and the place exploded with screams and light bulbs going off....the lights from the cameras going off made the spotlights on Elvis look dim.
Elvis looked more handsome than any 10 movies stars that you can think of. He wore the famous gold jacket.but had on black pants,white shirt and the gold shoes.
He launced into Heartbreak Hotel....and once he took the stage...the screaming never stopped...unless Elvis wanted to say something...then silence fell...as everyone hung on his every word. Seeing Elvis perform in the 50's....was when Rock N Roll was young....and so was Elvis...and he showed it on stage...in fact the photo of Elvis in his gold suit...with his leg's open,guitar off to his right and D.J.'s bass drum is inbetween them...is from this show....Of course All Shook Up brought down the house...as it was #1 on the charts at the time. He closed the show....with Hound Dog...as he sang the last lyrics....he slid on his knees...to the edge of the stage...and once the song had ended...Elvis was on a dead run...off the stage.
This concert was one of 5 that I have seen Elvis in person......and loved them all...( all in the Buffalo & Niagara Falls area)..but it stands out in my mind....as the greatest one. I hope you all enjoyed my memories of this great concert.
Bob Urbaniak
Buffalo, New YorkA 1955 Concert !
The first time I saw Elvis Presley was (I shall never forget for I am still in love. HA) in Houston, TX at Magnolia Gardens on March 20, 1955. There probably wasn't 200 people there. He was just considered like "local" talent. I was 14 years old at that time.
He walked out on the stage and looked as if he didn't know where he was or why he was there...Everyone was screaming Elvis. The girls were beside themselves even the older ladies in the audience. The men were struck dumb by the actions of their children and their wives.
Then one of the guys who played with Elvis walked up behind Elvis and pretended to wind him up and that leg, that left leg took its position and silence filled the room....The show had begun.
I truly thought I would die....the feeling of that time and place was overpowering. It was days before I got over that experience at all and until today I can relive that moment and the "feelings" are almost as powerful as they were on March 20, 1955.
I saw Elvis many more time after that and never, never quit feeling that thrill. It was almost painful...No-one will Ever replace Elvis Aaron Presley.
Norma Hamby
Western Concerts!
I have been fortunate to have seen Elvis 4 times live in concert. Each experience was a dream come true and I would like to share them with you.
Tahoe 1974 - I was 15 and my parents took me to see Elvis at the Sahara. It was a dinner show and we were at the center table about 10 seats from the stage. The waitress told me that the first 3 seats on either side of the table by the stage were empty and reserved for Elvis' guests. She said that if they were still empty when the lights went down, to run and grab a seat. I did, and it was incredible. I had made Elvis a beaded necklace and threw it up to him. He caught it and put it on.
Tahoe 1976 - I was 17 this time and went with my mother. We were on the stage also this time, but way far to the right. I had brought a teddy bear to give to Elvis and was looking for the right time. Sure enough, Elvis made his way to the far right of the stage. I had to stand up on my chair to try to hand him the bear. Being so close to the stage, I started to crawl towards Elvis when a security guard started to stop me. Elvis put his hand up to stop the guard and motioned for me to continue. He helped me up, took the bear, gave me a kiss and a scarf (blue). All I remember is the stoplight in my face as I tried to climb back down to my seat.
San Francisco 1976 - Elvis played two shows and I attended both. I had gotten married that summer and my husband was also an Elvis fan and had a fan club. We had made a plaque to present to Elvis welcoming him to San Francisco. We had written Vernon Presley to ask if he could help us get the plaque to Elvis. We actually received a response from Mr. Presley on real Elvis Presley stationary. He apologized and explained that he was not well and would not be accompanying Elvis on that tour. I was determined to get that plaque to Elvis. Our seats at the concert were not good, but I didn't stay in my seat anyway! As soon as the lights went down, I was on my way. There is a lot of security at a big coliseum and it is very difficult to get to the stage. They had guards sitting every 10 rows on the main floor and kept turning me away. I did not give up ! I kept running into one particular guard. After an hour of begging and pleading, he finally said O.K. He told me to hang onto his coat. He walked down to the stage and left me standing there looking up at Elvis. The stage was several feet high, I looked to my right and saw one other lucky girl standing there. Elvis was just starting "Polk Salad Annie", so to my delight, I had to stand there and wait. He spotted me and came over. He took the plaque and proceeded to bend down to kiss me. I could not reach him ! Just then, the security guard that was nice enough to bring me down there brought me a chair to stand on ! I got up, kissed Elvis and got a scarf (white this time). There was an article in the paper telling how Elvis only kissed 3 girls that night. Me, that girl to my right and later Elvis kissed a little girl someone brought up to him. I went to the concert the second night and was happy to be able to sit, relax and watch it this time.
Thank you for letting me share my concert experiences with you.
Debbi
November 16, 1970. Oklahoma City, OK.
I was there. I was 14. I was in love with Elvis. The most special day in my life was here, a dream come true, I was actually looking at Elvis Presley. I remember it like it was yesterday. That was the happiest day and the most unforgettable day of my life.
We were very poor, but some other family members bought several tickets so we could all go to the concert. I even remember what I was wearing! We had floor seats but were not very close and being the very short person that I am and people standing on chairs and such made it impossible for me to see so I decided to get a closer look.
I made my way to the front going between legs and under arms until I finally reached the front. Oh my gosh! He was so beautiful. I wanted to touch him or feel a drop of his sweat or anything, so I decided to go to the stage and just maybe he would see this young girl and kiss her. No luck there, Elvis didn't even see me, but the security guard did and sent me back to my seat.
Same story as above about three more times. Then just as I had gotten down front here comes a scarf sliding from around his gorgeous neck and went to float through the air. I couldn't hear a sound and everything was in slow motion, but let me tell you, I never got close to that scarf. It floated right over my head and was torn into shreds the second it landed on womens fingertips. Once again I was disappointed so I went back to the front. This time the security guard escorted me to my seat and told my family that if he caught me up front again, we would be asked to leave.
Did that stop me? I don't think so. I just went to the other isle and down that side where the security didn't know me, yet! Two or three attempts to reach the stage, another warning, so I was off back to my original spot. It had been a while and I didn't think the security man would remember.
Just as I reached for the stage, I felt the security guard tugging on my shoulder. I was a very distracting little brat, but as he was pulling me away, I screamed out Elvis' name, he turned to look, winked at me and smiled that crooked smile we all so much. Then I was melted butter. The rest of the night is a blur. I don't remember the rest of the night. In all of these years, that is where I am stuck to this day.
Now, after more than 30 years, thanks to Francesc, I now have copies of that concert. Actual photographs.
Take care, Debbie
