Elvis' Debut Excites Fresnans
Fresno Bee
April 6, 1973

In 1956 boston Sunday Post columnist William Leonard concluded that Elvis Presley was "a fad, a fellow a girl turns to for one of those mad impetuous infatuations".

Well, Presley still hasn't gone back to trucking in Memphis; April 25 he will make his first appearance at Selland Arena in two shows, and there will be some 14,000 fans on hand to attest to his undiminished magnetism.

Letters mailed along with requests for tickets in those two record-setting days of the advance ticket sale, are evidence of the esteem may Presley fans still feel for their idol.

Typical of the enthusiasm was that expressed by the fan who wrote that he hoped for a seat "up close," but was prepared to accept any seat "I don't care what section, what row or what price."

Many fans quite obviously have been waiting for years.

"Our first chance to see Elvis!," squealed one patron in a note accompaying her order: "We've waited - my husband and I - since the seventh grade for Elvis, and believe me. that's quite a whil."

Appealed another: "I'm 29 years aold, married and have three children. My life's dream has always been to be able to see Elvis in person. There are so many people like me who think he's th emost fantastic super star."

The anxiety of the fans over whether their orders would arrive in time was evident: Letters were mailed with air mail and special delivery stamps from Clovis.

"The ultimate appeal seemed to have been reached by one fan; he composed a poem, headlining it "The Man A Legion".

Tickets were mailed out last week. There were complaints, it is true, from fans who paid $10 for seats and found their tickets to be for th eupper balcony.

Mrs. June Lewis, manager of the convention center box office, tried to asuage the disappointment in advance by sending out the following notice:

"The capacity of the arena is 7,410," the card said. "Over 1,500 mail orders, averaging six tickets per order, were received for each performance after the initial announcement. It was impossible to give everyone seats down close in the center as most requested."

Did the message satisfy? "Whith a lot of people, I'm afraid it didn't," she said.

Courtesy of Archie Bald