In the fall of 1970 Elvis had undertaken two short concert trips, his first ones since 1957. Many fans had hoped, that more tours would follow soon, but the king had spent the year with two engagements at the International Hotel in Las Vegas and a casino stint at Del Webb's Sahara Tahoe Hotel in Stateline. But in November 1971 he finally was back on the road. The bookings were processed by Management III, the tickets were available for $5.00, $7.50 and $10.00.
Tour Stations
11/05/1971: Minneapolis, Minnesota;
Metropolitan Sports Center (17,600 spectators)
11/06/1971: Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland; Public
Hall (20,000 spectators, 2 shows)
11/07/1971:
Louisville, Kentucky; Fair & Expo Center Freedom
Hall (18,550 spectators)
11/08/1971:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Spectrum (16,601
spectators)
11/09/1971: Baltimore, Maryland;
Civic Center (12,228 spectators)
11/10/1971:
Boston, Massachusetts; Boston Garden (15,509
spectators)
11/11/1971: Cincinnati, Ohio;
Cincinnati Gardens (13,272 spectators)
11/12/1971: Houston, Texas; Hofheinz Pavilion
(12,000 spectators)
11/13/1971: Dallas,
Texas; Memorial Auditorium (20,000 spectators, 2
sows)
11/14/1971: Tuscaloosa, Alabama;
University Of Alabama Fieldhouse (12,000
spectators)
11/15/1971: Kansas City,
Missouri; Municipal Auditorium (10,400
spectators)
11/16/1971: Salt Lake City, Utah;
Salt Palace (13,000 spectators)
Musicians
James Burton (guitar), John Wilkinson (guitar), Charlie Hodge (guitar and harmony vocals), Jerry Scheff (bass), Ronnie Tutt (drums), Glen D. Hardin (piano) and The Tony Bruno Orchestra (conducted by Joe Guercio). The harmony vocals were provided by The Sweet Inspirations (Myrna Smith, Sylvia Shemwell & Estelle Brown), J.D. Sumner & The Stamps (Donnie Sumner, Bill Baize, Ed Enoch & Richard Sterban) and Kathy Westmoreland.
About The Tour
Before Elvis went on the road, he needed new, male harmony singers. During the "Elvis Summer Festival 1971" The Imperials had requested more money, but were turned down by Colonel Parker. Obviously the king didn't feel the urge to intervene and continue to work with the group. Instead he moved on and booked JD Sumner & The Stamps. Elvis had always admired Mr. Sumner's impressive bass voice and was keen to work with the hero of his youth. To save costs Joe Guercio didn't bring his own orchestra, but just a few key members and added local instrumentalists. Another change was the style of the king's wardrobe. During the past few months the singer had experimented with two-piece outfits, but now he was back on using jumpsuits. The new ones were much more flamboyant. They were decorated with metal elements and included capes and wide leather belts. For this tour he had ordered the "White Fireworks Suit & Light Blue Cape", the "White Pinwheel Suit & Red Cape", the "Black Pinwheel Suit & Red Cape" and the "White Snowflake Suit & Black Cape". Elvis continued to wear these outfits in 1972, the "White Pinwheel Suit" also appeared in the movie "Elvis On Tour" as well as on the covers of the albums "Separate Ways" (1972) and "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" (1973). In contrast to his shows in Vegas, the king appeared to be more vital and lively. He moved a lot and sang with power. He obviously prefered the huge arenas to the small nightclubs of Nevada. In Louisville/Kentucky Elvis welcomed a very special guest. His grandpa Jesse D. Presley was in the audience and saw his grandson live on stage - for the first time since 1956.
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