At the end of March 1975 the Colonel's office announced another concert tour of the king. Because of the huge demand some venues were booked multiple times, in total Elvis was on stage 21 times between July 8th and 24th.
Tour Stations
07/08/1975: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Myriad
Convention Center (15,291 spectators)
07/09/1975: Terra Haute, Indiana; Hulman Civicc
Center (10,244 spectators)
07/10/1975:
Cleveland, Ohio; Cleveland Coliseum (21,000
spectators)
07/11/1975: Charleston, West
Virginia; Civic Center (8,400 spectators)
07/12/1975: Charleston, West Virginia; Civic
Center (16,800 spectators, 2 shows)
07/13/1975: Niagara Falls, New York; Convention
Center (23,000 spectators, 2 shows)
07/14/1975: Springfield, Massachusetts; Civic
Center (9,000 spectators)
07/15/1975:
Springfield, Massachusetts; Civic Center (9,000
spectators)
07/16/1975: New Haven,
Connecticut; Veteran's Memorial Coliseum (10,800
spectators)
07/17/1975: New Haven,
Connecticut; Veteran's Memorial Coliseum (10,920
spectators)
07/18/1975: Cleveland, Ohio;
Cleveland Coliseum (21,000 spectators)
07/19/1975: Uniondale, New York; Nassau Coliseum
(33,000 spectators, 2 shows)
07/20/1975:
Norfolk, Viginia; Scope Cultural & Convention
Center (22,600 spectators, 2 shows)
07/21/1975: Greensboro, North Carolina; Coliseum
(16,300 spectators)
07/22/1975: Asheville,
North Carolina; Civic Center (7,437 spectators)
07/23/1975: Asheville, North Carolina; Civic
Center (7,437 spectators)
07/24/1975:
Asheville, North Carolina; Civic Center (7,437
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 Joe Guercio Orchestra. The harmony vocals were provided by The Sweet Inspirations (Myrna Smith, Sylvia Shemwell & Estelle Brown), J.D. Sumner & The Stamps (Bill Baize, Ed Enoch & Ed Hill), Voice (Donnie Sumner, Tim Baty & Sherrill Nielsen) as well as Kathy Westmoreland.
About The Tour
On June 15th Elvis went to the Midsouth Hospital in Memphis. Officially he received eye examinations for two days, but in fact Dr. Asghan Koleyni performed skin tightening around the king's eyes. After the plastic surgery was done Elvis followed Dr. Nicopolous' diet plan and lost several pounds. The makeover was completed by ordering two new jumpsuits. In contrast to the previous ones the "Eskimo Totem Pole Suit" and the "Chicken Rib Suit" looked like a combo of a shirt and a vest and came without the usual belts. Elvis didn't like them that way and ordered matching belts. In the meantime he used the ones of the "Dark Blue Two-Piece Suit & Red And Gold Ornaments" and the "Dark Blue Two-Piece Suit & Light Blue And Silver Ornaments". He also added chokers, which were an it-piece of the time. Besides the new outfits Elvis also wore the "Indian Chief Suit" and three of the "Phoenix" suits. Musically the king also displayed a high versatility. From his latest album "Elvis Today" he sang "T-R-O-U-B-L-E", "Fairytale", "Shake A Hand" and "Pieces Of My Life". The previous album "Promised Land" was represented with the title song and the ballad "It's Midnight". Elvis also accompanied himself on the piano during "You'll Never Walk Alone" and improvised a gospel medley of "You'd Better Run" and "Bosom Of Abraham". In Ashville he even had request boxes placed in the foyer of the local civic center and fulfilled requests for "Wooden Heart", "Return To Sender", "Something" and "Jailhouse Rock". The king appeared to be extremely motivated and his voice sounded very good.
Unfortunately his vitality was driven by chemical stimulants, which also caused a lot of trouble. In Springfield he threw his guitar into the audience, on several occasions he claimed on stage, that Kathy Westmoreland would go to bed with each and everyone of the crew. Finally the soprano singer complained about the king's behaivor to Tom Diskin (a close associate of Colonel Parker). As a result Elvis made some inappropriate remarks during a concert in Norfolk, whereupon Kathy and two members of The Sweet Inspirations left the stage. The king tried to win the ladies back with expensive gifts, but Kathy was so hurt, that she refused to accept the hedged apology. Felton Jarvis asked Millie Kirkham to help out, but when she arrived, everything was settled and she attended the show as a member of the audience. Elvis' apology gifts were not cheap, after the tour the jeweler Lowell Hays invoiced him 86,680 USD. In Ashville the king endowed fans with his guitar and a diamond ring, backstage his mood swung to the opposite and he held Dr. Nichopoulos at gunpoint, because he refused to prescribe the substances he requested. While the king fidgeted with the gun, he shot it by accident and a ricochet hit the doctor in the chest. Fortunately he wasn't injured. Also in Ashville, Elvis shot at a television set, because he didn't like the program. Meanwhile Linda Thompson, his steady girlfriend since 1972, started to dissociate herself from him. However, Elvis didn't care. Since early 1974 he was also dating Sheila Ryan and during this tour he was accompanied by Diane Goodman, the current Miss Georgia.
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