Madison Square Garden

Where the King's roar echoed through the heart of New York City.

Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · via Wikipedia: Madison Square Garden · CC BY 2.0

Madison Square Garden is the arena in New York City where Elvis Presley performed on Saturday June 10, 1972. The concert, and the subsequent album Elvis: As Recorded at Madison Square Garden, were promoted as being Presley's first live concerts in the Big Apple since the 1950s. The evening show on that date was released as a live album by RCA Records in late June 1972, peaking at No. 11 on the Top 200 US Billboard albums chart on September 9, 1972.

Quick Facts

Nickname

MSG
The Garden
The World's Most Famous Arena
The Mecca

Address

4 Pennsylvania Plaza

Location

Midtown Manhattan, New York City, U.S.

Groundbreaking

October 29, 1964

Opened

1879, 1890, 1925 (former locations), 11 February 1968 (current location)

Renovated

1989–1991, 2011–2013

Owner

Madison Square Garden Entertainment

Architect

Charles Luckman Associates, Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects

Facts from the source article.

Lore & Background

The Madison Square Garden concerts on June 10, 1972, were a major milestone, promoted as Presley's first live shows in New York City since the 1950s. RCA Records captured both the afternoon and evening performances. The evening show became the single LP Elvis: As Recorded at Madison Square Garden, released about three weeks after the concert. The entire afternoon performance was finally released in 1997 as An Afternoon in the Garden. Interestingly, 1970s Presley drummer Ronnie Tutt wrongly claimed in a 2009 BBC documentary that Colonel Tom Parker sped up the mixes to fit more tracks on the 1972 live album, increasing publishing royalties.

Reader's Guide

Madison Square Garden is the New York City arena where Elvis Presley performed two shows on Saturday June 10, 1972. The evening concert was released as the live album Elvis: As Recorded at Madison Square Garden by RCA Records in late June 1972. The album peaked at No. 11 on the Top 200 US Billboard albums chart on September 9, 1972. It was certified Gold on August 4, 1972, Platinum on May 20, 1988, double-Platinum on March 27, 1992, and triple-Platinum on July 15, 1999, by the RIAA. Along with Aloha from Hawaii: Via Satellite, it ranked as one of the best selling live albums of the 1970s. The album was re-released on two vinyl discs on November 13, 2012, by RCA/Legacy, and in 2013, RCA/Legacy released a high-resolution remastering in 24-bit/96 kHz through HDTracks.com. The personnel for the concert included Elvis Presley on vocals, James Burton on lead guitar, John Wilkinson on rhythm guitar, Ronnie Tutt on drums, Jerry Scheff on bass, Glen D. Hardin on piano, The Sweet Inspirations and Kathy Westmoreland on background vocals, J.D. Sumner & The Stamps on background vocals, Joe Guercio as conductor, and The Joe Malin Orchestra.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Madison Square Garden located?

It is a high-capacity indoor sports and concert arena situated in New York City, USA. This venue served as the stage for one of Elvis Presley's most significant performances.