On August 31, 1957 — Elvis Presley made his only Vancouver appearance at Empire Stadium. 
The Hillman Musical Odyssey
Memphis, Tennessee
ELVIS PRESLEY ON STAGE!
VANCOUVER ~ AUGUST 31, 1957
RED ROBINSON :: VANCOUVER EMPIRE STADIUM MC
A Series of Memories Posted By Red To Facebook
www.hillmanweb.com/elvis/vancouver.html
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Elvis had just finished filming "Jailhouse Rock" when he took to the road, playing a matinee in Tacoma and an evening date in Seattle September 1, then on to Portland September 2.Presley arrived in Vancouver by train as his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, did not want Elvis to fly. The train arrived in the morning at the Great Northern railway station, catching the media off guard as they had anticipated he would be arriving by plane. He was then driven by limousine to the Georgia Hotel, where he took over an entire floor.
Along with Knox Coupland and Ernie Henn of RCA, I met Seattle promoter Zollie Volchok in the hotel lobby. We took the elevator to the 12th floor and started walking down the hall toward Elvis’ room. A giant of a man — an ex-U.S. Marine — stopped us in our tracks. After Zollie explained who we were, we were allowed to pass. Zollie knocked on the door, it flew open and Elvis' road manager and Colonel Parker associate Tom Diskin greeted us.
The meeting was brief. Like most performers I have met over the years, Elvis was tired and really just lounging about in his room. Elvis was cautious at our initial meeting but relaxed after he was told by his management people that I was a true supporter of his music and an honest to God fan. When he realized that I was not there to interview him or to explore his personality for faults to publicize, he was most cordial. The exchange of words was basically small talk. We talked about his success, the types of music we both enjoyed and his enjoyment of live performances where he could see immediate reaction to his stage act.
I found him to be most polite and interestingly a shy man. His tone of voice during our talk was low-key and soft spoken. There was nothing pretentious about the man. It was obvious he knew who he was and what he was all about. I guess one of the main reasons I have always been a Presley fan is that I met him and discovered a down-to-earth individual who had not been affected by the incredible success that fell upon him. The basic purpose of the short visit was to introduce Elvis to his MC for the evening. We said goodbye and I said that I was looking forward to his show and would see him later that day at the stadium.
August 31, 1957: I'm at the Elvis Presley press conference in the BC Lions' coaching area at Empire Stadium.
On the way down into the cavernous depths of the stadium we passed by concessionaires who were hawking "I like Elvis" buttons and "I hate Elvis" buttons. I bought one of each. Both the "like" and "hate" buttons were produced by the Elvis people, a sign that manager "Colonel" Tom Parker was one smart dude.Now I'm in the press area with a couple of other deejays and a slew of newsmen. Only the newsmen had brought tape recorders. I hadn't been used to doing interviews with a press group and was determined to get my piece in. As the microphones were pushed into Elvis' face I fought furiously to get my licks in and asked him questions mostly related to his music. He seemed to understand that I was not out to gather any sensational news.
CKNW's Marke Raines (photo, right) was firing questions about "confidential” magazine reports on his likes and dislikes. I could see that Elvis was not ready to jump into the world of controversy. He tried to avoid the question but gave a reasonable answer. Elvis was hunched down on his knees on top of a large table and the reporters and deejays were surrounding the table. It amazed me that he could sit like that for forty minutes, shifting now and then from one leg to another.
As the interview progressed I realized something. As Elvis faced a sea of reporters, he would look from time to time over their heads in the direction of Colonel Parker, who was just behind the bank of reporters. When Elvis was in doubt about how he should answer a question, he would look in the direction of the Colonel, who would nod or shake his head accordingly. Elvis would then give an answer.
Colonel Parker was leaving nothing to chance and had even positioned Elvis for the interview so subtly that the reporters were unaware of the situation. At one point I hopped up on the table with Elvis and knelt down beside him. I was able at last to fire questions and get answers that excluded the reporters from the interview. My thoughts at the time were, "I have taken all the flack and abuse for playing Rock'n'Roll from this same group of reporters and to hell with everything. This is my day and my listeners' day, they aren't going to hog the scene."
The interview went off beautifully and when the reporters had run out of gas, I asked my questions with regard to his music. It was my guess that many of the reporters on hand were there more for curiosity and autographs for their sons and daughters than they were there for their radio, TV or newspaper editors.
Next: the reporters leave, and Elvis and I head to the BC Lions' dressing room to wait for the upcoming concert.
