Elvis Presley, or how times have changed.

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vison
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Elvis Presley, or how times have changed.

Post by vison »

John Kirkwood’s Sun review of the Elvis Presley concert at Empire Stadium on Aug. 31, 1957,in part: “A hard, bitter core of teenage troublemakers turned Elvis Presley’s one-night stand at Empire Stadium into the most disgusting exhibition of mass hysteria and lunacy this city has ever witnessed,” Kirkwood wrote.

“It was like watching a demented army swarm down the hillside to do battle in the plain when those frenzied teenagers stormed the field. Elvis and his music played a small part in the dizzy circus. The big show was provided by Vancouver teenagers, transformed into writhing, frenzied idiots of delight by the savage jungle beat music.”

I wish I could find the whole review on line. I'll post it, if I can, since it is so different from anything any reviewer nowadays would write.

Teenagers did not rule the world yet. Elvis scared the living daylights out of people like the reviewer John Kirkwood and the Vancouver cops and parents everywhere.

My husband was at that concert. Anyone less like a "hard bitter teenage troublemaker" would be hard to find.

Elvis was the point at which the world changed. It wasn't until I read the review (which I can't darned well find in entirety) that it hit home so thoroughly. We go along not noticing, I guess.

But you can't miss the importance of Elvis.
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Old_Tom_Bombadil
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Re: Elvis Presley, or how times have changed.

Post by Old_Tom_Bombadil »

vison wrote:“... the most disgusting exhibition of mass hysteria and lunacy this city has ever witnessed,” Kirkwood wrote.
At least until the hockey team lost game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, eh? :P

Seriously, I watch footage of the Beatles playing to crowds of screaming young women, etc. and wonder what the devil is going on through those girls' minds. You'd think they'd want to enjoy the music, which is nie impossible through all the screaming. :scratch:

Ah, youth. :D

P.S. Sorry, vison, I think everything I just said contradicted the point you were trying to make. While I have no doubt that your husband-to-be was not a raging lunatic, given the things I've seen on TV I find Mr. Kirkwood's report very believable, although the description of Mr. Presley's performance as "savage jungle beat music" is rather hyperbolic.
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vison
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Post by vison »

If I could find the whole review and post it, you'd see what I mean.

The kids who went to see Elvis were Elvis fans. But they terrified "the authorities". The comments made by the chief of police are hilarious now, hilarious for their insanely over-the-top reaction to a bunch of teenagers excited over a concert.

As for girls screaming at Beatles' concerts, so what? It was a harmless exercise and they seemed to enjoy it.

The Beatles didn't bring down Western Civilization. But I remember the reviews of their concerts, too.

Times have changed beyond belief.
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Post by Old_Tom_Bombadil »

vison wrote:As for girls screaming at Beatles' concerts, so what? It was a harmless exercise and they seemed to enjoy it.
That's just it, I don't think those young women did enjoy it; "it" being the music. They were too freaked out emotionally. And the Beatles, and performers like them, have literally had the clothes ripped from their bodies as they ran for their lives.

We've seen the same thing in more recent days where there are stampedes where people are literally hurt when some teen idol like Justin Bieber makes an appearance at a shopping mall. No, a few people injured at a shopping mall is not the overthrow of a civilization, or even a local government, but it is still a scary situation for those involved.
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