Imagine the atmosphere—electric, buzzing, palpable.
It’s June 26, 1977, and 18,000 Elvis Presley fans have gathered at Indianapolis’s Market Square Arena.
Each person is tingling with the kind of excitement only a live performance by the King of Rock and Roll can generate.
What they didn’t know was that this was going to be his final curtain call.
Just shy of two months later, on August 16, 1977, the world would mourn the loss of Elvis Presley, who passed away in his iconic Graceland home.
The Indianapolis concert was not just another stop on Elvis’ tour; it marked the conclusion of a hectic nine-day musical journey.
The media had touted it as an absolute must-see, and concert organizers, knowing full well the pull of Elvis, were selling even the less-than-ideal seats located behind the stage for $15—a sum that translates to around $65 today.
And as the Indianapolis Star humorously reported back then, “If you admire Elvis Presley’s back you still can buy $15 seats behind the stage for his concert at the Market Square Arena tomorrow night.”
So, think about it.
Would you have been one of the fans to purchase that $15 ticket, trading the full experience for even a partial glimpse of the King?
The doors were scheduled to open at 7:00 pm, with the star attraction billed for an 8:30 pm start.
But first, the audience had to be primed.
Elvis wasn’t coming out to an unwarmed stage; the line-up included brass bands and soul singers who skillfully got the crowd moving.
Yet, it was comedian Jackie Kahane’s job to really prep the audience, to bring them to the verge of that electric anticipation only a star like Elvis could satisfy.
It was not an enviable position for Kahane, who realized he had to stretch his initial 18-minute routine into a 45-minute performance.
The crowd was getting restless, fidgety, eager for the main event.
The reason for the delay?
Elvis was taking an unusually long time to prepare backstage for what would unknowingly become his swan song.
At last, around 10:00 pm, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.
Elvis walked onstage, a vision in his signature white-and-gold jumpsuit.
For the next 80 minutes, he captivated the audience, giving voice to his most famous hits including “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog,” “Hurt,” and his final number for the night, “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.”
The crowd was in awe; in their eyes, the King could do no wrong.
But critics saw it through a different lens.
Zach Dunkin, a writer for the Indianapolis News, took a more skeptical view. He opined, “Compared to today’s increasingly competitive and sophisticated concert formats for the top-dollar performer, Presley’s has become downright tacky and outdated… It’s like waiting through the sword-swallower and the fire-eater before seeing the REAL attraction in the back room.”
Not everyone agreed with Dunkin, and his critique sparked an avalanche of backlash, most of it hate mail from outraged fans.
Yet, some letters of sympathy trickled in too, from those who believed Elvis should elevate his game to fit his royal title.
Despite the criticism, for the majority of fans, the night remained an unforgettable experience.
Their cheers and applause reverberated in the arena each time Elvis announced a song, unaware that these would be his final moments on stage.
And if you think that’s gripping, consider this: One of his greatest hits, “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” almost never saw the light of day.
Elvis had reworked the song, a move initially frowned upon by his record label.
Yet, when it was finally released, it rocketed to the top of the charts, including Billboard’s Pop Singles, R&B Singles, and even the UK Singles Chart.
It was a defiant reminder that Elvis was, and forever would be, the King of Rock and Roll.
So, in the end, whether the critics liked it or not, Elvis left the building reminding everyone why only he could wear the crown.
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