History Daily - Elvis’s Final Show

Episode Date: June 26, 2025

​​June 26, 1977. Elvis delivers an emotional final public performance at Market Square Arena, Indianapolis. Support the show! Join Into History for ad-free listening and more.History Daily is a co-production of Airship and Noiser.Go to HistoryDaily.com for more history, daily.

It's early evening on June 27, 1968 at the NBC studios in Burbank, California. TV director Steve Binder looks down from the production booth onto a square stage and seated in a semicircle in front of a small audience, several musicians tuned their instruments. But one chair is still empty. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley. Elvis hasn't performed live in seven years. He's been in Hollywood, starring in movies. But with the rise of bands like the Beatles, Elvis is at risk of becoming irrelevant.

Tonight is his big chance at a comeback. It could relaunch his career as a musician or turn him into a national joke. From the booth, Steve watches Elvis shuffle onto the stage in a black mother suit. The cameras start rolling and there's rapturous applause. Steve has planned this as a casual session with Elvis and his old bandmates, but Elvis is clearly nervous. He uneasily sits down on his chair and then nods at the audience. Then he abruptly says good night and gets up to leave.

Up in the booth, Steve's heart sinks. He had to work hard to convince Elvis to perform tonight, but it looks like he's already lost his nerve. But then the audience laughs and Elvis smiles. He sits back down, playing it off as a joke as he reaches for his guitar. Elvis thanks the audience for coming and explains that this session is returned to his roots. Some of his band tonight were with him when he was first starting out in Memphis in the 1950s, so this is a real trip down Memory Lane.

Elvis adjusts his guitar in his lap, and then nods to the other musicians. They all seem ready. And up in the booth, Steve takes a nervous, deep breath. This is it. When the Elvis Presley Comeback Special airs six months later on NBC, it's an immediate hit. The broadcast reminds everyone why Elvis is still the king of rock and roll,

and it relaunches his career as a performing artist. Over the next nine years, there will be new hit records and songs, sold-out national tours. But that triumphant return will be overshadowed by Elvis's declining health, and his career on stage will culminate in one final, poignant performance on June 26, 1977. From Noisor and Airship, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is History Daily. History is made every day. On this podcast, every day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is June 26, 1977, Elvis's

final show. It's just after noon on December 21st, 1970 at the White House in Washington, D.C., two years after Elvis Presley's comeback special. Presidential aide Eagle Bud Crowe opens the door of the Oval Office and welcomes his guest inside. 35-year-old Elvis sports an extravagant purple suit, a gold belt buckle and amber sunglasses. He thanks, Bud, and then steps through the door and into the Oval Office. In the center stands a beaming President of the United States Richard Nixon. This meeting between the president and the superstar was not planned. Earlier this morning, Bud learned that Elvis had shown up at the White House unannounced and requested a meeting with the president, believing it would be great publicity for Nixon.

Bud was determined to make it happen. After all, even for the most powerful man on the planet, the chance to meet Elvis Presley is not something that happens every day. Elvis had been one of the most famous men in America for more than a decade. After being discovered by Sun Records in Memphis at the age of 19, Elvis had a meteoric rise. His rock and roll music and electrifying stage presence captured the imagination of millions, even as he was condemned by many conservatives. But this only boosted his fame. Following a stint of military service in the late 1950s,

Elvis turned his attention to Hollywood and made a string of successful movies. After spending seven years on film sets, Elvis's 1968 comeback special, revitalize his music career, opening doors to a lucrative residency at a Las Vegas casino, nationwide tours, and now a meeting with the president. In the Oval Office, a photographer snaps pictures of Elvis and Nixon. The president and the king of rock and roll both smile awkwardly for the camera. On the surface, the two men could hardly seem more different, but Elvis thinks they're more similar than they look.

