Elvis Presley 1975/04/30
Taken on:
1975/04/30
Source:
Atlanta Journal (written by Scott Cain)
Photo:
Elvis On Stage (by Keith Alverson)
Location:
Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance
17.228
Suit
White suit with blue orna
Info:
Shriek! It's King Elvis

Elvis started giving away scarves almost as soon as he came on stage Wednesday night. One of the first ladies who received this endearment favored Elvis with two items in return: One appeared to be a furry, fluffy handbag and the other looked like her "little black book". Hmmm. But that wasn't all. About the time that one chick brought Elvis a huge toy tiger, something soft sailed onto the Omni stage and landed with a plop. It wasn't...? Yes, it was. A bra - bright green at that Elvis couldn't resist picking up this most intimate of souvenirs. Who did this, he wanted to know. The culprit brazenly stood and admitted that she had done the deed. And so it went all evening. Elvis' concert are not so much musical events as hilarious social occasions. His horde of feminine fans abandons all modesty in the presence of the Pelvis. He has greatly expanded his scarf-bestowing routine. Who can blame him? One titanic success after another must become tiring after a while and any change must be welcome for him. At Wednesday's show he gave away probably 50 scarves, each of which draped around his neck, if only for a moment. He granted kisses to about a dozen lucky ladies several of whom appeared immediately afterward to be in a state of shock. Elvis had to bend far over to award these oscillatory prizes, sometimes coming close to lying on the floor of the stage. A couple of the kisses went to girls small enough to be carried in their mothers' arms. Otherwise, his show is much the same as previously. The mere dimming of the lights is sufficient to set off a feminine uproar. Elvis arrives on stage after the "2001" intro. Squeals galore. Flashbulbs by the hundreds pop simultaneously, turning the huge auditorium into day. He moves across the stage. More shrieks. He takes up his guitar. More pandemonium. He begins to sing. The audience is beside itself. Surely the wall of the Omni will tumble at any moment. He has the audience wrapped around his little finger. He has only to go into his celebrated wriggle to cause a storm of reaction. On the other hand, the house gets quite still for his somber moments. (The percentage of ballads to rockers is favorable.) The important thing is that Elvis keeps it light. His shows are one laugh after another. The audience is as vital to the performance as the star. On Wednesday, the Presley show was the only place to be in Atlanta. The same will be true Thursday and Friday nights.

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