Elvis Presley provoked cheers, jeers at final concert

One music journalist wrote, "If Elvis can't go the distance then his people shouldn't charge so much," and another wrote, "You could feel a silent plea rippling through the audience: Please, Elvis, don't be fat."

Elvis Presley sang for the final time onstage 40 years ago today, and the performance at Market Square Arena inspired two of the more memorable critiques in Indianapolis newspaper history.

In the June 27, 1977, edition of The Indianapolis Star, Rita Rose didn't shy away from discussing Presley's physique:

"Elvis. His name was everywhere: on posters, buttons, souvenir books, T-shirts, hats, and homemade clothes that proclaimed with personal touches, admiration for a man idolized by millions.

The big question was, of course, had he lost weight? His last concert here, nearly two years ago, found Elvis overweight, sick and prone to give a lethargic performance. As the lights in the arena were turned down after intermission, you could feel a silent plea rippling through the audience: Please, Elvis, don't be fat.

And then he appeared, in a gold and white jumpsuit and white boots, bounding onstage with energy that was a relief to everyone. At 42, Elvis is still carrying around some excess baggage on his mid-section, but it didn't stop him from giving a performance in true Presley style. ... His coveted scarves, tossed into the audience after gracing the singer's neck, caused mad scrambles by the stage as he got rid of them just about as fast as they were put around his neck."

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In the June 27 edition of The Indianapolis News, Zach Dunkin implied that Presley didn't care about the way his concerts were packaged:

"Compared to today's increasingly competitive and sophisticated concert formats for the top-dollar performer, Presley's has become downright tacky and outdated. Last night's lighting was only adequate and the sound was poor compared with some of today's top national tours.

The Presley concert is like a sideshow with its warmup group fluff. It's like waiting through the sword-swallower and the fire-eater before seeing the REAL attraction in the back room. Prior to Presley's appearance shortly after 10 o'clock (to the overused "Also Sprach Zarathustra" theme) the audience had to sit through nearly an hour of warmup waste — a brass group ("direct from Las Vegas," no less) called Joe Guercio and the Hot Hilton Horns; a gospel quartet, J.D. Sumner and the Stamps; a comedian, Jack Kahane, and a soul trio, the Sweet Inspirations.

Not that the warmups lacked talent, but there was an overwhelming sigh of disappointment when it was announced there would be an intermission. When you pay $15 to see Elvis, you should see Elvis for 3 hours instead of 1 hour, 20 minutes. If Elvis can't go the distance then his people shouldn't charge so much. The souvenir hawking should embarrass Presley, too. A guy actually came on the P.A. three times and urged the crowd to visit the souvenir stands. He even listed the prices. The vendors in the crowd sounded as if they were hawking balloons at a circus."

Professional critiques aside, Presley fans were eager to see "the King."

In a front-page report published June 27 in The Star, reporter Dan Carpenter described the scene:

"Men in leisure suits, women with permanents and teens and sub-teens in dungarees descended 18,000 strong on Market Square Arena last night, clutching tickets purchased two months ago for up to $15 apiece — even higher amongst scalpers.

Many of them had waited overnight in freezing weather for the right to see the man who's remained a star for 24 years in a business whose practitioners seldom last longer than fruit flies. 

'We've seen him at least 50 times, in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and other places. We saw him when he first made it big in 1956,' said Michelle Klein, here from Detroit with her twin sister Madelene and Madelene's teen-aged daughter.

'He hasn't changed a bit. He's better looking now than he ever was. As they say, he's not getting older, he's getting better.' "

Presley visited Indianapolis to perform on three earlier occasions: Dec. 4-7, 1955, Lyric Theater, 135 N. Illinois St.; April 12, 1972, Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum; and Oct. 5, 1974, Indiana Convention Center.

A heart attack was cited as Presley's cause of death on Aug. 16, 1977.

Call IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at (317) 444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317lindquist.