July 1, 1976
Greensboro Daily News

Bigger Than Life, Elvis Turns 'Em On
by Harvey Harris

Elvis Presley had "a real good time" gyrating onstage Wednesday night at the Greensboro Coliseum, where he gave away scores of scarves to ringside admirers, kissed women who got close enough and belted out the tunes which made him famous.

Presley, who had obviously gained a lot of weight since his heyday, kept us a hectic pace onstage and captivated the sell-out crowd with his folksy talk, efforts to reach out and touch as many of them as possible and sing his old favorities.

His weight gain obviously hadn't slowed his onstage gyrations nor affected the booming voice that again pleaded "don't step on my blue suede shoes" and "don't be cruel to a heart that's true"

The coliseum's domed roof echoed and resounded with deafining roars, screams and yells as Presley did some bumps, grinds, tossed his guitar skyward and knelt alongside the stage to talk to his admirers.

Women who ran onstage had to be restrained. Others screamed with delight as they tossed bouquets of roses, athletic trophies, teddy bears and Elvis dolls onstage at his feet.

"He's our singing idol and we love him," said Donna McCarter of Charlotte. His fans go to see Elviswherever they can, anywhere in the world, because he's become such a big part of our livesand he's still bigger than life.

And some of the ringsiders paid fantastic prices to get close to their singing idol. A bearded husky man from Rock Hill, SC. got $600 for a $12.50 front row seat. But the Moore brothers from Lafayetteville , David and Tommy did the briskest business scalping tickets.

David Moore whose everyday job is "working on business machines, type writers and stuff" said he came to Greensboro at 11 am Wednesday, stood in the coliseum parking lot all day and scalped tickets "just as fast as everyone could fork over their money"

Moore, holding two tickets above his head, told a group of young women standing near the coliseum doors. "I'm gonna get $400 for these. Opening their purses, the women tried frantically to come up with $400 but when they were several dollars short at the mark. Moore ambled over to another group of ticket seekers and began plying his trade.

Nancy Whitlock of Charlotte, who was at her eighth Presley concert, had been watching the Moores at work for hours. "Those fellows have made a fortune here today," she said. Typical of responses of Presley admirers came from a group of women from Atlanta, GA., who held photos of their singing idol and shouted "Oh, Oh, Oh I can't stand it."

Mrs. Whitlock's young son appeared onstage with Presley in Atlanta, and a pigtailed little blonde girl toddler was shoved onstage and held by Presley during the concert here Wednesday. She displayed color photos of Presley holding her son onstage in Atlanta, but Mrs. Whitlock, "I've been trying to talk to him all my life and I can't get near that man". Her pleas to several Charlotte mayors, state governors, senators and Presley's manager failed to gain her an audience with her singing idol. Women came to the coliseumin Presley T-shirts, sequined costumeswith the singer's name on them, and brought cakes, flower bouquets and other gifts for Presley.

The Moore brothers didn't bring anything but tickets, and they "really got a big kick, and a lot of loot" out of Presley's show, said David Moore. They didn't see anything wrong with ticket scalping. "You've gotta do some wheeling and dealing to make it," said David Moore, "wheeling and dealing, that's the name of the game." He said he "grew up in poverty, didn't have a bike," and scalping tickets is his way to a better life.

His boss in Fayetteville and the boss' wife asked him to get them tickets to Presley's concert here, but Moore told them he "couldn't swing it." The boss and wife are "about 70 years old" and Moore was afraid they'd collapse with ecstacies and heart attacks if he got them anywhere near their singing idol.

The ticket scalper admitted he was saving some ducats for younger women "They'll go off with you and love youto death, thinking about Elvis," he said. Many scalpers admitted they weren't going to the show, but Moore said , "I'm saving a ticket for myself. I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world.

Review courtesy of Francesc Lopez