On January 14, 1973, Elvis performed the first live worldwide broadcast concert – Aloha from Hawaii.
In November 1972, Elvis announced his plan to perform a benefit concert in Honolulu. There were no ticket prices, but fans were asked to donate as much as they could to the Kui Lee Cancer Fund to get a ticket. Lee was a Hawaiian songwriter who wrote “I’ll Remember You,” which Elvis recorded in 1966. To show their support of the cause, Elvis and RCA records each donated $1,000.
The concert was an important worldwide event; as it was the first performance of its kind to be broadcast live around the world via satellite. After all the tickets for the January 14th concert were sold, fans could still buy tickets to the January 12th rehearsal concert that was being recorded as a backup in case anything went wrong two days later.
Designer Bill Belew was commissioned to design Elvis’s concert costume. (Belew had previously designed a number of Elvis jumpsuits, including the one he wore for his ’68 Comeback Special.) Knowing that the concert would be sent around the world by satellite, Elvis requested a design that would symbolize America. Belew responded that he couldn’t think of anything more American than the eagle. Elvis agreed, and Belew and his team went to work.
Belew created a heavily adorned white outfit, and a cape embellished with an American eagle made of silver mirrors. The jumpsuit featured American eagles on the front, back, cape, belt, and down each arm.
The cape was made in two sizes because of its ornateness and weight. One cape was a heavy floor-length cape intended to be worn during Elvis’s grand entrance, while a shorter, lighter version was to be worn during the actual performance.
Belew was in California the night before the concert, when six thousand fans jammed the International Convention Center to watch the final dress rehearsal. A frantic phone call informed him that Elvis had gotten caught up in the excitement of the rehearsal and thrown the short cape into the crowd. To make matters even worse, he’d tried on the longer version and found that it was so heavy that he literally couldn’t stand, let alone strut across the stage. In his generosity, he’d also given the white eagle-motif belt to the wife of Hawaii Five-O star Jack Lord. Belew and his associates worked throughout the night to finish a new copy of the American Eagle outfit, and flew it to Hawaii for the next day’s concert.
On Sunday January 14th at 12:30 pm Hawaiian time, the Elvis Aloha from Hawaii concert began at the Honolulu International Convention Center before a crowd of 6,000 people. Elvis captivated the crowd with moving renditions of “C.C. Rider,” “Burnin’ Love,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Fever,” and many more, totaling 23 songs. His performance of “An American Trilogy” has earned him countless praises, even today.
At the end of the concert, Elvis threw his $8,000 cape into the audience where Bruce Spinks, a reporter from the Honolulu Advisor, caught it. Today the cape is on display at Graceland. After the crowd left, Elvis and his band remained on stage and performed five more songs to be included in the American broadcast which wasn’t aired until April. In all, over 1 billion people in more than 40 countries watched the concert, which raised $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund.
Between 1 and 1.5 billion people are estimated to have seen the Aloha special when it was sent by satellite around the world. 51% of the United States viewing audience watched the show, and it was seen in more households than man’s first walk on the moon. The soundtrack was quickly released, and it spent an astonishing 52 weeks on Billboard’s pop album chart, peaking at number one.
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Wow, I remember watching this as a junior attending Palm Springs High School. Elvis had a home in Palm Springs.Until now, I had no idea the Aloha special was that big of a deal.
I don’t remember the concert, I was only 5 but my Mother had the LP and it was played often.
Time to get over Elvis. Really. He is on several stamps. Clarence Darrow on none.
Clarence who?
Who in the hell is Clarence Darrow! I Honestly have Never heard of him,!
Actually, this doesn’t speak well for the people of the earth. Only $75,000.00 raised? even if half of the 1.5 billion people donated $1.00 they could have raised close to $700,000,000.00. This speaks of a very cheap audience wanting something for nothing.
WOW! I agree with you 100%!
Since Elvis quoted the total whilst on stage, he (nor anyone connected to him or the Cancer Charity) couldn’t have known the world-wide audience, the concert wasn’t even over yet. The amount Elvis quoted during the Aloha concert, was the $75,000 that had been received up to that date in ’73. $75,000 in 1973 has the buying power of over $500,000 in 2023! That $75,000 wasn’t the final total for sure.
It wasn’t for a worldwide charity announcement. People only donated at the door. It wasn’t promoted as a charity either. Elvis mentioned it briefly. It was mainly just a local community charity. First time he did a charity concert in Hawaii he did it for the Arizona Memorial in 1961.
Having watched the concert more than once, learning the background made the show even more exciting. Somehow I missed the cape throwing. Always the scarfs, Now I’ll have to watch again for that part. For young Elvis fans who might not even have been alive back then, the $75,000 contribution sounds small, but at that time it was big.
I agree with you. In the early seventies the minimum wage was only $1.83 so $75, 000 is considered a lot.
Good info.
Every person matters in the grand scheme. It’s how you choose to have the correct attitude towards humanity.
This is when ELvis was at his best. I have the DVD of both concerts. The live concert was awesome The King was at the height of his career.
Elvis, what a phenomenal performer. A 2nd to none handsome, generous, rags to riches story that still intrigues me today, after over 52 years as a fan. What a gift to mankind. It truly is remarkable. Elvis humble beginnings, his purchase of Graceland. What an incredible voice that just improved up to the Aloha from Hawaii concert to Vegas where he first endorsed Gatorade. I miss the man, the idol, the legend. I have only praises for “The King”, Elvis Presley. He gave the World a gift of song. And could he sing, sing anything. Elvis was a perfectionist. We are lucky. We are fortunate. I decorated my Christmas tree in memory of everything Elvis I had. I needed a bigger tree to fit the Gold records.
My best, always.
Terry.