It’s been 50 years and some change since Elvis Presley’s second round of engagements at San Bernardino’s Swing Auditorium. Presley had already performed at the 7,200-capacity venue in 1972, with concerts that Nov. 12 and 13. In 1974 he was back on May 10 and 13.
Three years later, he was dead, officially of a heart attack, unofficially of a fatal inflammation of celebrity. He was only 42.
Had he lived more wisely instead of ending as a cautionary tale, today Elvis would be 89. He might be sharing concert stages with his 91-year-old contemporary, Willie Nelson.
As someone who likes documenting these moments of Inland Empire rock history, I wrote about Presley’s 1972 concerts on their 50th anniversary. I had every intention of doing the same, 18 months later, for the 1974 concerts, based in part on a review from The Sun and comments from a few of you.
I’m a few months late, sorry. To be honest, I forgot the whole thing. You probably did too. But we’re here now.
The internet provides a surprising amount of information on these concerts, enough to give a sense of what it must have been like to be there.
In 1974, Elvis performed an astonishing 154 concerts, sometimes two in one day. That May, he began a short tour of California.
The first, the May 10 concert at the Swing, was on a Friday night. The Sun was there, for a story headlined “Elvis sings, women scream.”
Staffer Steve Cooper wrote that the people up front with “smug looks and flashy clothes” paid $10. (Ooooh, $10.) In the cheaper seats, people were jammed together on wooden benches. They were the most enthusiastic. Some hefted binoculars.
Presley was backed by an orchestra, two vocal groups and his regular band: guitarists James Burton and Charlie Hodge, rhythm guitarist John Wilkinson, piano player Glen D. Hardin, bassist Duke Bardwell and drummer Ronnie Tutt.
Presley “gave his usual slick supper club performance,” a medley of brisk, shortened versions of his greatest hits, Cooper wrote.
When Elvis felt like digging into a song, like “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me,” he sang expressively. Much of the time, his focus was on pleasing his fans.
He leaned down during “Love Me Tender” to hand over scarves, one after another, from around his neck to women near the stage who reached up for them.
During “Hound Dog,” Sun photographer Mickey Pfleger captured Presley in his white, high-collared outfit, bending down to accept a rose from an admirer in the first row. Presley pretended to chide the fan for interrupting before grinning and accepting the gift.
“He gave his fans what they wanted. He gave them low moans, sweaty scarves, swiveling hips, bold stances and nonstop Elvis,” Cooper wrote. “The half of the audience that wasn’t screaming was popping flash bulbs off at a dizzying speed.”
The fan site ElvisInfoNet.com has more details based on a recording of the show — more on that in a moment.
That night he debuted a cover of Charlie Rich’s “Big Boss Man,” which went on to become an Elvis staple. The Swing audience heard it first.
And near the end, after “Funny How Time Slips Away,” Presley joked: “Never know when I’ll be back in town,” before adding: “Monday night, I think!” What a card.
On May 11, Presley performed two concerts, one in the afternoon and again in the evening, at the L.A. Forum, followed by a May 12 afternoon date at Fresno’s Selland Arena, before returning to San Bernardino the night of May 13, a Monday.
Some of you, like Dave Snyder of Redlands, were at one Swing concert or the other, unsure of which night.
And Lynn Bogh Baldi of Cherry Valley isn’t sure if she was there in 1972 or 1974, but she saw Elvis at Swing. A friend bought tickets, just two rows back from the stage, and persuaded the young mother who had never been to a concert to go with her.
When Elvis walked out, Baldi was dumbstruck. “His talent, his voice, his interaction with the audience,” she says. “I already liked him, but after that I loved him… I can still close my eyes and see him singing. I couldn’t believe I was lucky enough to be there.”
Gene Harvey of Pomona took his two daughters, ages 11 and 12, to one of the 1974 Swing shows.
“The girls were ecstatic all day that they were going to actually see Elvis that evening,” Harvey says. “It was a joyous experience.”
However, they did leave the Swing somewhat disappointed after the announcement that “Elvis has left the building.” In innocence of their father’s limited influence, Harvey confides, “they wanted me to take them to meet him.”
Here’s a surprise concerning the 1974 San Bernardino concerts: You can buy them on CD.
An official estate-sanctioned album, “Elvis in California,” released in 2020, documents most of these two 1974 dates. They may be the only official concert recordings from Swing other than the Grateful Dead’s famed Feb. 26, 1977 show, released by the band in 2019.
Disc one of “Elvis in California” has four songs from the May 10 show (and 17 from Fresno on May 12). Disc two is devoted to the entirety of the May 13 show.
Over 60 minutes that night, Presley performed 21 songs in whole or in part. Among them were “Don’t Be Cruel,” “All Shook Up,” “Love Me Tender,” “Suspicious Minds,” “An American Trilogy” and “Funny How Time Slips Away.”
The latter was written by Willie Nelson. See, they could totally be performing that song together on stage in 2024.
In its review of the CD, the ElvisInfoNet site quotes some of the patter and remarks that the star seemed to be in good humor. “How many people were here the other night?” Presley asks at one point, surveying the audience. “OK, three.”
After another song, he joked: “It’s a pleasure to be back here in San Diego… ah… San Bernardino.” Ha!
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He apparently did some karate kicks in the air during “Polk Salad Annie” and introduced “Help Me” as “a new recording, out this week sometime.”
Before his final song, Presley said: “It’s been a pleasure working for you. If we’ve done anything to make you happy, then we feel we’ve done our job. Thank you very much, adios.”
Adios, Elvis.
David Allen writes Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, amigos y amigas. Email dallen@scng.com, phone 909-483-9339, like davidallencolumnist on Facebook and follow @davidallen909 on X.
