They came 14,000 strong. Grandmas to toddlers, hippies to servicemen and from near to far. All bound together for one screaming, stoping, ear-splitting reason.
They love Elvis.

Tampa's Curtis Hixon Hall bulged to capacity yesterday afternoon and evening as "The Pelvis" kicked off his first personal appearance tour since way back in the 50's

HE BROUGHT back the oldies like "Blue Suede Shoes," "You Ain't Nothing But a Hound Dawg (how sweet it was)," "Heartbreak Hotel," and "Johnny B. Goode" for the original fans.

One heard a whispered, "I used to dance to that at the high school sock hop," during "Love Me Tender."

"Suspicious Minds" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" had the same effect on the younger segment of the audience as "Hound Dawg" had on their mothers. They screamed and squealed at every move Elvis made.

ELVIS ENJOYED every single little squeak. He'd leap and wiggle and twist just the way he did in the old days.

"I was a baby doing things that Tom Jones just learned," he quipped.

Even though he blew the words of "In The Ghetto," and couldn't quite get a bite on "Hound Dawg," Elvis was at his best.

His show was as professional and as entertaining as anything that has ever hit Tampa.