17,000 fans idolize Elvis at Olympia
by Bill Gray
Detroit News
October 5, 1974

The "king" was escorted to his throne by a trio of palace guards who were there to protect him from the power of his own charisma

The stadium erupted with screaming sights of recognition as he reviewed his subjects with a patronizing hand raised above his head.

Then he removed his dark glasses, looked down from his lofty perch and into the admiring eyes of the multitudes. He smiled.

They gave him their all - their energies, their unabashed adulation and their money - and he gave them his standard 50 minute concert set, jumped back into his limousine and headed for Indianapolis for the next night's extravaganza.

The Presley concert was exciting but most of the credit goes to the audience which turned Olympia into the scene of a pulsating electrical storm with wildly flashing instamatics and thunderous roars of approval at Elvis' every turn in his white jumpsuit with the high collar

HOWEVER, the "king" seemed to take things more in stride. He was casual, at times too much so, especially. When he rendered some rather vapid versions of his old standards. He didn't sob "Don't Be Cruel," be retained his composure on "All Shook Up" and he didn't sound particularly broken up about being stranded in "Heartbreak Hotel"

It was shockingly refreshing when a stage member misfired with an obscene shriek that caused Elvis to snap, "G___t" because it torned out to be one of the his rare displays of genuine emotion."

Everything else seemed carefully planned and packaged in Hollywood and then worn thin from the rigors of repeating it every night in a different city on the concert trail.

It was also quite evident that Elvis is approaching 40. His voice is has mellowed out into a pleasing baritone and there isn't a whole lot of shakin' goin' on anymore. His movements were more like graceful swoops than the controversial bumps and grinds of yesteryear

A television crew could have shot that 1974 Elvis from the waist down without fear of reprisal from network censors

ELVIS MADE the laborious effort in the beginning of his set of dropping to his knees and bending down to kiss certain ladies who had fought their way up to the stage

Near the end of the show that was modified to a less taxing handshake with Elvis remaining fully upright.

He gave away more than 20 scarves. There was a valet on stage who kept slipping scarves around Elvis' neck from a collection neatly laid out on top of the piano. It generated a sellout of Elvis scarves at the concession stands

Courtesy of Ron Theisen