A look back

Some excerpts from local press coverage of Elvis Presley’s 1957 concert in Spokane:

“”From the time he rode through a double line of police in a Cadillac until he left after a startling rendition of ‘Houn’ Dog,’ flash bulbs bloomed like sunflowers in Kansas. …

“And all through it, twisting, bouncing, vibrating and at times sliding back and forth behind a guitar, was Presley. Often his face wore the sneer that his critics find so abhorrent. But mostly he looked like a 10-year-old who was having the time of his life – but a 10-year old with the showmanship of a P.T. Barnum.”

– From “Presley Whips 12,000 Into Near-Hysteria,” The Spokesman-Review, Aug. 31, 1957

“”Mob hysteria gripped Spokane Memorial stadium last night as thousands of keyed-up teenagers screamed, shrieked and shouted their approval of Elvis Presley. The wild gyrations and jumpy songs of the rock ‘n’ roll singer whipped a good part of the crowd of 12,500 persons into a screaming, squealing mass.”

– From “Same Old Thing – Elvis Presley Wows ‘Em,” Spokane Daily Chronicle, Aug. 31, 1957

“”He drew a big crowd here. But the size and frenzy of an audience is not the right yardstick by which to evaluate standards of entertainment. A strip-teaser would pack ‘em in to Spokane Memorial stadium, too.”

– From a Spokane Daily Chronicle editorial, Sept. 6, 1957