Elvis Presley's last concert: Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, June 26, 1977

About the artist

Elvis Presley was born in East Tupelo, Mississippi, on January 8, 1935^[1]. He made his debut on Sun Records in Memphis in 1954 with "That's All Right," and "Heartbreak Hotel" (1956), his first single for RCA, became his first U.S. No. 1^[1]. Television made him a sensation in the 1950s and films dominated the 1960s; in the 1970s he devoted himself to live performance. He topped the Billboard singles chart 18 times^[1]. His concert in Honolulu on January 14, 1973, Aloha from Hawaii, went out live by satellite to Asia and Oceania^[2], and in Japan it drew 37.8 percent of viewers, according to KPBS^[3]. Yet apart from a handful of shows in Canada in 1957, he never performed outside the United States^[4]. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame quotes John Lennon: "Without Elvis, there would be no Beatles"^[5].

Why this was the last show

In 1977 Elvis was still on the road. The Indianapolis concert on June 26 was his 55th show of the year^[6] and the last of three nights in the Midwest, after Madison, Wisconsin, and Cincinnati^[7]. Earlier on the same tour, RCA and CBS had recorded his concerts in Omaha on June 19 and in Rapid City, South Dakota, on June 21 for a planned television special^[8][9].

Nothing about Indianapolis was billed as a farewell. From the stage, Elvis told the crowd that this was the last stop on the tour and that he was going home to Memphis to rest for a couple of months^[10]. More concerts were on the calendar from August^[6]: the next tour was to open with two nights, August 17 and 18, at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine^[11].

Before that tour could begin, Elvis died in Memphis on August 16, 1977. He was 42^[8][1]. The Indianapolis show, seven weeks earlier, had been his last concert^[12][13]. Forty years on, some of the fans who had bought tickets for Portland were still holding on to them^[11].

What is known about the day

Market Square Arena had opened on September 15, 1974, as the home of the Indiana Pacers, and could hold up to 18,178 people^[14]. When tickets for Elvis went on sale in April 1977, some fans had been waiting in line for more than 12 hours, and the line ran down a ramp into a parking garage. The most expensive seat cost $15^[10]. On June 25, the day before the show, the Indianapolis News listed it as a must-see event^[13].

About 18,000 people came^[15][13][6]. The evening began at 8:30 p.m.^[13] with sets by The Stamps, The Sweet Inspirations and the comedian Jackie Kahane. Both vocal groups also sang behind Elvis during his own set^[6]. He came on at about 10 p.m.^[13] The photograph on the memorial plaque at the site shows him that night in his "Aztec sundial" jumpsuit^[16].

After the opening theme, he started with "See See Rider"^[17]. In a set of about 80 minutes he sang hits such as "Jailhouse Rock," "It's Now or Never" and "Hound Dog," along with Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water"^[13][15]. The set also took in "You Gave Me a Mountain," "Little Sister," "Release Me" and "I Can't Stop Loving You"^[17]. Midway through he introduced the band, with solos on drums, bass, piano and more^[17].

Near the end he introduced his family, staff and friends, then sang "Can't Help Falling in Love." It was the last song he ever performed on stage^{[17][15][13][6]}. As he left, he reportedly promised the audience that they would meet again and gave them his blessing^[13][15]. According to Rolling Stone, it was also the last time in his lifetime that the line "Elvis has left the building" was used^[12].

The two local papers disagreed. Rita Rose of the Indianapolis Star described a performance "in true Presley style"^[7] and praised his singing and the crowd's excitement^[13]. Zach Dunkin of the Indianapolis News was harsher, though he gave Elvis credit for his singing on "Hurt"^[10]. Dunkin said afterward that he received many angry letters from fans^[13].

What the show left behind

The night was preserved by people in the audience, on an amateur audio recording and on 8mm film^[17][13]. The television cameras had been at the earlier shows. The CBS special Elvis in Concert, drawn from Omaha and Rapid City, aired on October 3, 1977, after Elvis's death, and it has never had an official home-video release^[9].

In 2026 the label Follow That Dream (FTD) put the Indianapolis concert on the first disc of a three-CD set, The Last Concert. Digitally enhanced from the original amateur recording, it is billed as the first official release of Elvis's final live performance. The set pairs it with two concerts from late 1976, in Sioux Falls and Atlanta, and warns listeners about audio imperfections in the source^[17].

The last song had a long history behind it. "Can't Help Falling in Love" was introduced in the 1961 film Blue Hawaii, its melody goes back to "Plaisir d'Amour," a song from 1784, and Elvis used it to close his concerts in the late 1970s^[7].

Market Square Arena hosted its last Pacers game in October 1999 and was imploded on July 8, 2001^[18][14][19]. After years as a parking lot, the site was redeveloped in 2018. It now holds 360 Market Square, a 28-story apartment and retail tower anchored by a Whole Foods Market^[14][20].

A plaque marking the final concert was first installed in 2002, on the 25th anniversary, paid for by a committee of Indiana fans who raised $10,000^[21][16]. Stored during the construction, it was rededicated in its original spot, outside 360 Market Square, on June 26, 2018, the 41st anniversary^[22][20][16]. At the ceremony, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett described the corner as the place where Elvis had stood, sung and danced for the city^[22]. Inside the building, a piece of lobby art made from ticket stubs of events at the old arena includes one from the Elvis concert^[20]. A time capsule holding fan letters and a cassette recording of the final concert is due to be opened on June 26, 2102^[16].

The television cameras missed the last night by a week, but, kept alive on an audience tape, it has finally become an official record.