Elvis Presley could have spent his last New Year’s Eve on Earth just about any place on the planet.

But, on the last day of 1976, the King of Rock ’n’ Roll was in frigid Pittsburgh performing at the Civic Arena, his third and last concert in the Steel City. The first two came during June 1973, also at the Igloo.

Presley, who would have turned 85 today, made an impact on the music world still felt by fans old and young nearly 43 years after his death. He caused a cultural tsunami when he burst onto the pop music scene in January 1956, releasing his first RCA single, “Heartbreak Hotel.”

Just months later, he was a millionaire.

With his voice, his sideburns and his swiveling hips, Presley had the world at his feet. Nobody had ever seen a performer quite like him.

“Nobody had ever presented themselves on stage like Elvis did,” said legendary WDVE radio disc jockey Sean McDowell. “We’re talking the 1950s when it was still black and white TV and that was almost offensive to a lot of people what Elvis was doing. It was too sexual, it was almost pornographic. Nobody had ever seen a white guy up on stage dancing and swinging his hips like Elvis did. It was groundbreaking, it was historic.”

Presley dominated rock ’n’ roll for nearly a decade until The Beatles came along, the only act capable of living up to a manager’s boast that his boys were “going to be bigger than Elvis.”

Pittsburgh was no different than any other American city with fans clamoring for Presley to perform here. But for years, his domineering manager, Col. Tom Parker, wouldn’t allow him to do a live show here because, in those pre-Igloo days, he didn’t believe Pittsburgh had a big enough concert venue.

Presley ended up performing here on three occasions.

The first show on June 25, 1973, sold out so quickly that a second show was added the next night. The first was reviewed glowingly by Jim Reynolds of the Beaver County News.

“There was no doubt as to who the ‘king’ still is in the show business world during Tuesday night’s show. His first appearance on the stage set off a demonstration of enthusiasm that never abated throughout the program. Every song, every pose, every movement brought cheers, applause and screams that must have been heard in downtown Pittsburgh,” Reynolds wrote. “The power is still there and it would appear that Elvis will be going strong for many more years.”

Well, at least a few more, as it turned out.

An overflow crowd of more than 16,000 showed up at the Civic Arena on Dec. 31, 1976. Even with the temperature in the single digits and wind chills gusting to 30 mph, “The King,” by all accounts looking better than he had in recent years, probably created enough heat to call for opening the building’s retractable roof.

Sean McDowell recalled a story that his father, TV anchorman and reporter Al McDowell, loved to tell.

“My father was there,” McDowell said. “He was working for WTAE channel 4 at the time. He had a cameraman with him, and he went backstage after the show looking for Elvis and Col. Tom Parker came out and he asked my father and his cameraman, ‘Can I help you?’ My father said, ‘We’re here to talk to Elvis, colonel.’ And the colonel looked at my father, who in 1976 was already in his 40s, and said, ‘No. Nobody talks to Elvis, son.’ ”

After a long opening act, Presley hit the stage running at about 11:25 p.m. with a cover version of “See See Rider.” In fact, a lot of his songs were cover versions including “I’ve Got a Woman” by Ray Charles, “Early Morning Rain” by Gordon Lightfoot, and “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry.

Pittsburgh radio personality Stan Savran recalls seeing Presley perform in Columbus, Ohio, and Las Vegas.

“It was a great show (in Vegas), but I came away somewhat disappointed (because) he did a lot of songs that weren’t his hits. I wanted to see ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ and ‘Hound Dog’ because those were the songs I grew up with, but he just put them in a medley,” he said.

Nevertheless, Savran said Presley’s powerful stage presence was undeniable.

“He had a big full band with horns and strings and everything. And he wore those big, high-collared things, and he had a cape, which he took off while performing, and the leather and the sequins and all that stuff. There were two or three costume changes in the show.

“After his encore, people were standing and howling for more. So, to get people to shut up and leave, they did the classic announcement, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building.’ ”

Before he left the Civic Arena on New Year’s Eve 1976, Presley did sing a full version of “Hound Dog” as well as “Jailhouse Rock” and “Blue Suede Shoes.” He played guitar and piano and even took requests.

Presley also passed the microphone to a fan who wished him a happy birthday eight days early. He was about to turn 42 and reportedly marked the occasion by giving out 42 scarves to his adoring fans, mostly women.

At midnight, “The King” led the crowd in his own version of “Auld Lang Syne” and then wished those in attendance a happy new year.

“I would like to wish you all really a very happy and a prosperous new year, hope you have health and happiness, and that God be with you.”

Seven-and-a-half months later, Elvis was dead.

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