Hubbies Find Ally In Elvis Presley
Zach Dunkin
Indianapolis News
June 27, 1977

Married men may have found an ally in Elvis Presley.

Wives may figure so what if their old men have 42-inch waists and chubby cheeks. So does Elvis. As comedian Jack Kahanee said before Presley came on: "I'm supposed to warm this crowd up, but the women don't need warming up. If this place were any warmer; it'd be a fire hazard." A near capacity crowd of 17,000 saw the last Presley performance on the tour. The conservative audience was vintage 35-ish, sprinkled with several curious teenyboppers. A few tots had to be carried through the turnstiles because Mom and Pop couldn't find a babysitter. Make room for a second generation of Presley fans.

There were foxy ladies dressed to impress and would-be Presleys in jumpsuits.

And there were binoculars. To steal a line from Kahanee, there were so many binoculars out there, it looked like a convention for Peeping Toms.

Then there were the waves of flash cameras. When Presley first hit the stage shortly after 10 o'clock to the them of Richard Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra, the hall flashed like a giant strobe.

Three songs in to the concert one front row cutie shouted to Elvis" "I'm easy!. Sitting further back was a group of conspicuous-looking viewers wearing straw hats with bands that read "Elvis Summer Festival." It was a group of 283 Elvis freaks that had flown in from England to catch Saturday night's show in Cincinnati and last night's concert here.

The concert had all the flavor of a carnival sideshow with its hardshell reminders on the P.A. before the show to "be sure and stop in at the Elvis Presley super souvenir stands."

Elvis belt buckles - $1-. Elvis necklaces - $5. Binoculars - $5. Posters. Photos. Photo Albums. Buttons. T-Shirts.

There were those magical screams. Oh, how they screamed. How they loved "the Pelvis" when he twitched - even if it weren't half as frequent as it was 20 years ago.

The 6-foot high stage was lined with police, who were at Presley's mercy when he went on his scarf-tossing binges. Elvis decked out in a white jumpsuit (which, by the way was too short for him) covered with sequins and rhinestones, threw 46 scarves to the stage rushing audience which included two fellas wearing motorcycle helmets.

Were the helmets for protection against the billy club wielding security men? Nope. Those dudes knew they might have to face their wives empty handed.