Elvis-Pontiac Mi 1975 Newspaper

[vbgt]

found some of my old newspaper headlines from the Pontiac show I attended. Thought some of you might find it interesting. will add more, including my ticket stub later.

[Little Darlin]

wow 60,000 people!! These are very very cool -- thanks for showing them.

[Gregory Nolan Jr.]

Neat stuff...I don't think that stuff even made the over-the-top 24-page booklet of the recent definitive 2-CD version of that landmark show on Straight Arrow...!

Thanks for posting!

Any particular memories or anecdotes you'd like to share, VB?


Rock Back The Clock

We have the final info for the upcoming "Rock Back the Clock" CD.
As Recorded live in Pontiac, Michigan, Silverdome, December 31, 1975/January 01, 1976.
The "Straight Arrow" label will release a 2CD-set at the end of this year titled "ROCK BACK THE CLOCK" It will be a special release of Elvis' famous first New Year's Eve show in Pontiac, Michigan. The producers are aware that this concert was previously released from another source but in the case of this release, they were able to obtain an ORIGINAL TAPE recorded by the same person that taped the College Park, MD, 27.09.1974 using the same recorder and microphone. That concert has been released on Straight Arrow's 2006 CD "CHAOS IN COLLEGE PARK". T

The main reason for this new and ultimate Pontiac '75 release is that the sound quality is excellent for an off-line recording. Since no soundboard recording of this show exists, only audience taped documentation of this historic event is available. Over the last 15 years, three independent audience recordings were collected and on each source there was a major problem: excessive echo caused by the large stadium space. This new source is very clear and most importantly, almost echo-free because the person with recorder was sitting very close to the sound system. T

The content of the show is well known, with the playlist based on Elvis' previous Las Vegas engagement. Among the Pontiac highlights are powerful performances of "Trying To Get To You", "One Night" and "Heartbreak Hotel" and also the ballads "You Gave Me A Mountain" and "And I Love You So", which were sung with passion.

Finally, a thundering performance of "How Great Thou Art" brought the stadium down. The one and only real drawback is an unrehearsed "My Way"; Elvis had problems with the lyrics and he paused the song in the middle for a few seconds.

We live in the days when almost every obscure CD label is hyping that their product was "taken directly from the original tape" is, what else - "professionally remastered" and of course with "fantastic results". Every new CD seems to contain some "deluxe 16-page full color booklet" with many "unpublished photos" in a "very professional layout". The “Straight Arrow" label does not want to exaggerate. If you have any of the previous “Straight Arrow" CD releases, then you know what to expect in design and sound quality.

This new 2CD-set will contain a 24 page booklet with approx. 60 photos. Some of them are unpublished, some not, but they all were carefully hand-picked from the almost 150 available shots to give the listener a visual overview of The Event. You will see Elvis before and after the show as well as in both jumpsuits on stage. An unusual photo of the Silverdome stage before the concert is included as well as the review from the local newspaper, original ticket stub and show poster. To make the release even more authentic, sleeve notes were written by a fan that was so happy to be there... The "Straight Arrow" team wishes you a Happy New Year 2008 and hopes that you will enjoy this special New Years Eve release!

