Elvis as Magnetic as Ever
by Kent Swigard
Spokesman Review
April 29, 1973

Elvis Presley came to Spokane Saturday, and he made it abundantly clear he has yet to lose his voice or sex appeal

Appearing before about 12,000 persons in two shows at the Coliseum, Elvis did what he has been doing since the late 1950s - smothering his audiences with a combination of rock, blues and body gyrations

The result brought a mixture of wild applause and screams from female admirers.

It was difficult to determine which was more entertaining - Elvis or the audience's reaction to Elvis. The rock idol would nonchalantly twitch a leg, then would come the screams and finally the audience's laughter to the screams

Shortly before Elvis took the stage there seems to be some apprehension in the crowd whether the performer now 38 years old, still could project the magnetism he did in his younger years.

But the apprehension disintegrated in about one second as the music came crashing alive and Elvis stepped into the spotlight, dressed in an incredibly tight, white jeweled body suit

Then came the screams, the flashing of camera flashbulbs and Elvis' voice booming over a massive public address system brought especially for the shows.

There was no question - he had audience attention for the remainder of both shows.

It was interesting to note that a substantial portion of the crowds attending the shows were in their early 30s, the group which was in high school when Elvis first rocketed to the top of the rock-and-roll world

But it was equally interesting to see that the majority of the creaming voices in the audience were those of teenaged girls. They proved the singer not only has managed to keep his original followers but has added to them through the years.

During both shows, Elvis sang many of the 50 records he has recorded, many of which have sold more than a million copies. Some of the most well-received were "Love Me Tender," "Hound Dog," and "Heartbreak Hotel."

The performer also added considerable drama to his shows by tossing neck scarves into the crowd. The resulting scramble to retrieve them brought some of the loudest screams, applause and laughter of the performances.

Presley made no haste in disappearing from the stage following his final song. Many people left the Coliseum quickly in hope of seeing him depart but instead found a large parking lot traffic jam which took some time to clear up.

Courtesy of Francesc Lopez