The Untold Truth Of Elvis' Last Show

It wasn't supposed to be Elvis' final concert. The singer was only 42 years old and was scheduled to go on tour again shortly after his untimely passing. But a heart condition, accompanied by a decades-long cocktail of prescription drugs, brought the King's career to an unexpected end with Presley's tragic death.

The last live show that Presley ever performed occurred in 1977. The day was June 26, a date that kept popping up in Elvis history. It was his manager, Colonel Tom Parker's, birthday (as far as anyone can tell — the guy was sketchy like an A-ha music video). Plus, Elvis was first called to the Sun Records office on June 26, 1954. Three years to the day after that, he spent his first night at Graceland. On June 26, 1979, Elvis' father died of heart failure. Coincidence? Yeah, probably, but don't let that stop your inner conspiracy theorist from itching like a man in a fuzzy tree.

On the night in question, Elvis was on the tail end of an arduous nine-day tour. His last concert would be performed for a packed crowd at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Nearly 18,000 people attended, none realizing they were witnessing history.

For seven years, warm-up comedian Jackie Kahane held the unenviable responsibility of getting up on stage before the man known as "The King" took over. It was no easy job and he was even booed off the stage of New York City's Madison Square Garden for the audacity to be, well, not Elvis. Kahane's job as Elvis' opening act even dominated the first half of his obituary in The Los Angeles Times when the comedian died in 2001. In it, the Times describes how Kahane's set, formerly a tight 18 minutes, had stretched to nearly 45 as the years wore on and it took longer for Elvis to get into performance shape each night. 

That night in Indianapolis, Kahane announced to the crowd "Elvis looks great and Elvis sounds great," according to a review of the show in The Indianapolis Star. A comedian, maybe, but no prophet. Nevertheless, as Kahane left the stage that night, few could have predicted things would come to an end quite so abruptly. 

Fifteen-dollar tickets to see Elvis Presley perform for the last time? Well, they were still available the evening before the concert (or just over $80 now, adjusted for inflation). Still, quite the bargain for an up-close look at one of the era's defining (if faded) stars. 

Aside from Jackie Kahane, that evening's opening acts included a brass band and some soul singers. In fact, those openers performed for almost an hour and a half before fans would catch sight of the man they'd been waiting for. The Indianapolis Star noted that for the Monday evening performance, Elvis had donned the now-iconic white and gold jumpsuit, maybe to better facilitate the dance moves that still drove the audience wild. Of particular note to the reviewer, Elvis had limited his karate moves that evening but nevertheless bounded on stage to kick off the show with a rendition of "C.C. Rider" and still threw in a few of his signature leg jerks from his early days. 

For fans, it was a remarkable performance — especially given how difficult 1977 had been thus far for the King. According to Far Out Magazine, Elvis had broken up with a long-term girlfriend, immediately became involved with a new woman, and was so out of it during some earlier performances, journalist Tony Scherman recounted how he'd been nearly "impossible to understand" at an earlier show in Louisiana. Despite that, the King rallied that evening in June — if only briefly. 

Critical reception for Elvis Presley's final show was decidedly mixed. On the negative side, there was Zack Duncan's review, which called the concert "tacky and outdated," the lighting "adequate," and the extensive use of warm-up acts "fluff." He claimed that announcements were made over the PA three times throughout the concert, reminding folks to check out the merch stand and even reading off price tags on available souvenirs. There were also more positive reviews, like the one in The Indianapolis Star, which spent a significant amount of time pointing out that Elvis wasn't as fat as he could have been.

Over the course of a three-hour concert, Elvis spent just an hour and twenty minutes on stage, performing old standards as well as new numbers, including a cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Waters." At the end of the show, Presley brought his father on stage to wave to the crowd, sang "I Can't Help Falling In Love," said, "We'll meet you again, God bless, adios," and left the building.

June 26, 1977, fell on a Sunday, but that didn't stop people from seeing the King (even if Elvis Presley couldn't stand the name) in action. As a matter of fact, it would be interesting to see the work attendance figures in Indianapolis the next day, or even the productivity levels of the people who braved their job on Monday. It wasn't just the events of the rock concert in the evening that would have tired them out; it's also about what happened beforehand.

As The Indianapolis Star reported, many fans waited in line overnight to ensure they wouldn't miss the chance to see Elvis on stage. Now, even though this was the pre-internet era and there was no Ticketmaster (and all its hidden fees), the tickets for the show were all but sold out months before, with only $15 seats behind the stage available the day prior.

Regardless, many fans braved an overnight stay and stood outside of the Market Square Arena the day before the show. Considering how high profile the event was, and the presence of various scalpers hoping to make an extra buck or two, some may have taken a gamble to see if they could squeeze in or score last-minute tickets to see all the shake, rattle, and roll on that fateful day.

Maybe all the people queuing might have relaxed and arrived a little later had they known that Elvis Presley would only hit the stage a few hours after the doors opened. As with any concert, there were several supporting acts before the headliner waltzed out to raucous cheers and applause.

The event kicked off at 8:30 p.m., as the Stamps and the Sweet Inspirations entertained the thousands in attendance. The latter act would return to the stage to support Elvis as part of his backing band later in the evening. Stand-up comedian and an ever-constant presence at Elvis concerts, Jackie Kahane, also made an appearance to keep the crowd on their toes and chuckling before it was time for the King's arrival.

