The Bewilderment of Success
Chaos in Vancouver. Elvis Presley
From Tupelo to Memphis
On August 31, 1957, it would be the last concert that Elvis Presley would perform in Canada, at the Empire Stadium in Vancouver, BC.
He had performed a few months before in the northeast area where he was very well received at his concerts.
His arrival was announced on August 8, 1957, on the front page of the Vancouver Sun and in the Victoria Daily Times.
His show would be at 8:30 p.m. m. at Empire Stadium, with planned seating for 22,000 people.
Tickets could be purchased by mail or in store or at the Empire Stadium box office.
But as always, many writers in the local press continued to criticize, but it would not matter because Vancouver was looking forward to seeing his idol.
Elvis would be located in the north area of the stadium in full view of the public, so it would be one of the greatest demonstrations of hysteria in history.
Colonel Parker went ahead four days to organize the concert
Red Robinson, had the opportunity and luck to meet Elvis and spend time with him, in his suite at the Hotel Georgia and then inside the dressing room at Empire Stadium before the start of the show.
He said Elvis had a sex appeal and charisma that was undeniable, but he said there was something else, his aura, his presence was something special. They talked of course about music and normal things at his age, girls, cars and that he was a lovely guy, he just wanted to sing.
Red was a disc jockey in Vancouver and the emcee at the Elvis concert. He was the first to play rock 'n' roll records on a regular basis. He witnessed what strict and controlled that was the security to reach Elvis, in the Hotel, on the 12th floor, in room 1226. He had two ex-marines as guards guarding. But when he left, he would say that "the teenagers went to the hotel and went up to his room and destroyed it. They took everything, pieces of carpet and pillows, oh, it was a disaster!"
Elvis arrived by train but got off Clark Drive, before reaching Great Northern Station, to avoid the large crowd of waiting fans, he was picked up by a local chauffeur who took him to Empire Stadium.
During his press conference inside the locker room at Empire Stadium, a reporter asked him about this. Elvis didn't want to offend anyone so he said he didn't want to be rude and disrespectful but, they were just on time for the concert and he had to prepare for your show. Also because he had to rest and rehearse.
He also stated that "although he believed that he was acting 'naturally' in the Love Me Tender and Loving You movies, he felt that he was still a rookie as an actor."
Asked about the screaming, if he could sing, Elvis said that the screaming covered up his mistakes when he got nervous. They also asked him about his lack of privacy, but he accepted it because it was his job.
Before going on stage, Elvis played a prank on Red Robinson, asking a policeman for handcuffs and putting them on Red, who he hooked to a bar to his surprise.
shower bar. Then he laughed and left her for a while not knowing if he could come out to present his performance.
The joke lasted a few minutes and Elvis released him like a naughty boy.
Once on stage there were opening acts and the public chanted repeatedly: "We want Elvis!". The air cadets and police officers hired to control the crowd felt tense and uncomfortable with the uncertainty of what was going to happen when Elvis came out to sing. There were more than 25,000 fans.
Robinson's introduction was barely heard when he told the audience, "On behalf of 'Teen Canteen,' Canada's biggest teen show, I'm proud to introduce Elvis Presley tonight."
Elvis arrived waving and escorted to the stage in his convertible.
Already when Elvis begins to sing the song "Heartbeat Hotel" all the attendees were delighted with his performance. Unfortunately, a large part of the audience abandoned their seats to descend onto the grass field to approach the stage at the north end. This would start to cause problems and the show had to be stopped, because a large crowd had formed in front of the stage.
All the lights were turned on as Elvis retreated between boxes and the public was warned that the concert would be canceled if they persisted in his attitude.
The crowd left the stage and Elvis would come out again to sing to continue his show. Although the tranquility did not last long because they would return to the charge. This time it would be another crowd that rushed towards the stage, pushing against an iron fence that surrounded it.
The police formed a chain around it in an attempt to keep people away so they could contain the chaos.
Despite the mess, Elvis continued to sing for his audience, but due to the situation he was rushing his interpretation. After singing, "All Shook Up","I Was The One","I Got A Woman",
"Thats When Your Heartaches Begin", "Fools Hall Of Fame","Dont Be Cruel","Love Me" and "Mean Woman Blues", ended with the song "Hound Dog", but their concert at Empire Stadium, barely It had lasted 22 minutes.
The riots were still going on when Elvis got under the stage with Red Robinson, while he distracted the audience with a
lure. someone dressed
wearing the gold lamé jacket he entered a limousine and was driven near the tunnel area to confuse Elvis's real exit.
He luckily gave Elvis time to leave in another vehicle that took him to his hotel.
People wouldn't leave the stadium despite being told that Elvis wasn't there anymore.
Many were disappointed, they attacked the scores, the instruments, which went flying. The poor musicians including Scotty, Bill and Dj took up to two hours to come out. They felt the stage moving and they were very scared until they finally got into their cars, they were shaken by the people.
Elvis' vehicle, parked at Empire Stadium, was attacked while he was still on stage. His radio antenna and Tennessee plates were stolen from his car. A disaster that could have been avoided with a more secure organization.
The sad reality is that they were just fans who wanted to get closer to his idol but everything was complicated until the end.
"Following the Path of the King..."
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