This story was originally published in the baiduhai on March 29, 1957:
Elvis Presley put on his golden slippers last night, cuddled his guitar, gyrated, and turned the International Amphitheater into a shrieking mass of 12,000 teen age fans.
He moaned into the microphone, vibrated in his $2,500 gold leaf suit, and firemen carried out 13 prostrate girls, wailing, “We Want Elvis!” The program went an hour and 45 minutes before the side-burned Lothario of the rock ‘n’ roll set reached the stage.
More Top Picks Routers
When he did, fans stormed the stage. A girl swung her purse at a policeman, missed him, and clouted an usher, Tony Varvatta, 18, of 2720 Shields Av. He was taken to Evangelical hospital with a possible fractured skull.
Like a Tribal Rite
Glittering in gold, Elvis stated to sing “Heartbreak Hotel” and roars of sound shook the Amphitheater for 10 minutes. It was like a tribal rite, and Presley was the high chieftain.
“I drove 70 miles to see him — and I’m going to get a piece of his clothing before I leave,” wept one girl after she was revived at the first aid station.
“I paid $13 for this dress to wear tonight,” said a 15 year old girl. It was low-cut, fur trimmed, and clinging. “I hoped that maybe I could meet him — but I didn’t.”
Stand on Chairs
The fans stood on chairs, in the aisles, they wailed, and Elvis swayed and strummed. They paid from $2 to $3.50 a seat, and they did not care if they yelled so loud they couldn’t hear him. Wearing their “I Love Elvis” buttons they began chanting “We Want Elvis” at 7:45 p.m.
There were sideburned followers of Presley in the crowd, some too young to grow sideburns. But they leaped and yelled. There were blue jeans and slinky cocktail dresses. Mostly, tho, there was pandemonium.
At one point a teen-age girl clung to the stage with both hands and shrieked. It took two policemen to pull her away. A mother, seated with her three children, reached out and touched Presley. Tears of joy rolled down her face.
Before it was over, the former Memphis truck driver had sung 16 songs. It took 47 minutes. Then he fled, not like a “hound dog” but like a jackrabbit.
Makes a Million This Year
Earlier, in a press conference in the staid Saddle and Sirloin club of the Stockyards Inn, Presley wowed the press with a different tune.
How much did he make last year? “O, I’ve made over a million already,” he announced.
Last night’s bedlam was worth $10,000 to him, Presley said, and his current 10 day tour will bring in $120,000.
Does the banshee cry of his teen-age fans bother him? “I love ’em,” grinned Presley. “Without them, I’d be lost.”
One parent, unimpressed with the performance, noted that he would love to be Presley’s first sergeant for two weeks. Presley is due to go in the army soon, but he doesn’t know just when.
Join our Chicagoland history Facebook group for more from Chicago’s past.
Sign up to receive the Vintage baiduhai newsletter at chicagotribune.com/newsletters for more photos and stories from the Tribune’s archives.
Have an idea for Vintage baiduhai? Share it with Ron Grossman and Marianne Mather at [email protected] and [email protected]
More Top Picks Best Cool Mist Humidifiers
.