He reaches inside his jacket pocket and pulls out some law enforcement badges he wants to show to the president. From his position by the door, Bud notices Nixon is slightly baffled by this, but Elvis explains that he's on Nixon's side. He's a law and order man who deeply admires the police. He adds that the popular British band, The Beatles, are anti-American, and claims that he's been researching hippie drug culture and communist brainwashing in the music industry. Startled by this turn of conversation, Nixon tries to change the subject,

but Elvis won't be deterred. He asks if Nixon can complete his collection with a bad, from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. A perplexed Nixon turns to Bud, asking him to go get a badge, and Elvis is ecstatic. He pulls the president in for a giant bear hug. Bud has never seen Nixon so confused. But these strange Oval Office antics wouldn't be a surprise to those who know Elvis well. In recent months, his behavior has begun causing concern to his wife, Priscilla.

Last Christmas, Elvis spent $100,000 on 32 handguns and 10 new car. and he started taking numerous prescription drugs as well. His out-of-control spending and substance abuse is putting their marriage under increasing strain. So while Priscilla stays at the family home in Memphis, Elvis spends months away in Las Vegas performing at the casino where he has a residency as well as a string of girlfriends. By February 1972, Priscilla has had enough. She tells Elvis that their marriage is over.

She's been having an affair with her karate instructor and wants to leave. fleeing to her lover's home, she immediately files for divorce, and Elvis swiftly finds a new girlfriend, but he harbors a seething resentment against Priscilla and the karate instructor she left him for. That anger boils over in early 1973. Elvis is once again performing in Las Vegas when four fans storm the stage, but Elvis is convinced the men are assassins sent by Priscilla's karate instructor. He kicks one into the audience and storms backstage to grab his rifle. As his aides tried to and down. Elvis rampages around his room and calls for the karate instructor to be killed. Although the men on stage were just over-excited fans, no one can get through to Elvis,

and eventually a doctor must be called to inject him with a sedative. Such outbursts will become common during the 1970s. Elvis's divorce and his relentless performing schedule will leave him feeling more isolated than ever. His paranoia will deepen, his addiction to prescription medication will grow, and the reign of the king of the of rock and roll will start to fall apart. It's October 10th, 1973, inside an office at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, a year and a half after Elvis and Priscilla Presley's separation. Elvis's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, leans back in his chair and reads the newspaper. The front page shows Elvis and Priscilla leaving a courtroom under the headline that reads,

Elvis and Priscilla end six-year marriage. Tom smiles. He welcomes this news, because now Elvis can focus on what he does best, making Tom a fortune. Colonel Tom Parker has been Elvis's manager since 1955. He claims to be from West Virginia, but actually he came from the Netherlands, arriving in America as a stowaway in 1929. Nonetheless, he somehow joined the U.S. Army before finding work and traveling carnivals. He then moved into the music industry, managing country singers before he struck gold with the young rock and roll artist Elvis Presley.

Tom signed Elvis to RCA Records. and secured lucrative acting roles for him in Hollywood. He would be happy for Elvis to continue churning out those formulaic musicals as long as it made him money, but after Elvis's comeback special in 1968, Tom begrudgingly agreed to let Elvis return to live performance. So he secured his client to Las Vegas residency in 1969. But since then, Tom has repeatedly turned down offers of worldwide tours.

He fears that his past as an illegal immigrant could be on earth by officials, so he insists on keeping Elvis in North America. Now, though, life in Las Vegas has lost its appeal for Elvis. He's sinking deeper into depression, pumping himself with stimulants for his shows, and then using sedatives afterwards to fall asleep. As his manager, Tom tries to cut off Elvis's drug supply, but every time he blocks one dealer or crooked doctor, Elvis finds another. It's impossible to wean him off the drugs,

and Tom's relationship with Elvis begins to fall apart. In 1974, during one of his many Vegas shows, Elvis goes on a rambling tirade against the owner of the hotel for firing an employee he was fond of. Storing backstage, Tom barges past the bodyguards to confront Elvis. The heated argument ensues, and Elvis announces he is finished working with the colonel. In response, Tom draws up an invoice for his services demanding a payment of $2 million. Tom has handled Elvis's finances for years and knows that Elvis doesn't have that kind of money. So after two weeks, Elvis concedes. Not wanting the hassle of lawyers and a potential bankruptcy, he asks Colonel Tom Parker to remain his manager. The relationship between these two men is never