Elvis arrived on stage at 10 p.m. and entertained his adoring fans for 80 absorbing minutes. To be fair, audience members usually wait a while before the headline act hits the stage, and it isn't like Elvis was keeping Axl Rose time here. So, while it was later than many might have expected, it wasn't the worst delay in rock 'n' roll concert history.

By the time Elvis Presley stepped on stage for his last show at the Market Square Arena, he had a catalog of famous hits to pick and choose from. Fortunately for the fans in attendance, Elvis selected something special from his different eras to create a best-of compilation, along with a handful of beloved classic covers from other popular artists.

According to Setlist.fm, Elvis opened with a cover of Ma Rainey and Her Georgia Jazz Band's "See See Rider Blues." He also covered Ray Charles' "I've Got a Woman" and "What'd I Say," Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," and other tracks from recognizable artists such as the Pointer Sisters and Marty Robbins.

In terms of his own original material, Elvis performed "Jailhouse Rock," "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear," "It's Now or Never," and, of course, "Can't Help Falling in Love." In the end, he played 21 songs for his final show. That being said, Elvis Presley didn't play his first commercial single, "That's All Right (Mama)," which may have disappointed some of the fans who had been with him since the beginning.

There was one constant on Elvis Presley's final tour: the presence of his fiancée, Ginger Alden. His last performance at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana, proved to be no different, as Alden accompanied him to the concert. Photos exist of the pair traveling in a car together; however, none of this should be too surprising to anyone familiar with the King's story, since Alden was a major part of the final 12 months of Elvis Presley's life.

Not long after breaking up with his long-time girlfriend Linda Thompson, Elvis started to date Alden, who was 20 years old at the time. Taking the lyrics of his legendary track "Can't Help Falling in Love" to heart, Elvis did exactly that with Alden, proposing to her two months after the pair started dating.

As per Alden, they harbored big ambitions for the future and planned to marry that December. Unfortunately, their time together was short-lived after Alden was the one to discover Elvis dead on August 16, 1977. Eerily enough, Alden's future husband, Ron Leyser, also died on August 16 in 2015.

There have been numerous rumors and recollections about the state of Elvis Presley's health during his final run of shows. Even The Indianapolis Star mentioned that one of the biggest talking points was the King's weight and what condition he would be in to perform a grueling set for his devoted fans. The outlet wrote: "At 42, Elvis is still carrying around some excess baggage on his mid-section, but it didn't stop him from giving a performance in true Presley style." It's not too kind to discuss someone else's weight in such a manner, but these were different days in the '70s.

Appearing on Today in 2014, Ginger Alden shut down the endless debates about Elvis' appearance, stating that much of it was grossly exaggerated and untrue. "He would oversalt his food, and at times he would appear more puffy — or bloated, if you want to call it that — on camera," she said. "But he was never fat." Alden added that Elvis was still "handsome," but people didn't want to accept he was no longer 20 years old — nor would he ever look like he did when he was 20.

What is the truth about Elvis' relationship with Priscilla Presley? Only the pair really knew what did and didn't happen in their past, but it's obvious that they shared a lot as a married couple and parents to Lisa Marie Presley. Priscilla has said that they continued to stay in touch after their divorce, because they were still friends and parents to Lisa Marie, so she still got to see and speak to him even toward the end. Resultantly, Priscilla has spoken out about the final months of her former husband's life, especially his performances.

Being extremely familiar with Elvis' talent and concerts, Priscilla wasn't a big fan of his last shows, believing they weren't the best in his epic career. "Those last shows were not the most memorable as far as performance," she said in the documentary "Elvis: The Searcher" (via The Mirror). "Sometimes he didn't get through a song. I think the last year, he was pretty much over it. I don't even know why he went on stage. They're just hard to watch. Sometimes I think it was maybe better if they just canceled the show."

Quite often, after someone passes away, people discuss whether there were any signs that the person knew their time was up. It sounds supernatural, but some people believe such premonitions exist. In terms of Elvis Presley, the same conversation has come up time and time again, especially surrounding his behavior at his final performance. Of course, his farewell to the audience that night where he said, "We'll meet you again, God bless, adios," sounds eerie in retrospect.

According to comments from attendees who were there that day, Elvis didn't look good, and some feared the worst for the beloved King of Rock 'n' Roll. "I was at this concert," a YouTube commentator wrote. "Elvis spent most of his performance sitting down. He looked very bloated and tired and was having trouble remembering some of the lyrics."

Another user claimed that it was strange to see so many people on stage at the end of the show, stating (via The Mirror), "It was unusual for him to introduce so many people right before his last song. I had never seen that before and I had seen a total of 24 shows altogether." Did Elvis know something about his impending death? No one will ever know.

Due to the Market Square Arena being the location of Elvis' final performance, it's become an important part of the King's history. Maybe it's not quite as paramount as Graceland, but it still plays a critical role in his overall legacy.

Elvis' last performance was honored in the form of a plaque that contains a photo of him wearing his famous jumpsuit and features poignant words about his influence on music and pop culture. The memorial was placed at the location where the Market Square Arena's parking lot used to be. After construction and development took place in the area, the plaque shuffled around, eventually settling at the intersection of Market and Alabama Streets as of 2018. It hasn't deterred fans, though, as they still travel from far and wide to see the plaque and pay tribute to where the King performed his final concert.

To read more about the music icon, check out how Elvis Presley went from truck driver to rock king.