Elvis’ Bodyguards Said the Singer’s Fans Behaved Disgustingly
Elvis Presley built a fan base that supported him for years. They bought his records, watched his films, and let loose at his concerts. While Elvis loved the way his fans showed their devotion to him, his bodyguards did not. They believed the behavior of the audiences at the singer’s concerts was shocking.
Elvis’ entourage said fans behaved appallingly during concerts
Elvis’ bodyguards were on hand at concerts to make sure the singer was safe during his performances. Ultimately, though, they said they had to watch out for the safety of the audience more than they did Elvis.
“I swear I don’t know how someone hasn’t been killed at some of these shows,” bodyguard Red West said in the book Elvis: What Happened? by Steve Dunleavy. “There have been a lot of people hurt but it’s a miracle somebody hasn’t been killed.”
His bodyguards said people lost themselves to Elvis’ performances. They behaved in ways they never would in normal life.
“When I first started, I was amazed to see respectable grown ladies take their pants off in a class showroom like the International Hotel in Las Vegas, take their pants off, show everything and wave their panties at him and throw them on the stage,” bodyguard Dave Hebler said. “Anyway you look at it, it’s pretty disgusting for a grown woman to behave that way, but Elvis just does it to them. There are no plants in the audience to do it for publicity. It happens.”
Elvis encouraged his fans to act up
It didn’t help that Elvis liked it when his audience behaved like this. He found their misbehavior thrilling, wanton proof of the power he held as a performer. He even defied safety instructions to get the reaction he wanted from his crowds.
“In Springfield, Massachusetts, when the cops started telling everyone to sit down, Elvis really blew it,” Hebler said. “He said, ‘Don’t take any notice of the cops. We’re here to have fun. If you want to scream and jump around that’s what we’re here for.’ Well, I come from up that way and I knew that was the wrong thing to say because in this convention center, which held about eighteen thousand people, about one thousand of them just charged the stage.”
Priscilla Presley said his audiences were uniquely devoted to him
Priscilla Presley agreed that Elvis had a unique power over his audiences. When it became clear to her and other people in Elvis’ life that his performances were declining in quality, his fans didn’t seem to notice.
“No matter what he did, his fans still cheered him on,” Priscilla wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “They were faithful to him through good performances and bad, and eventually their love was the only real gratification he received. They endorsed everything he did.”
She believed their unwavering support became a problem for him.
“Maybe as long as he was getting their cheers, he thought he was doing fine,” she wrote. “But in fact, Colonel Parker was right when he told Elvis that he’d better get himself straightened out or his whole career would go down the drain.”