Tracks:
CD-1:
01. Also Sprach Zarathustra (Theme from "2001 A Space Odyssey") - 02. Opening Vamp / C. C. Rider - 03. I Got A Woman / Amen (medley) - 04. Monologue #1 (Elvis splits his pants) - 05. Love Me - 06. Tryin' To Get To You - 07. And I Love You So - 08. All Shook Up - 09. (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel (medley) - 10. Heartbreak Hotel - 11. One Night - 12. You Gave Me A Mountain - 13. Polk Salad Annie - 14. Monologue #2 (Elvis leaves the stage to change suit) - 15. Sweet Sweet Spirit (by J. D. Sumner & The Stamps).
Approximate running time: 43:35
CD-2:
01. Band Introductions - 02. What'd I Say - 03. Drums Solo (by Ronnie Tutt) - 04. Bass Solo (Blues - by Jerry Scheff) - 05. Piano Solo (by Glen D. Hardin - for the very last time on stage with Elvis) - 06. Electric Piano Solo (by David Briggs) - 07. School Day - 08. My Way (with break) - 09. Love Me Tender - 10. Monologue #3 / New Year Countdown - 11. Auld Lang Syne - 12. How Great Thou Art (with reprise of the finale) - 13. It's Now Or Never - 14. America (The Beautiful) - 15. Monologue #4 (Elvis thanks / Introductions of Charlie Hodge, Lisa Marie and Vernon Presley) - 16. Hound Dog - 17. Wooden Heart (part only) - 18. Can't Help Falling In Love - 19. Closing Vamp / Announcements.
Bonus tracks:
20. Elvis speaks about his New Year's Eve show #1 (Seattle, WA, April 26, 1976, 8:30 P.M.) 21. Elvis speaks about his New Year's Eve show #2 (Atlanta, GA, June 05, 1976, 8:30 P.M.)
Approximate running time: 41:28
Total time: 85:03

[iplayastrat]

vbgt, that's cool. Thanks.

[Robert]

[vbgt]

Neat stuff...I don't think that stuff even made the over-the-top 24-page booklet of the recent definitive 2-CD version of that landmark show on Straight Arrow...!

Thanks for posting!

Any particular memories or anecdotes you'd like to share, VB?

]

You know, I couldn't remember a whole lot about the show,until I played the bootleg of it, then it started coming back, the songs, what order they were done,the way they were done, Elvis' stage banter, everything.
I remember Elvis singing "Funny How Time.." up until midnight, then breaking into "Auld Lang Syne" and they released thousands of balloons from the ceiling.
Of course, I remember Elvis splitting his pants and leaving to change.
I always hear this show called lackluster,or weak, but it sure seemed to please the people there. I certainly heard no negative comments.
Elvis had started a nice tradition with this and the '76 show, too bad it ended so soon.
Sorry to all for the upside down posting, I'll fix it later, and try to post the reviews so you can actually read them.

[vbgt]

Ticket stub and more

[Robert]

I always hear this show called lackluster,or weak, but it sure seemed to please the people there. I certainly heard no negative comments.

Thanks for your postings..
This show is described as a disaster by, among others, Albert Goldman.
From a technical point of view, the musicians & Elvis weren't too happy.

However, I've read over 20 fan comments now.
People who were there, including you.. all were pleased with the show.

Add the financial result and the show can be considered a success.
A faulty stage monitor system or not..

[KHoots]

Cool pic! Thanks for posting.

[Marko]

Neat stuff...I don't think that stuff even made the over-the-top 24-page booklet of the recent definitive 2-CD version of that landmark show on Straight Arrow...!

Thanks for posting!

Any particular memories or anecdotes you'd like to share, VB?

]

You know, I couldn't remember a whole lot about the show,until I played the bootleg of it, then it started coming back, the songs, what order they were done,the way they were done, Elvis' stage banter, everything.
I remember Elvis singing "Funny How Time.." up until midnight, then breaking into "Auld Lang Syne" and they released thousands of balloons from the ceiling.
Of course, I remember Elvis splitting his pants and leaving to change.
I always hear this show called lackluster,or weak, but it sure seemed to please the people there. I certainly heard no negative comments.
Elvis had started a nice tradition with this and the '76 show, too bad it ended so soon.
Sorry to all for the upside down posting, I'll fix it later, and try to post the reviews so you can actually read them.

Thank you for posting this stuff! Always great to read memories from someone who actually was there when it all happened.

Can you remember about the sound quality in the stadium? How was it?

[DJL]

Thanks so much for posting all these. I find all of the information really interesting. Particularly I'm impressed at how kind the media is to Elvis in those reviews. To me when reading articles today from concert reviews, I would imagine the most important feature in the article would be Elvis splitting his pants instead of his performance. What do you guys think?

DJL

[KHoots]

Can you remember about the sound quality in the stadium? How was it?