the same, though, and Elvis's deterioration only continues. His drug abuse, poor diet, and frantic lifestyle lead to a considerable weight game. He complains of constant aches and pains, and one night in Las Vegas, he even collapses on stage. Many outsiders question whether to Tom is doing enough to help Elvis deal with his obvious problems, and even some of Ellis's inner circle think Tom is exploiting Elvis, forcing him to perform when he's obviously unwell. But Tom insists there's nothing he can do. Every time he tries to talk about the drugs, Elvis shuts the conversation down. By 1976, Elvis is so unwell that he locks himself into his hotel suite, hibernating all day, devouring cheeseburgers and prescription pills. Critics Pan, his lackluster shows,

and fans never know if they're going to see the old king or a lethargic imitation who slurs his words and forgets his songs. Tom tries to suggest that Elvis takes some time off, but Elvis refuses. In early 1977, he rallies himself for consecutive nationwide tours, so despite his physical decline, his schedule is non-stop, and with his lavish spending, Elvis simply can't afford not to tour. But on some level, it's not just about the money. Elvis also wants to prove he is still the musical force of nature he once was.

But there's no denying reality. At each stop on the grueling tour, fans must wait hours for Elvis's arrival. And when the King of Rock and Roll eventually does shamble on stage, he's almost unrecognizable from the handsome, snake-hipped young man who captured the hearts of millions in the 1950s. Instead, he lumberes around as his band plays his heavy body creaking with pain. Many fans will be left disappointed by what they see. But by the last show of the tour in Indianapolis, Elvis will want to go on a high note.

He'll be determined to make it a night that will be remembered forever. It's 10 p.m. on June 26, 1977 in Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, the last day of Elvis Presley's epic 10 city tour. A middle-aged woman looks excitedly toward the stage. She's had to sit through two hours of brass bands, soul singers, and even a comedian until she finally sees the man she came for, Elvis Presley. The lights come up and the 18,000 strong crowd go wild. Through the smoke, 42-year-old Elvis emerges in his iconic white rhinestone jumpsuit and thick black hair.

The middle-aged woman grabs her friends and screams, it's as if she's a teenager all over again. Although bloated and with more labored movements than she remembers, Elvis still roars through the classics like Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock and treats the adoring crowd to a cover of bridge over troubled water. Finally, he serenades the audience with his ballad, Can't help falling in love with you. Then Elvis tells the crowd,

you'll see them all again and says goodbye. But Elvis Presley will never perform in public again. Less than two months later, on August 16, 1977, Elvis is found unconscious on the floor of a bathroom in his Memphis home. He's rushed to the hospital where he's declared dead of a suspected heart attack at the age of 42. The entire country is shaken by the news. Fans flood radio stations with requests for Elvis's greatest hits.

At his funeral in Memphis, thousands line the streets. State buildings fly their flags at half-mast, and in a procession fit for the king of rock and roll, a motorcade of 17 white limousines escort Elvis to the grave. Despite the tragedy of his self-destructive final years, Elvis will always remain an icon. His charismatic good looks, his provocative dancing, and most of all, his music changed American culture forever.

His home in Memphis, Tennessee will become a site of pilgrimage for fans, where new generations can discover what made Elvis Presley the King of Rock and Roll long after he bowed out with his final show on June 26, 1977. Next on History Daily, June 27, 1890, boxer George Dixon becomes the first black athlete to win a world sporting championship. For Noisor and Airship, this is History Daily. hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham, audio editing by Jake Samson, sound design by Molly Bach,

supervising sound designer Matthew Filler, music by throng. This episode is written and researched by Angus Gavin McCargg, edited by William Simpson, managing producer Emily Burke. Executive producers are William Simpson for airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.