Elvis Presley (1977)
Cincinnati fans were among the last to see the King perform.
His show at Riverfront Coliseum (now Heritage Bank Center) on June 25, 1977, was his next-to-last concert, less than two weeks before he died. It was Presley's fourth visit to the Queen City.
At the matinee performance, Presley held up Jerry Dowling’s caricature from that day’s Enquirer, depicting him as grotesque and out of shape.
“They captured me just perfect,” Presley told the crowd of 17,500. “All I want to say is whoever drew this…” He paused, then finished with a laugh, “I hate the son of a b----.”
Later in the show, the "Jailhouse Rock" singer also split the pants of his blue jumpsuit and had to change off stage. However, this wardrobe malfunction did little to distract from the magic of the evening as fans continued to charge the stage carrying homemade signs and gifts for the King.
After performing a setlist of some of his biggest hits, Presley pointed to the audience, wiped his face and tossed his scarf into the sea of hands below. He then walked off stage. A voice on the loudspeaker announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.”
Nearly seven weeks later, Presley was pronounced dead.