Elvis Presley In Richmond, Virginia

Elvis at the Richmond Coliseum, April 10, 1972 (Elvis On Tour-MGM)

Elvis at the Richmond Coliseum, April 10, 1972 (Elvis On Tour-MGM)


Elvis Presley performed 15 concerts in Richmond, Virginia, which also happens to be home of The Mystery Train Blog. The purpose of this evolving page is to document the time Elvis spent in Richmond.

Richmond Concerts | Richmond Venues | Related Links | Research Sources

Richmond Concerts

Date Showtime Venue Notes
Monday,
May 16, 1955		 8:30 PM Mosque Theater
  • First appearance in Richmond
  • Performed as part of the Hank Snow All-Star Jamboree
  • RCA Records representatives were in the audience (Elvis was with SUN Records at this time)
Sunday,
September 18, 1955		 2:30 PM WRVA (Lyric) Theater
Sunday,
September 18, 1955		 8:30 PM WRVA (Lyric) Theater
Monday,
September 19, 1955		 2:30 PM WRVA (Lyric) Theater
Tuesday,
November 29, 1955		 Mosque Theater
  • “Philip Morris Employees Night”
  • Performed as part of the Hank Snow All-Star Jamboree
  • Eight days after signing with RCA Records
Sunday,
February 5, 1956		 2:30 PM Mosque Theater One day after second Stage Show TV appearance
Sunday,
February 5, 1956		 8:30 PM Mosque Theater One day after second Stage Show TV appearance
Thursday,
March 22, 1956		 7:00 PM Mosque Theater
Thursday,
March 22, 1956		 9:00 PM Mosque Theater
Saturday,
June 30, 1956		 5:00 PM Mosque Theater
  • Photographer Alfred Wertheimer was on tour with Elvis at this appearance and took a number of now iconic photos in Richmond, including at the Mosque
  • One day before Steve Allen Show TV appearance
Saturday,
June 30, 1956		 8:00 PM Mosque Theater
  • Photographer Alfred Wertheimer was on tour with Elvis at this appearance and took a number of now iconic photos in Richmond, including at the Mosque
  • After the concert, Elvis rode the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad train to New York for his Steve Allen Show appearance
Monday,
April 10, 1972		 8:30 PM Richmond Coliseum
  • Though little footage made the final cut, MGM’s movie cameras rolled during this concert for the documentary Elvis On Tour
  • Richmond snippets used in the film (red jumpsuit): “Love Me Tender” and “Until It’s Time For You To Go”
  • RCA Records recorded the audio for this entire concert as a multitrack for the same project, but it has not yet been officially released
Tuesday,
March 12, 1974		 8:30 PM Richmond Coliseum
Monday,
March 18, 1974		 8:30 PM Richmond Coliseum
  • The tour swung back through Richmond due to a rapid sell out of the March 12 show
  • RCA Records apparently recorded the audio of this entire concert as a multitrack
  • A mono tape of this concert received an official CD release as Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis in 2011 on Sony’s Follow That Dream collectors label for Elvis fans
  • Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis marks the first official audio release of an Elvis concert in Richmond
  • The Forty-Eight Hours To Memphis title reflects that Elvis closed out his tour two days later with a concert in Memphis
Tuesday,
June 29, 1976		 8:30 PM Richmond Coliseum Final appearance in Richmond

Elvis on stage, Richmond Coliseum, April 10, 1972 (Elvis On Tour-MGM)

Elvis on stage, Richmond Coliseum, April 10, 1972 (Elvis On Tour-MGM)


Richmond Venues

WRVA Theater

  • Former location: 9th & Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219
  • Opened in 1913
  • Formerly known as Lyric Theater
  • Home of Old Dominion Barn Dance radio program, broadcasting on AM 1140 WRVA
  • Demolished in 1963

Mosque Theater
“One particular night in Richmond, Virginia, whoever booked me came on stage in the middle of my act and presented me with this scroll, and all these hundreds of names on it that were there. It read in the scroll that I had drawn the biggest crowd that had ever been to Richmond before in that particular auditorium, the Mosque Theater.”
–Elvis, March 1956

  • Location: 6 North Laurel Street, Richmond, VA 23220
  • Opened in 1927
  • Now known as Landmark Theater
  • Continues to host concerts and other events
  • Official site

Richmond Coliseum

  • Location: 601 East Leigh Street, Richmond, VA 23219
  • Opened in 1971
  • Continues to host concerts and other events
  • Official site
  • The paint was probably still fresh when Elvis first performed at the Coliseum less than eight months after its grand opening
  • Today, the venue is in need of serious repair and may instead be torn down altogether

“You’re a fantastic audience, you really are. Until the next time here in Richmond, I’d like to wish you an affectionate adiós.”
–Elvis, March 1974

Elvis greets a fan as movie cameras roll for MGM's Elvis On Tour documentary, Richmond Coliseum, April 10, 1972

Elvis greets a fan as movie cameras roll for MGM’s Elvis On Tour documentary, Richmond Coliseum, April 10, 1972


Related Links

Research Sources

Richmond Concerts | Richmond Venues | Related Links | Research Sources