Elvis performed on the stage of the Ottawa Auditorium on April 3, 1957.
He arrived at Ottawa’s Union Station in the morning that same day.
At last night’s performance in Toronto, Elvis wore his full gold lamé suit, designed by Nudie Cohn, for the last time, though he had only worn it in full for three performances.
In this concert we see that Elvis used only three elements of the golden suit: jacket, belt and shoes. He didn’t wear the tie or the pants
Elvis was not comfortable in this suit. The pants he immediately stopped using as they were very uncomfortable and he could not move freely in them. And he replaced them with black pants.
Many teenagers traveled from far away to attend the shows.
In the afternoon, as usual, before the concert, Elvis gave a press conference.
The medallion that Elvis wears on stage was given to him by a fan, before the concerts began, and she already wore it that same day on stage,
When Elvis took the stage, the audience of over 9,000 people was screaming so loud, it was almost impossible to hear Elvis sing. The fans were in a frenzy of adoration… they were crying, they were wailing; they shouted, they applauded… It was a real madness. The police had to use all their resources, because they were afraid that the fans would go on stage.
Elvis Presley was always a highly controversial artist, because his suggestive and sensual dance moves shocked many parents and authority figures.
One of the convents in the city, the Notre Dame Convent, considering Elvis to be immoral, forbade its students to attend the concert. Despite everything, several students attended and were expelled. Although the nuns later overturned the expulsions, at least half of the girls remained enrolled in other schools.
Such was the magnitude of the situation that the controversy created by Elvis took over the city.
The social and cultural impact of these performances in Ottawa was tremendous. There was perhaps no greater event in Ottawa’s popular culture in the 1950s than the Elvis concerts held at the Auditorium in April 1957.
Elvis embodied the spirit of rock n’ roll, the spirit of breaking with everything established. It was a hitherto unknown socio-cultural phenomenon, a threat to adults and to the puritanical and wealthy society of the time, but at the same time an icon for youth.
His presence in the city led thousands of adolescents to fits of uncontrollable hysteria and madness, when they listened to his music and contemplated his imposing stage presence.
Elvis left a deep mark on the lives of adolescents, as was customary for all those who were lucky enough to see him on stage.
For them it was a great social revolution. Elvis became his reference, his inspiration, a mirror in which he saw his dreams reflected, his life expectations, his desires… there and in the rest of the world…
Andrews Newton, was the official photographer when the Elvis show arrived in Ottawa on April 3, 1957. He would be the one who immortalized this memorable day.
ELVIS. The Tupelo Boy
