Seeing Elvis Presley perform live at the Rapides Parish Coliseum in March of 1977 was an exciting time for Brad Smith who was 17 and a senior at Holy Savior Menard High School.
“I got to see Elvis Presley. That was the first concert I ever went to,” he said.
The price of the ticket was $15 which he said was a lot of money back then for a teenager who had no job. He said he earned the money to buy a ticket but doesn’t remember what he did to get it.
Two shows at the Coliseum
Elvis performed two shows in Alexandria. Smith attended the first night which sold out in 30 minutes.
“Elvis sounded great the best I can recall 46 years later,” said Andrew Godfrey, 78, a former Town Talk employee. He said he is almost certain they attended the second night concert held March 30, 1977. He remembers that “the crowd sounded very enthusiastic.”
He wrote about his memories of the concert on his blog.
“I do remember when Elvis had to stop singing and had to have one of his backup singers sing, so he could rest,” he said.
Fay Day saw Elvis perform several times in Las Vegas and once in Baton Rouge. She attended both concerts at the Coliseum.
Day’s father was the late Jimmie Thompson who owned Jimmie Thompson’s Arena that used to be located on North MacArthur Drive where Alexandria Convention Center, formerly the Sai Convention Center, is now located.
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