August 31, 1957: Elvis Presley, the "King Of Rock'n'Roll" visits Vancouver for a concert, and the press conference has ended. A local Elvis fan club presented him with a giant Panda to commemorate the success of "Teddy Bear", which by then was #1 on the Pop, R&B and Country music charts. Elvis didn't want to take it on the train to his next show in Seattle so he gave me the bear, saying "You know, Red, grown men don't collect bears."
Red Robinson, Elvis and CKNW reporter Mark Raines
When the newsmen departed, Elvis and I were joined by two Vancouver policemen in one of the BC Lions' dressing rooms. We stayed there together for what seemed like an eternity waiting for the stadium to fill up with fans. These were intimate moments with the "King". He was restless. He was literally a bundle of nervous energy. There was nothing to do in that waiting area. He and I just stood talking.
At one point he went to the door and asked one of the policemen to come into the room. He asked him if he could borrow his handcuffs. Elvis handcuffed me to the shower rod and threw the key away. He laughed like a madman. This was his way of relieving the tension of waiting. Of course the police officer thought it was funny too and I could see that he sensed the pressure building up in Elvis' mind in anticipation of his performance.
We talked about about growing up poor. We discussed the changing world, his family, my family, his love of Rhythm and Blues, his love of country and gospel music. Elvis continued twitching nervously, taking his wrist watch and twisting the expansion bracelet while talking. He discussed at great length his ambitions with regard to his music, and indicated that he hoped the whole damn thing would not lose its fire. He wanted to continue to perform as long as it was possible. Elvis said he had been lucky, and that he wanted the luck to continue. Who could blame him?
He asked me about my radio show, the kids that listened, how they reacted to his television appearances and his records. He seemed most interested in his fans and their response to him. I said to myself, "This is the sign of a true professional." I filled him in with everything I could with regard to the street-level reaction to his stardom. At all times he was polite and warm.
Just before I was to leave the dressing room to go out and bring on the other acts that were to precede his appearance on stage he stood up, stretched out his hand and said, "It was nice meeting you. Good luck with your radio career, and I hope we get to see each other again down the road."
Next: the concert.It's August 31, 1957 in Vancouver and Elvis Presley is about to take the stage for his first — and only — visit here.
With my heart pounding with excitement, I left Elvis in his dressing room and walked toward the stage at the north end of Empire Stadium. A huge curtain hung from the rear of the stage, and it was in this area that I waited for my turn to appear on the platform and bring on the legendary Elvis Presley. The acts on stage at this time were the Jordanaires, a gospel group from the US South who had recently been added to the background sound of Elvis' RCA recordings. They gave a more well rounded sound to the drums of D. J. Fontana, the bass of Bill Black and the incredible guitar of Scotty Moore.
Road manager Tom Diskin stood with me on the backstage platform, and when the Jordanaires completed their set I walked out on stage. I can't describe the feeling of standing at one end of a stadium and looking out at a sea of 25,000 faces. I had to gather up every ounce of courage. Tom had told me to point to the right of the stadium when introducing Elvis, and he would run out of the tunnel and step into a large black Cadillac limousine. My introduction was brief. An off stage announcer shouted my name as MC, I walked out to thundering applause, and said "On behalf of the Teen Canteen, Canada’s largest teen show, I'm proud tonight to present to you, ELVIS PRESLEY!!!" With that short announcement I pointed to my right, and right on cue Elvis came running out of the tunnel and hopped into the waiting limo.
The crowd went berserk. It sounded like a city of a million all screaming and yelling in unison. My greeting had been generous, and I knew that it was more for the fact that I had been instrumental in getting Elvis to Vancouver than for my own appearance, but the ecstatic greeting for Elvis was pure joy for seeing the one man who had brought the whole world of Rock'n'Roll together. Elvis Presley was the centerpiece of the art form and the idol of their generation and here he was — in the flesh!
Elvis wore only the top jacket from his solid gold suit. When I asked him backstage in the dressing room why he hadn't worn the whole gold suit, he explained that the creases in the pants caused them to look terrible and unsuitable to wear. The gold suit had been a Colonel Tom Parker concept. Here was the golden boy of music in the Fifties and the Colonel was going to have him appear in gold, real gold, to show the world just how big his boy was. "The Colonel" knew the value of glamour and he used it masterfully.
It's August 31, 1957... and the Elvis Presley show is underway at Vancouver's Empire Stadium in front of 25,000 fans. What follows is a recording of my introduction, Elvis' entrance, and the reaction of 25,000 fans. A night I'll never forget.
https://soundcloud.com/reds-archive/elvis-presley-at-empire-stadium-1957-entrance
Elvis in his Gold Jacket backed by the Jordanaires
When Elvis hit the stage the crowd went wild once again. Elvis talked to the crowd, made fun of himself and sang some of his biggest hits: "Jailhouse Rock", "Heartbreak Hotel", "All Shook Up", "I Was The One", "That’s When Your Heartaches Begin", "Don’t Be Cruel", and "Hound Dog" — about thirty minutes of his best.
