The only concerts that Elvis performed outside of the USA were in Canada. He performed two shows on April 2, 1957, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, two shows at Ottawa Auditorium, and one show at the Empire Stadium in Vancouver on August 31, 1957. He was due to perform at Montreal Arena on April 4, 1957. Civil officials, however, cancelled the show due to concerns about managing the crowds.
Elvis’ popularity amongst Canadian teenagers matched that of those in the USA. In a country where, at the time, record sales of 100,000 were considered enormous, “Love Me Tender” sold 135,000 in just six weeks and the pairing of “Hound Dog / Don’t Be Cruel”, 225,000 in fourteen weeks. RCA had never experienced record sales in Canada like it.
Elvis wore the Gold Suit designed by Nudie Cohn at Colonel Parker’s request. He first wore it on March 28, 1957, in Chicago. He wore it again in St Louis, Missouri, the next day and wore the full suit for the final time on April 2 in Toronto. In truth, Elvis hated the suit. He found it too heavy and restrictive for his performance, and the gold leaf was prone to flaking, particularly with the trousers, especially when Elvis would fall to his knees. He would wear the jacket but paired it with black trousers. He also felt it was too over-the-top. When asked to wear it during one of the sequences of his 1968 TV special, Elvis refused, though he briefly wore a Bill Belew-designed version of the jacket.
23,000 attended the Toronto concerts. With performances taking place at 6 pm and 9 pm. The performances attracted the same reaction as in the USA, with fans going wild and critics expressing concern about what was happening to the youth of the day. Scotty Moore recalled that by the time of the Spring tour, which the Toronto concerts were part of, the Elvis phenomenon was in orbit and was getting out of control. He said it was increasingly becoming impossible to do the show. One reporter also commented that it was impossible to hear Elvis sing.
Included in the setlist for Toronto were “Heartbreak Hotel”, “Don’t Be Cruel”, “Love Me”, ‘Too Much”, “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin”, and the not-yet-released “One Night”. Closing with “Hound Dog” and then making a quick exit from the stage to a waiting car. One grateful police officer of the 125 in attendance commented that “His fast disappearance made it a lot easier for us”. Elvis never did encores, even when touring in his later years. Once he had completed the show, he left the venue, confirmed by an announcer with the words “Elvis has left the building.”
The next day, April 3, 1957, Elvis performed two more shows in Ottawa, at 4:30 pm and 8:30 pm, to audiences of 9,000 at the Auditorium. The Notre Dame Convent had forbidden any of its students from attending either show. When eight did, the nuns expelled them. Although they rescinded the expulsions, half of those expelled were reported to have gone to other schools and stayed there.
Elvis’s last ever concert outside the USA took place on August 31, 1957, at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, for an audience of 26,500. Thousands left the stands initially, stopping just short of the stage. There was a fear that they might rush the stage, so the performance was cut short. Elvis performed for 22 minutes, about half the time he typically performed for at that time.
Elvis told a reporter that, “Without doubt, this was the worst audience I ever played to. Only my first time in Chicago would compare with it. I’d heard that Canadians were a little more rational. Still, they seemed to like it.”
