March 25, 1961, was a historic date in Elvis’s career and in American society.

Elvis flew with PAN AM, along with Minnie Pearl, from Los Angeles to Honolulu. The arrival was at 12:15. At Honolulu International Airport, some 3,000 fans awaited Elvis’ arrival.

That day the USS Arizona Memorial Benefit Concert will take place in Honolulu, Hawaii. At the Bloch Arena.

The objective was to raise money to finish the memorial to those who died on the tragic morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, in the attack that shocked the American people and led directly to the entry of the United States into World War II.

The USS Arizona Battleship exploded and 1,177 crew members appeared. This represented the greatest loss of life in US naval history and more than half of the military dead there that day. The Arizona burned for more than two days.

The USS Arizona Memorial, marking the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 fallen Sailors and Marines, commemorates the events of that fateful day.

In 1960, Colonel Parker read a newspaper editorial that noted that efforts to complete construction of the USS Arizona Memorial were stalled.

Elvis, as soon as he found out, reacted immediately to do everything in his power to get the monument completed.

So a show was scheduled for Sunday, March 25, 1961 at 8:30 p.m. meter. at the Bloch Arena.

4,000 tickets were sold. 300 $100 tickets were made, which were reserved for a special area next to the stage, and 30 of them were bought by Elvis himself, the colonel and his musicians and accompanists.

Scotty Moore fondly recalls how he and DJ Fontana bought their own tickets to attend.

The colonel took care that no one entered without a ticket.

And it was planned that the entire proceeds would go directly to this project.

The benefit was a resounding success. Ticket sales represented $47,000, with additional donations ($5,000 coming from Elvis), bringing the total collection to over $60,000.

Like Elvis, he had served his country honorably, the monument to the soldiers lost in the terrible attack on Pearl Harbor was very dear to him. Scotty Moore was also no stranger to the events of Pearl Harbor, having spent time there while serving in the Navy years before. 

On the afternoon of the concert, as was customary before his shows, Elvis held a press conference in the Carousel Room of the Hawaiian Village Hotel, where Elvis was staying. 

At the conference, Elvis also received some awards for the benefit performance he was going to put on that night. 

Finally, when Elvis took the stage with his musicians, he appeared like a god. immensely beautiful. He was dressed in his Golden Lamé jacket (which he used for the last time), with dark blue pants, a white shirt and a blue string tie. The young attendees shouted frantically in the midst of irrepressible euphoria. 

The concert was one of the longest Elvis had performed in a long time. It lasted for forty-five minutes, during which the screaming did not stop. 

Its musicians were the following: 

Guitar: Elvis Presley 

Guitar: Scotty Moore 

Guitar: Hank Garland 

Bass: Bob Moore 

Drums: D.J. fountain 

Piano: Floyd Cramer 

Saxophone: Boots Randolph 

Backup Voices: – The Jordanaires: Gordon Stoker, Hoyt Hawkins, Ray Walker and Neal Matthews.

 Elvis and his luxury musicians performed 15 songs. They started the show with “Heartbreak Hotel” and closed with “Hound Dog“. 

And from there came another of Elvis’s most iconic concerts. A wild, overwhelmingly sensual and unbeatable Elvis, who left us one of the most incredible concerts of his career. Jewels like this, which will remain forever in our ears, in our hearts and in our historical memory… An unbeatable interpretation of Elvis, in what would be his last concert in 8 years.

And I can’t fail to mention that Boots Randolf sax solo, responding to Elvis’s voice, in the rendition of “Reconsider Baby” that has always been beyond my comprehension.

 

 

Elvis never forgot the Arizona, and the Navy never forgot Elvis. His name is on the commemorative plaque of the monument. 

When Elvis passed away in 1977, the Navy showed their gratitude by placing a wreath for him at the USS Arizona Memorial. 

The monument has achieved its own iconic status and receives 1.5 million visitors a year. Here is the link to the full concert: ???

 

 

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