When Elvis came to Tuscaloosa: Memories of sold-out crowds, thrown underwear and more

About 50,000 people saw Elvis in Tuscaloosa, but you'd have to be five decades or more older to recall.

In the 1970s, Elvis had left Hollywood, made his Memphis-special comeback, then essentially moved to Las Vegas, where he performed several hundred shows until his death on Aug. 16, 1977.

More: Memories of the King of Rock 'n' Roll

On breaks, he might go on tours, often brief ones. In 1971, '75 and '76 in Tuscalosa, Elvis sold out Memorial (now Coleman) Coliseum, which had a concert capacity around 15,000 to 17,000, depending on stage size and floor seating.

Tuscaloosa had become a concert hotbed ― the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Yes, the Eagles, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, the Grateful Dead, Linda Ronstadt, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers Band, Jethro Tull, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Todd Rundgren's Utopia and other legends played here. That was in part because of the University of Alabama, but also because Birmingham had no better venue option: Boutwell Auditorium only held about 5,500, and the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center didn't open until '77.

Elvis flew into the Tuscaloosa airport, waded through droves of fans, then rolled into Memorial's sloping portals in a limo, where, jump-suited and backed by a sprawling band and at least two gospel-singing backup groups, he brought houses down. When Elvis left the building, the entourage stayed at the Ramada Inn on Skyland, though they tried to keep that part of their Druid City visits private.

Fans drove in from all around, as chances to see the King of Rock 'n' Roll live were relatively rare:

• In '71 Elvis played just 12 shows outside Vegas and Tahoe. One was in Tuscaloosa, Nov. 14, which was apparently his first-ever concert in Tuscaloosa. He wore a black pinwheel jumpsuit anchored by a wide gold belt.
• In a '75 run, he played six cities ― Tuscaloosa; Huntsville; Mobile; Shreveport, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; and Memphis ― over 10 days, though they did perform multiple shows at some of those stops. At Tuscaloosa/Memorial, it was just one show, June 3.
• In '76, he played a handful of short-run tours, landing in Tuscaloosa on Aug. 30. Tickets sold for $12.50, but The Tuscaloosa News' Tommy Stevenson reported that scalpers getting $25 or even $50.

That concert was recorded through the soundboard, widely released as a bootleg titled "Tuscaloosa Night," or "One Night in Alabama." It's considered one of the King's best-quality soundboard recordings. Almost a full year before his death, the production, including the TCB Band (topped by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member James Burton on lead guitar) and backup singers (J.D. Sumner and the Stamps Quartet, and the Sweet Inspirations) sounds crisp, full and energized.

Writing in a 2013 The Tuscaloosa News column, Ben Windham said Elvis appeared in the Druid City like a prince from another planet, "... all maned and robed. Yet he connected with the audience in a way that is almost impossible to describe.

"Years ago, I corresponded with a fan from Canada who followed Elvis all over America on one of his 1970s tours. He even sent me a cassette that he (or someone) recorded of one of Elvis’ Tuscaloosa concerts. I’ve lost that tape, but it was mostly muffled anyway. Since then, I’ve heard soundboard recordings of both Tuscaloosa concerts in superb quality. Neither has been officially released, but both are stunning....

"If I had seen only the set lists for the Tuscaloosa shows, I might have sneered. Hearing them, however, is a horse of a different color. In 1971, Elvis did more of a rootsy, rock-R&B performance, with a lot of covers of songs made famous by African-American artists. In Tuscaloosa, they included Ray Charles’ 'I’ve Got a Woman,' Junior Parker’s 'Mystery Train' and Smiley Lewis’ 'One Night.' "

Elvis in Tuscaloosa reviews

Reviews from Elvis's Memorial Coliseum performances were mixed. In The Crimson White, John H. Anderson wrote about the '76 show:

"The King of Rock and Roll hit the stage. Thousands of flashcubes ignited. Screams drowned out the first strains of 'C.C. Rider.' Elvis was back in town. But he's just not the same. After two or three numbers it became painfully obvious that whatever Elvis had in his youth has escaped him in recent years. His outfit included an incredibly large belt and baggy pants, both designed to hide his expanding waistline. His face was puffy and his black-dyed hair was swept back into a middle-aged ducktail. The overall effect was that of a forty-year-old Fonzie with a beer gut. The vocals were disappointing. At times he sounded tired. His occasional bursts of energy were short-lived."

Writing for The Tuscaloosa News, Doris Flora felt considerably more charitable, especially about Presley's appeal:

"What ever it is the entertainer has ― charisma, sex appeal, love of life ― it was apparent Monday night that the old magic is still there, as 17,000-plus fans (or curiosity seekers?) overflowed Memorial Coliseum.

"Was it really for one hour's performance by 'The King' that all these thousands turned out, with the screams of the women in the audience drowning out his songs on numerous occasion?

"Or was it to view the audience's performance that many showed up, to watch the women screaming and jumping, competing with each other for a treasured kiss from the performer or for one of the numerous scarves complete with a little bit of Elvis' sweat which he kept throwing to the howling females out front? ....

"The Monday night performance brought very vividly to mind a concert in Mobile, some 20 years ago, where the intensity of the feeling was the same. Good living (one could not call it easy after watching a performance) has made a difference, as there is much more of the entertainer to watch now that when he first turned from truck driver to women's idol.

"There is more of the entertainer, more performers, more money for the tickets, but the feeling seems to be unchanged. Then he had to be flanked by guards at every step, to keep the screaming women from literally tearing his clothes.

"Last night was little different, from the drum fanfare fitting the arrival of an old-time Roman emperor, to the shrill screams which greeted every leg thrust and hip swivel, from the originator of the on-stage hip pivoting.

"The women went wild and the men just sat there."

Flora noted it was not a typical '70s UA crowd, as the ceiling of the Coliseum was unobscured by smoke, and "... 90 percent of this crowd has bras on."

Of the '75 show, Kim Price of The Tuscaloosa News wrote: “Security guards lined the front and rear of the stage area so overexcited supporters could not reach out to the performer. However, some of their underwear did. Several times, panties and brassieres were thrown at the stage for Elvis to pick up ... which he did, replying about one set, ‘Somebody just lost everything.’ ”

Scott Cain wrote a review of the '71 Tuscaloosa show for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, noting at least 2,000 of the night's audience came from Atlanta.

“When the spirit was really moving him and he shook a whole leg, or his behind, or his impressively black mane, the audience went wild,” Cain wrote.

Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at mark.cobb@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: When Elvis came to Tuscaloosa: Memories of sold-out crowds, thrown underwear and more