Elvis Press Conference, Vancouver - August 31, 1957

On August 31 1957, Vancouver hosted the appearance of the King of Rock'n'Roll, Elvis Presley. The concert had been anticipated with great fanfare. For the first time in history, a performer was appearing in a venue that would hold 25,000 people, Empire Stadium. Up to this point in music history no one would have dreamed that a performer could command this much attention from the public. Elvis' first tour of the U.S. and Canada was unprecedented. More than 26,000 tickets were sold for the event. Presley arrived in Vancouver by train as his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, did not want Elvis to fly. The train arrived in the morning at the Great Northern railway station, catching the media off guard as they had anticipated he would be arriving by plane. He was then driven by limousine to the Georgia Hotel where he took over an entire floor. I spent part of the afternoon with Elvis in his room, and then later that day at Empire Stadium during the press conference and afterward in his dressing room. We waited together in the room while the warmup acts performed on stage. At 8 p.m. I left him to go to the stage at the north end of Empire Stadium to make the announcement of his appearance. He drove out of the area used to house the BC Lions' football equipment in a Cadillac and circled the stadium before arriving at the backstage area. Elvis performed for only 25 minutes. He sang many of his hits including "Heartbreak Hotel", "Don't Be Cruel", "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", and "Hound Dog". As the crowd grew more alarming, Presley was ordered by his manager to wrap up the show and depart in his Cadillac, now parked conveniently behind the stage. The Vancouver Sun's John Kirkwood was less than enthusiastic: "It was like watching a demented army swarm down the hillside to do battle in the plain when those frenzied teen-agers stormed the field. Elvis and his music played a small part in the dizzy circus. The big show was provided by Vancouver teen-agers, transformed into writhing, frenzied idiots of delight by the savage jungle beat music. With something over 16,000 at the stadium, it was billed as the largest theatrical entertainment in western Canada. Don't kid yourself. This was not entertainment. Not when children as young as nine, 10 years, glaze their eyes, unhinge their hips and fling themselves into wild orgies of lunatic ecstasy."" After his departure from Empire Stadium he retired to his hotel room where he stayed overnight. He left town the following morning and continued with his tour. Elvis only performed once outside the U.S. - two April dates in Ottawa and Toronto, and the August 31 appearance in Vancouver. The memories live on. Originally released on Jerden Records.