I can't speak for the sound during the Elvis show, but I saw Billy Joel and Elton John in the Silverdome about 10-12 years ago, and the sound was awesome. You might think you wouldn't get a good sound in that cavernous venue, but that wasn't the case for Joel/John.

[midnightx]

Can you remember about the sound quality in the stadium? How was it?

I can't speak for the sound during the Elvis show, but I saw Billy Joel and Elton John in the Silverdome about 10-12 years ago, and the sound was awesome. You might think you wouldn't get a good sound in that cavernous venue, but that wasn't the case for Joel/John.

The equipment and technical standards from 1975 were much different than what Billy and Elton had at their disposal 20+ years later. The acoustics most likely were improved over that 20 year span as well.

[Joe Car]

A friend of mine attended this show as a non-fan, this was a guy who was big into Zeppelin, the Stones and stuff as Elvis was before his time. He said he really enjoyed the show a lot and said that the atmosphere was electric.

[vbgt]

Can you remember about the sound quality in the stadium? How was it?

I can't speak for the sound during the Elvis show, but I saw Billy Joel and Elton John in the Silverdome about 10-12 years ago, and the sound was awesome. You might think you wouldn't get a good sound in that cavernous venue, but that wasn't the case for Joel/John.

I'm no audiophile, and was even less so back then, and I thought the sound was fine.

[Gregory Nolan Jr.]

VB, have you picked up the fantastic upgraded version shown above ("Rock Back the Clock")?

It puts the old versions to shame. And likewise features some fan comments as I recall , backing
up the notion that perhaps it wasn't as bad as often noted.

For all the downsides of stadium shows (then and now, such as poor acoustics, lack of intimacy, and the tendency towards bombast), it's a shame Elvis wasn't further exposed to this world beyond the super-tired Vegas treadmill he was still on for the sixth year in '75. For starters, he was in many ways beyond just doing theaters and small arenas. He was more of a super-star than perhaps he realized.

It might have woken him up to the idea that he could fill similar "bowls" across the pond in Europe as well as Asia and Australia and perhaps electrified him enough to inspire him to go there. We can't imagine it but one supposes that the ego of a super-star gets a major stroking every time they step out before 50-60,000 people. It's enough to fool yourself into being a world conquerer.

That Pontiac was was so cold certainly helped put a damper on any such expansive thinking, apparently. With no dispect to such second tier cities like Binghamton and Kalamazoo and the like, but he really should have long since left such places in the dust. You gotta love that fraud of a manager...

[vbgt]

I wasn't even aware "Rock Back the Clock" was out. That would be something I'd be interested in.
As for Elvis playing more arenas,I guess it was already too late to matter to him. If playing to 60,000+ for the first time didn't get him pumped, I doubt doing it again would've made much difference, with the exception maybe being Europe and other countries,but who knows,even then.
As for the smaller cities, I saw Elvis in "77, Detroit, also, and saw ads for the show in Saginaw, and I remember thinking,"Elvis is playing Saginaw?, Really?" It just seemed SO small time for him.

[Robert]

I saw Elvis in "77, Detroit, also

Vbgt, did you like it..?

[mrt]

wow 60,000 people!! .

Here's a piece on the concert as printed in the Detroit Free Press, Dec. 31, 1975

