Fever Pitch And Then King Elvis
by Tom Healy
The Indianapolis News
October 7, 1974

Imagine being able to walk on stage and be the object of screams of adulation from females, and even some males, of all ages and knowing that in their eyes you could do no wrong.

This would give one a glimpse of what Elvis Presley must feel like every time he sets foot on stage.

A jammed to the rafters crowd of Presley fans, willing to brave the traffic, ticket prices, souvenirs hawkers and blinding camera flash cubes, showed up at the Expo Center Saturday afternoon to give vociferous support to the king.

The fans had to wait an hour after the show started to actually see the king. No doubt it was worth it to them as evidenced by the screams that greeted Elvis when he walked on stage after the closing strains of "Also Sprach Zarathustra".

An emcee with a voice like Froderick Crawford's began hawking all manner of goodies for the Presleyphilliacs while the band was tuning. A short set of songs was sung by one of Presley's backup groups, and a comedian followed. After this came a set by the Sweet Impressions, a group of soul sisters who sing in Presley's show.

Things had build up to a fever pitch and one would have thought the crowd had been told Presley wasn't going to show from listening to their anxiety-tinged buzzing just before the emcee announced intermission.

After what seemed like hours before Presley emerged on stage, the emcee asked everyone to clear the aisles and return to their seats. The ensuing rush was comical at best, and dangerous, if one happened to be slow afoot.

Tension mounted even higher, and then Elvis emerged.

Accompanied by his complete entourage, including, a horn section, backup combo and vocalists, Elvis sang some oldies, some new tunes and some borrowed ones.

At times Elvis was inaudible. but his singing on the whole was smooth and mellow, the mark of a seasoned professional. The backup musicians were excellent and provided a tight background, despite the echoes of the Expo Center.

He graciously walked around the stage, giving the Kodak set ample opportunity to take pictures and tossed scarves left and right to the eager fans in the front row.

Elvis wiggled comparatively little, but a mere suggestion was enough to draw squeals of delight from the crowd.

At the climax of his show, he actually touched some folks hands. He made a final parade lap around the stage to give everyone a final glimpse before he retreated backstage.

It would be interesting to note that even with the security usually accorded a visiting chief of state, nothing was done to subdue the tidal wave rush in the waning moments of the show.

Elvis didn't seem to put out too much in the first show, probably because he was saving some for the evening show but nonetheless., the crowd was undeniably pleased.

Review courtesy of Francesc Lopez