At the conclusion of his last song Elvis ran for the back of the stage where I had been watching the whole appearance. He quickly slipped out of his gold jacket and handed it to one of the "Memphis Mafia", a group of old friends he grew up with. Then he slipped under the stage and waited. An Elvis associate wearing the jacket ran for the limo parked behind the stage at this point, hopped in and was driven to the players' tunnel where Elvis had first appeared.
The crowd, on the field by this time, ran for the limousine for one last look at their star. The substitute jumped from the limo, ran for the tunnel and the crowd followed. The police on duty that night stopped as many fans as they could, the substitute Elvis kept running and finally made it clear to the tunnel and beyond. While this spectacle was going on, Elvis was under the stage. When all the attention died down, Elvis walked casually to another car and drove off quietly to his hotel room in downtown Vancouver. A most incredible display of organization and imagination from the mind of "Colonel" Tom Parker.
Author Jerry Hopkins refers to that Vancouver appearance in his book "Elvis":
"'We had the stage set up at the end of this huge, huge stadium,' says Scotty Moore. 'And the people that were on the field were at the twenty-yard line and we were at the other end. It was impossible to see, so they started moving forward. It took us an hour or two to get away. They'd ask us where he was and we'd point over that way and they'd take off running. Then they'd come back and we'd point off in another way, and they'd take off screaming again.'"There is no doubt that the Vancouver audience was more fervent, but the description of pending disaster was a little wild in itself. I can understand performers' nervousness due to the circumstances of having a show in a monster stadium, but to say that they were lucky to get away with their skins is just not true. At any rate, it was truly an unforgettable evening.
Elvis broke all records in the Pacific Northwest, grossing $147,000 for five half-hour performances. The biggest date was Vancouver, where $44,000 was taken in at the box office.(Note: In August 1957, the Canadian dollar reached a high of $1.0614 compared to the American greenback.) Next: Reaction from fans and the press, and some closing thoughts.
Rolly Ford photo, Red Robinson collection
After Elvis' departure from Empire Stadium, he headed to the Georgia Hotel where he stayed overnight.
Elvis and Guitarist Scotty Moore
I saluted Elvis on my CKWX late night show following his appearance. The show ended up running all night long with a steady flow of everything Elvis had ever recorded up to that time. Elvis called me in the small hours of the morning at CKWX and expressed his thanks. He left town later that morning and continued with his tour in Seattle and Portland.Vancouver morning newspaper The Province featured fan reaction from Pauline Winter: “At 14 years old, I was the only one of my friends allowed to go to this concert. My cousin Denise and I made our way down to the field and elbowed our way to the front. We were so close and totally enthralled. And there he was: Elvis.”
Anita Montague recalled: “Oh God, when he walked on that stage, I’m tellin’ ya, my heart was just racing. I can’t really remember the songs. I was just kind of mesmerized. Oh God, he was good lookin’… he was wiggling his little pelvis there. I’m just sitting there with my mouth open.”
The Vancouver Sun's John Kirkwood was not a Presley fan:
"The big show was provided by Vancouver teen-agers, transformed into writhing, frenzied idiots of delight by the savage jungle beat music. With something over 16,000 at the stadium, it was billed as the largest theatrical entertainment in western Canada. Don't kid yourself. This was not entertainment."For the first time in history, a performer was appearing in a venue that would hold 25,000 people, Empire Stadium. Up to this point in music history no one would have dreamed that a performer could command this much attention from the public. Elvis' first tour of the U.S. and Canada was unprecedented. Vancouver was one of only three cities Elvis played outside the United States, and the show was the last performance he ever gave outside the U.S.
Vancouver’s first rock-and-roll show had taken place barely a year before, when Bill Haley and the Comets drew 6,000 people to the Kerrisdale Arena. Now Elvis had drawn a crowd over four times larger. This was his biggest show of that tour, but to hear Elvis himself say that it was is the icing on the cake.
On August 31, 1982, to mark the 25th anniversary of Elvis’ visit to Vancouver, CBC Radio’s Vicki Gabereau sat down with me and we covered some of the highlights of the concert. I thought I’d lost this interview, and it was a treat to hear it again. Hope you enjoy my recollections of one of the greatest days of my life.