30,000 Empty Seats For Presley Concert Tonight at Pontiac
"Elvis Presley's New Year's Eve concert at Pontiac Stadium billed as "sold out", will actually draw fewer than 60,000 fans to the 90,000-seat arena. Presley's representatives last week stopped ticket sales short of 60,000, Chuck Stone, one of Presley's promotion men, said: "We decided to not sell tickets to the upper deck in the stadium so that the fans can get a good view of Elvis". The decision seems to conflict with the original plans of Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker. One source said that during negotiations for the Pontiac concert the question was raised whether Presley could draw a capacity crowd. Parker reportedly replied, "Elvis has never played to an empty seat in his life and he won't start now".
Richard M. Kelly, a member of the Anthony Franco firm that handles public relations for the stadium indicated that the decision to stop ticket sales was made by Elvis Presley Enterprises and that the concert still will gross receipts in excess of $450,000. The stadium will receive a percentage of the gate receipts with a guaranteed minimum of about $100,000.
The concert is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. The gates open at 6. The show will feature several warm-up acts including the vocal group Sweet Inspirations and a comedian, Jackie Kahane.
The show will be similar to Presley's recent apperances in Las Vegas with a New Year flavor. Presley is expected to take the stage at 11 p.m. through a tunnel espessially constructed for the occation. He will be onstage at midnight and the show is expected to end around 12:30 a.m. The performing stage, 14 feet high and 64 feet across, is in the center of the stadium. Presley will perform in the round, unlike the Who at the stadiums first concert. That group's stage was at the south end of the arena. Presley will be surrounded amplifiers and 7,000 chairs on the field. All seats are reserved.
Beer will be available at the concession stands, but there is still a ban on cans and bottles. Those attending should dress warmly since temperature in the stadium is kept at about 65 degrees and the field seats are usually even cooler."

[Little Darlin]

Thanks Mr T! So it could have been 90,000. I take it that Chuck Stone = Charles Stone -- it seems a bit unusual for the Colonel to actually allow less tickets to be sold....but it looks like he was looking after the fans.

It's been ages since I heard this show, I may have to give it a whirl today.

[Gregory Nolan Jr.]

I wasn't even aware "Rock Back the Clock" was out. That would be something I'd be interested in.
As for Elvis playing more arenas,I guess it was already too late to matter to him. If playing to 60,000+ for the first time didn't get him pumped, I doubt doing it again would've made much difference, with the exception maybe being Europe and other countries,but who knows,even then.
As for the smaller cities, I saw Elvis in "77, Detroit, also, and saw ads for the show in Saginaw, and I remember thinking,"Elvis is playing Saginaw?, Really?" It just seemed SO small time for him.

If you blink lately, you'll miss the flood of great imports in the last few years. By all means, check out the upgraded version if you can find a copy.


Thanks for admitting what I thought to be obvious. I know some folks here have gotten defensive ("Hey, I"m from Omaha...!" ) but as with Binghamton (a small tier city I hung my hat in for a time), I was shocked to later learn he played there. (Let the Southern Tier of New York State drive up to Buffalo (slightly bigger) or Toronto or Pittsburgh or downstate to New York / New Jersey's huge arenas.

When you rattle off the cities he could have been playing: Tokyo, London, Cologne, Paris, Rotterdam, etc., it's quite sad really and his flagging enthusiasm of being reigned in definitely showed. To his credit, he was a trooper in his most of this shows (despite faling health) and arguably still tried to put on a show for small town America, regardless of bigger cities. I still say it was a strategic mistake both personally and professionally, as I'm sure most will agree.

Interesting about the unsold seats- I've seen that before. On the other hand, it's fair to say 60,000 in a non-population powerhouse like Pontiac for a guy having a series of off-years in terms of hits is pretty good.

I wonder if there were places he could sell 90,000 tickets for one show in 1977? GIven the constant attention to US touring, I'd bet on the rest of the world for filling those empty seats.

Check out these threads (2 of several- as usual) about ROCK BACK THE CLOCK. One of 'em has footage, too!

http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33974&start=0&hilit=Rock+Back+the+Clock

http://www.elvis-collectors.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33974&start=0&hilit=Rock+Back+the+Clock

***************

[Francesc]

wow 60,000 people!! .

