It wasn’t scheduled this way but it would turn out that June 26th, 1977 would be the final concert appearance of The King- Elvis Presley. He would be dead in less than two months.

The scene was Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana- 18,000 would attend [ I am sure hundreds of thousands now claim to have been there.} Elvis didn’t look well- he was fat and bloated but no one was predicting he that he was in his last days. He would die at the age of 42 on August 16th, 1977.

I never saw Elvis in concert, to be honest I had no interest in seeing him. I was sixteen and Elvis to me at that time was a relic from the past. He was in my mind someone old people liked.  I was at my Uncle and Aunts house- we were outside and a baseball game was on the radio when they broke in “A bulletin from Memphis, Tennessee, Elvis Presley has reportedly died at the age of 42.” My first thought was “well he was 42 he was old what can you expect.” Forty-two- he was a kid.  Since then I have grown to like his music. The boy sure could sing. I think his music is the greatest and only interesting thing about him. I don’t understand this post-death celebrity cult around him that seems to ignore the music and focus on the cheesiness of his life. Peter Guralnick’s two volume biography -is the go to books on Elvis and his life. Sad. The essential recordings- The Sun Sessions.

Elvis Presley’s final setlist-

1. See See Rider
2. I’ve Got A Woman
3. Amen
4. Love Me
5. Fairytale
6.  You Gave Me A Mountain
7. Jailhouse Rock
8. It’s Now Or Never
9. Little Sister
10. Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear
11. Don’t Be Cruel
12. Release Me
13.  I Can’t Stop Loving You
14. Bridge Over Troubled Water
15. Early Morning Rain
16. What’d I Say
17. Johnny B. Goode
18. I Really Don’t Want To Know
19. Hurt
20. Hound Dog
21. Can’t Help Falling In Love