Elvis spent his last New Year’s Eve performing on stage at the Civic Center Arena in Pittsburgh. At 11:25 PM on December 31, 1976, Elvis came on stage and ignited the 16,000 fans who had come for a big party.
According to Mike Kalina of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, “Presley bounded on stage, [and] you would have thought the clock had struck 12. He received an ear-deafening ovation punctuated by thousands of blasts of flashbulbs and a patchwork of ‘We Love You Elvis’ signs hoisted aloft.”
A few tears ago, I discovered some candid photos of this performance. So, Happy New Year, Elvis, as we look at the 44th anniversary of this event.
Elvis and Ginger Alden Arriving Backstage Prior to the Concert
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Elvis and Bodyguard Ed Parker Backstage
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Elvis wore his Black Phoenix jumpsuit. It was part of a series of Phoenix jumpsuits that he used in 1975 and 1976. The others were a red one and a turquoise one generally called the Blue Phoenix.
Candid shot makes it look like Elvis is headless
Elvis may not have been in the best of health on New Year’s Eve 1976, but he sure gave the fans a good show.
Promotional Poster for Elvis’ New Year’s Eve Concert
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Rare Double Album of Elvis’ Complete 1976 New Years Concert
At the stroke of midnight, the house lights went up and Elvis led the crowd in singing “Auld Lang Syne”. No one in the audience that night could have imagined that less than eight months later Elvis would no longer be with us. Now, forty-four years later, he is still with us in our hearts.
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