Parker and the World Tour

[Peter Franks]

I'm currently re-reading Guralnick's Last Train to Memphis and I came across the following on page 342/3 (first edition, hardcover), describing the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show (afternoon performance) on September 26, 1956:

After the show, photographers got some more shots of Elvis with his mother and father, and a British journalist named Peter Dacre from the London Sunday Express ascertained that he would like to go to England, so long as he didn't have to fly ("If something were to go wrong on a plane, there's no land under you. That's a long swim").

I don't know how relevant that comment was by the Seventies nor how seriously it was an issue for Elvis, but I came across it last night and I thought it was worth a mention.

[Scott Haigh 781990EP]

well Elvis only travelled from state to state in the 70s, he had conquered flying city to city. Though the exceptions i can think of are flying to Hawaii for the Aloha special, and I think he had to fly back from the army from Europe to America in March 1960, so whether Elvis would've been up to flying country to country for a possible world tour i don't know

[InMemphis]

In one of the books I read, either Nash's The Colonel, or one of Guralnick's books, it mentions that two "goons" or "suits" visited Elvis and "discouraged" him from touring overseas. Elvis was left with the impression that the visitors were from RCA. But the tone of the book implied that it was actually people from Vegas who were protecting their turf. A world wide tour done correctly and to maximize the best money making opportunity would have consumed the better part of a year, and then Elvis and the band would have needed considerable time off after that long and grueling tour. This would have removed Elvis from any Vegas appearances for a almost a year. They could find other talent, but they couldn't deduct that other talent's earnings to pay the Col's debts.

The security concerns for Schilling and Esposito were concerns because they really weren't in the security business per se' and when they did look at the European venues it just exposed logistics they had never had to confront before, not to mention the language barrier. If the tour were to happen RCA certainly could have seen to it that EP was given professional security in every country and city instead of the good ole boys who knew every venue in the US like the back of their hand.

There were pre existing conditions that kept the tour from happening, because the money would have been a gold mine and, we all know our boy was in money trouble from the mid 70s and beyond.

But he's doing OK now.

[Pete Dube]

Actually an oversees tour back in those days wouldn't have been nearly as elaborate as they are now. We're basically talking shows in London and perhaps some other U.K. cities, plus Dublin, Paris, one of the major German cities, Rome, Madrid, Oslo, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Helsinki, one of Denmark's major cities and perhaps Vienna. An effective tour of western Europe could've been achieved playing 15-20 cities. They could've done that in a month. That would leave Asia, which back in those days would've meant Australia and Japan and perhaps New Zealand and South Korea. Eastern Europe wasn't open for tours back then due to communism, and south America did not become a major touring destination until the 80's.
So back in the mid to late 70's an Elvis tour of Europe and Asia could've been achieved in 2 months!

[InMemphis]

Actually an oversees tour back in those days wouldn't have been nearly as elaborate as they are now. We're basically talking shows in London and perhaps some other U.K. cities, plus Dublin, Paris, one of the major German cities, Rome, Madrid, Oslo, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Helsinki, one of Denmark's major cities and perhaps Vienna. An effective tour of western Europe could've been achieved playing 15-20 cities. They could've done that in a month. That would leave Asia, which back in those days would've meant Australia and Japan and perhaps New Zealand and South Korea. Eastern Europe wasn't open for tours back then due to communism, and south America did not become a major touring destination until the 80's.
So back in the mid to late 70's an Elvis tour of Europe and Asia could've been achieved in 2 months!

I figured three sellouts in every city, with a day in between each show, but we are thinking about the same type of cities, though I might add Liverpool, Wales and several stops in Germany. Maybe one of the casinos in Monaco. Just imagine Moscow if that had been possible in the 70's.

[Spanish_Eyes]

Not to forget the gig Elvis was offered in the Pyramids...

[Ezzz]

Elvis had a big fan base in Egypt then ?

[brian]

Actually an oversees tour back in those days wouldn't have been nearly as elaborate as they are now. We're basically talking shows in London and perhaps some other U.K. cities, plus Dublin, Paris, one of the major German cities, Rome, Madrid, Oslo, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Helsinki, one of Denmark's major cities and perhaps Vienna. An effective tour of western Europe could've been achieved playing 15-20 cities. They could've done that in a month. That would leave Asia, which back in those days would've meant Australia and Japan and perhaps New Zealand and South Korea. Eastern Europe wasn't open for tours back then due to communism, and south America did not become a major touring destination until the 80's.
So back in the mid to late 70's an Elvis tour of Europe and Asia could've been achieved in 2 months!

That is true touring the world wouldn't have taken very long in those days. Elvis would've played New Zealand. Most acts toured both Australia and New Zealand in the 1960's and 1970's. Elvis most likely wouldn't have played South Korea. Playing Japan most likely would've been it for Asia. Elvis may have toured Europe and the U.K. separately instead of all at once. The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin did it that way where they would do a tour of cities in the U.K. and then the following year they'd do a 15-20 city tour of Europe. A very good post Pete. I've always liked that post of yours.

[jurasic1968]

A great thread. I read it again from start to finish. I don't think Elvis could tour in 1978 in UK, even with a help from Peter Grant.