Good morning, it's April 23. This day in history reminds us of the folly of making snap judgments: On April 23, 1956, Elvis Presley played his first Las Vegas engagement – and was panned.
Elvis Presley was a big deal in this country in 1956, so when the New Frontier Hotel booked his band (Elvis, Scotty Moore and Bill Black) for a two-week gig it was considered a coup. The entertainment at the hotel also included Freddy Martin and his band, along with comedian Shecky Greene and an in-house review called the Venus Starlets.
“The handsome 21-year-old rock 'n' roller's appearance,” gushed the Las Vegas Sun, “is considered to be the Las Vegas entertainment scoop of the year.”
The Sun's enthusiasm soon soured, though, along with the audiences. Elvis and his band mates were booked into a dinner theater at the New Frontier. There, over their watered-down cocktails and lukewarm chicken cordon bleu, the middle-aged, married couples from Middle America sat mostly mute during Elvis' act, looking perplexed by such numbers as “Blue Suede Shoes,” and applauding politely at the end, more out of mercy than anything else, along with gratitude that the din had ended.
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