The Overton Park shell in Memphis is where Elvis first stepped before a large live audience, on July 30, 1954. Earlier that month, he cut his first real track, “That’s All Right”, which made major waves in Memphis. He stepped out onto this stage on July 30 (after FREAKING OUT with stage fright backstage – he was in tears), and all that nervous energy went into his performance, and the teenage girls in the audience – and maybe the boys too – who had never seen him before, lost their minds. It was the first frenzy. I love the spot in Memphis and every time I’ve gone there it has been winter, and the place is deserted. I got up on the stage and stood down center. Just where he stood. So I could try to see what he saw.