The highlight of 1957 had a date: August 31. The place: Empire Stadium, Vancouver. The occasion: The live appearance of Elvis Presley.
https://soundcloud.com/reds-archive/elvis-in-vancouver-august-31-1957a
More than 26,000 tickets were sold for the event. Presley arrived in Vancouver by train as his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, did not want Elvis to fly. The train arrived in the morning at the Great Northern Railway station, catching the media off guard as they had anticipated he would be arriving by plane. He was then driven by limousine to the Georgia Hotel. I took the elevator to the 12th floor and started walking down the hall toward Elvis’ room. I knocked on the door, it flew open and Tom Diskin, Elvis Presley's road manager, greeted us. The meeting was brief: a handshake, a question here, an answer there. Elvis was cautious at our initial meeting but when he realized that I was not there to interview him, he was most cordial. We talked about his success, the types of music we both enjoyed and his enjoyment of live performances where he could see immediate reaction to his stage act.
I guess one of the main reasons I have always been a Presley fan is that I discovered a down to earth individual who had not been affected by the incredible success that fell upon him. We said goodbye and I said that I was looking forward to his show and would see him later that day at the stadium.
The next scene opens at the Elvis press conference. I discovered that only the newsmen had brought tape recorders. The other deejays had not. I hadn't been used to doing interviews with a press group and was determined to get my piece in. As the microphones were pushed into Presley's face I fought to ask him questions mostly related to his music. He seemed to understand that I was not out to gather any sensational news. When the press conference ended, Elvis and I were joined by two Vancouver policemen. We stayed there together for what seemed like an eternity waiting for the stadium to fill up with fans. These were intimate moments with the "King".
We talked about growing up poor. We discussed the changing world, his family, my family, his love of rhythm and blues, country and gospel music. Elvis discussed at great length his ambitions with regard to his music. He asked me about my radio show, the kids that listened, how they reacted to his television appearances and his records.
Just before I left the dressing room to go out and bring on the opening acts, Elvis stood up, stretched out his hand and said, "It was nice meeting you. Good luck with your radio career and I hope we get to see each other again down the road."
With my heart pounding with excitement I left Elvis and walked toward the stage at the north end of Empire Stadium. I can't describe the feeling of looking out at a sea of 25,000 faces. I had to gather up every ounce of courage. My introduction was brief: I walked out to thundering applause and said "On behalf of the Teen Canteen, Canada’s largest teen show, I'm proud tonight to present to you, ELVIS PRESLEY!" The crowd went berserk.
Elvis performed for only 25 minutes. He sang many of his hits including "Heartbreak Hotel", "Don't Be Cruel", "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", and "Hound Dog". As the crowd grew more alarming, Presley was ordered by his manager to wrap up the show and depart in his Cadillac, now parked conveniently behind the stage. It was truly an unforgettable evening.
On August 31, 1982, to mark the 25th anniversary of Elvis' visit to Vancouver, CBC's Vicki Gabereau sat down with me and we covered some of the highlights of the concert. I thought I'd lost this interview, and it was a treat to hear it again. Hope you enjoy my recollections of one of the greatest days of my life.
It was great to relive the excitement of Elvis' August 1957 Vancouver appearance, and I want to recommend my friend Brandon Yip's book "Elvis Presley: 'All Shook Up' in Canada" for more on Elvis' groundbreaking tour. I asked Brandon about the book, and for his take on Elvis' legacy.
"I wrote the book because I wanted to know more about Elvis' Vancouver concert," Brandon says, "especially the behind-the-scenes aspect that I had not seen in other books and newspapers. To satisfy my own curiosity, I interviewed fans and reporters who attended the shows in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa and they shared their memories of the experience.
My book would not have been possible without your help. Thanks, Red, for granting me an interview many years ago at your office. Your recollections of that memorable night at Empire Stadium are vivid and well-detailed. After listening to your account of meeting Elvis and later introducing him onstage, I felt like I had been there! Without your help and the assistance from so many others, there would be no book. I am forever grateful.
I have been a lifelong Elvis fan. But as I get older, I have learned to accept Elvis as a human being who had a God-given talent. The King was not perfect. But those shortcomings should not take away from what he accomplished in his storied career. His music, image and legacy have transcended generations. Elvis Presley was a phenomenon. He was like a lightning bolt who struck you with the raw power generated by his voice, charisma, and overt sex appeal. Elvis may be gone, but his impact still resonates."
Thanks, Brandon! Pick up your copy of Brandon Yip's "Elvis Presley: 'All Shook Up' in Canada" from Amazon.ca at amzn.to/3qe6XA0
Photo: Elvis at the 1957 press conference courtesy of The Province and Vancouver Public Library.
Dad Vernon in background