Here's a piece on the concert as printed in the Detroit Free Press, Dec. 31, 1975

30,000 Empty Seats For Presley Concert Tonight at Pontiac
"Elvis Presley's New Year's Eve concert at Pontiac Stadium billed as "sold out", will actually draw fewer than 60,000 fans to the 90,000-seat arena. Presley's representatives last week stopped ticket sales short of 60,000, Chuck Stone, one of Presley's promotion men, said: "We decided to not sell tickets to the upper deck in the stadium so that the fans can get a good view of Elvis". The decision seems to conflict with the original plans of Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker. One source said that during negotiations for the Pontiac concert the question was raised whether Presley could draw a capacity crowd. Parker reportedly replied, "Elvis has never played to an empty seat in his life and he won't start now".
Richard M. Kelly, a member of the Anthony Franco firm that handles public relations for the stadium indicated that the decision to stop ticket sales was made by Elvis Presley Enterprises and that the concert still will gross receipts in excess of $450,000. The stadium will receive a percentage of the gate receipts with a guaranteed minimum of about $100,000.
The concert is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. The gates open at 6. The show will feature several warm-up acts including the vocal group Sweet Inspirations and a comedian, Jackie Kahane.
The show will be similar to Presley's recent apperances in Las Vegas with a New Year flavor. Presley is expected to take the stage at 11 p.m. through a tunnel espessially constructed for the occation. He will be onstage at midnight and the show is expected to end around 12:30 a.m. The performing stage, 14 feet high and 64 feet across, is in the center of the stadium. Presley will perform in the round, unlike the Who at the stadiums first concert. That group's stage was at the south end of the arena. Presley will be surrounded amplifiers and 7,000 chairs on the field. All seats are reserved.
Beer will be available at the concession stands, but there is still a ban on cans and bottles. Those attending should dress warmly since temperature in the stadium is kept at about 65 degrees and the field seats are usually even cooler."

I do believe that some of the concerts were NOT sold out.

[vbgt]

Since I'm not up on this stuff, where would be the best place to pick up a copy of "Rock Back the Clock" ?

[elvisjock]

wow 60,000 people!! .

Here's a piece on the concert as printed in the Detroit Free Press, Dec. 31, 1975

30,000 Empty Seats For Presley Concert Tonight at Pontiac
"Elvis Presley's New Year's Eve concert at Pontiac Stadium billed as "sold out", will actually draw fewer than 60,000 fans to the 90,000-seat arena. Presley's representatives last week stopped ticket sales short of 60,000, Chuck Stone, one of Presley's promotion men, said: "We decided to not sell tickets to the upper deck in the stadium so that the fans can get a good view of Elvis". The decision seems to conflict with the original plans of Presley's manager, Col. Tom Parker. One source said that during negotiations for the Pontiac concert the question was raised whether Presley could draw a capacity crowd. Parker reportedly replied, "Elvis has never played to an empty seat in his life and he won't start now".
Richard M. Kelly, a member of the Anthony Franco firm that handles public relations for the stadium indicated that the decision to stop ticket sales was made by Elvis Presley Enterprises and that the concert still will gross receipts in excess of $450,000. The stadium will receive a percentage of the gate receipts with a guaranteed minimum of about $100,000.
The concert is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. The gates open at 6. The show will feature several warm-up acts including the vocal group Sweet Inspirations and a comedian, Jackie Kahane.
The show will be similar to Presley's recent apperances in Las Vegas with a New Year flavor. Presley is expected to take the stage at 11 p.m. through a tunnel espessially constructed for the occation. He will be onstage at midnight and the show is expected to end around 12:30 a.m. The performing stage, 14 feet high and 64 feet across, is in the center of the stadium. Presley will perform in the round, unlike the Who at the stadiums first concert. That group's stage was at the south end of the arena. Presley will be surrounded amplifiers and 7,000 chairs on the field. All seats are reserved.
Beer will be available at the concession stands, but there is still a ban on cans and bottles. Those attending should dress warmly since temperature in the stadium is kept at about 65 degrees and the field seats are usually even cooler."

Elvis had it in his head that the stadium held 64,000 people, as he mentioned in Seattle in '76.

[Robert]

Let's face it, the old bastard made a good decision to close down the upper level:
Guaranteed sell-out and remember, no videoscreens in '75!

There were pretty stong rumours negociations were underway to book Elvis for the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, NYE'77...
80000 fans & three times Sherril Nielsen, by special request!