by Nancy Soldoff
The
time was 7:30 p.m. and already my hands were sweating
and my mouth was beginning to get dry. By 7:45 my heart was beating about 5
times faster than usual.
Up until this time I only imagined or dreamed what was about to happen to me and if I do say so myself, I have a pretty wild imagination.. ,especially when it comes to thinking or dreaming about Elvis Presley.
Photographer
unknown © August
1970
I
can't remember when or where I started liking Elvis,
but I do know that I have been a fan for almost 13
years. From the first time I heard him sing he touched
a place in my heart that no other singer or actor
has ever been able to remove. I have never felt
this way about any other entertainer. Elvis not only
sings to his audience, but makes you feel as if you
were more than just an ordinary fan to him. With
each note he sings he is telling you how much he
loves you, and thanks you for being his fans. So many
singers sound the same today, it gets harder and
harder to tell them apart anymore. With Elvis, you never have to sit and wait
for the end of the record for
the radio announcer to tell you who the singer was.
I
don't know of any singer who has the loyalty of the fans
the way Elvis does. I have always liked the best of
everything, so naturally Elvis has to be my favourite (ha)...
Seriously
though, I have seen all but about 2 or 3
of Elvis' movies and own just about all of his albums.
Those
of you who have never seen Elvis perform in
Las Vegas, or on tour, just don't know what you are
missing. Elvis is so dynamic it's unbelievable until
you see it for yourself.
People were a bit skeptical when he first went to the International in August, 1969... but from the minute the drums start rolling and Elvis walks out on stage and starts singing " That's All Right Mama, " the screaming and clapping doesn't stop until the curtain comes down at the end of the show, when he closes with " Can't Help Falling In Love. " It used to be my favorite song... but I'm beginning to hate it because it signals the close of Elvis' show. Although his songs vary from show to show, some are standards like " Polk Salad Annie " and " Suspicious Minds. " At times I wonder who is moving faster during these songs.. . Elvis or me. You just have to see Elvis perform these rock songs to realize that he is the greatest rock and roll entertainer of all time. I think he sings better than ever ( not that he didn't sing well before ) but he really puts even more than he used to into each and every one of his songs... voice and body.
Nancy Soldoff © August
23, 1970. Nancy's sister, Elvis, Nancy, friend
The
time is now 8:00 and my heart is beating about 50 times faster and my curls are
beginning to drop. I was beginning to think I was dreaming again
when the man ( no name ) came up to us (my sister
and friend were with me ) and said let's go!
I knew it was really going to happen this time. I had a present that I made in ceramics for Elvis. It was a beer mug with his name engraved on it and was wrapped with a king's crown set on top of the package. The man told us to wait a minute while he went inside Elvis' dressing room. After what seemed like forever, he came out and told us to come in. I went in first and as I rounded the corner and came to the opened door, I found myself standing face to face with Elvis Presley. I still can't believe it really happened, but it did. He is even better looking in person than on stage. I managed to say Hi and so did he. Then I handed him a gift which he said was nice of me. He then asked if he should open it and I said, " Yes.; " He seemed to like it very much.
He signed autographs for us and then I asked him if we might take a picture of him. He quickly replied, " Yes, of course. " You can't imagine what this meant to me. I never believed I would ever meet him. After 13 years, you sort of begin to lose hope. Anyway, after 15 minutes we had to leave. As we left, Elvis kissed each of us and said goodbye. He really is by far the nicest entertainer I ever met. I hope that someday I can meet him again, but even if I don't, I'll never forget August 23, 1970... 8:15 as long as I live.