The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium first opened its doors to the public in 1929. It is a National Historic Site and its lavish architecture is one of the best examples of the Art Deco style in Louisiana. The Auditorium seats more than 3,000 people in its 6,300 sq. ft. arena with a 54 ft. high proscenium arch. Since its inception, the Auditorium has hosted almost every kind of public event including musical concerts, theatrical productions, sporting events, Mardi Gras balls, ice skating shows, conventions, and even the Shriner’s circus. In 1948, the Louisiana Hayride radio show began regular live broadcasts from the stage of the Municipal Auditorium featuring performances by famous country music stars such as Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Tex Ritter, Doug Kershaw, George Jones, Huddie Ledbetter and James Burton.

"Elvis has left the building"

The most famous entertainer who ever sang on the stage of the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium was Elvis Presley who gave his first performance in Shreveport on October 16, 1954. Elvis was paid $18 per show and he gave 84 shows at the Municipal Auditorium until his last show on December 15, 1956. It was then and there that the famous sentence "Elvis has left the building" was coined. A statue of Elvis now stands outside the Municipal Auditorium next to a statue of James Burton, one of Shreveport’s best known recording musicians. The Stage of Stars Museum located at the Municipal Auditorium honors the performers who began their careers on the Auditorium’s stage. Guided tours for the public are provided daily. People can examine more than 1,000 rare photos and see personal clothing worn by the performers as well as the musical instruments that were played by them at Shreveport’s Municipal Auditorium.

The Shreveport Municipal Auditorium is located at 705 Elvis Presley Avenue in Shreveport. Their contact phone number is (318) 673-5100 at the Shreveport-Bossier City Public Assembly and Recreation Department
.

 

If I had to summarize this investigation in one word it would be "wow"! The history and architecture of the Municipal Auditorium

alone was worth the visit. Located in the heart of downtown and built in the 1920’s, the Auditorium has been a corner stone of the
area for years. Housing The Louisiana Hayride along with many stars such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Hank Williams. What few people know about the Municipal Auditorium is that the Shreveport coroners office and morgue was located in the basement for some years.

Once we arrived at the Municipal we were given a grand tour by Johnny Wessler, the Executive Director of the Stage of Stars Museum. We learned of the apparition seen in one of the main hallways, and of the various locations at the Municipal where claims of strange things have been reported. Once the tour was concluded it was time to get to work. We set up six Infrared
cameras running into an 8 channel DVR that records all the cameras simultaneously. Cameras were setup on stage, in the auditorium,in the Ballroom, 2 in the basement, and one in the hallway where the apparition had been seen. We had a team of 5, each carrying a digital voice recorder, and each group carrying an EMF (electro-magnetic field) meter. We were pleased to have the company of a few members of "Friends of the Municipal Auditorium" join us for the investigation. We started the
investigation around 10:00 PM. We made our rounds, covering the gigantic building, more than three football fields to give you an idea of the scale.

During our visit a few things were reported that seemed out of the ordinary. In one of the dressing rooms the scent of flowers and baby powder was smelled by two members and one of our
guests, leaving as fast as it came. Later that night an investigator located on the stage asked for a sign of the spirits presence, and heard four distinct claps coming from directly in front of the stage. Nobody was in that location at the time. Random EMF spikes were common through the night, which are unexplainable pockets of energy that can move or dissipate without reason. Strange knocks and noises will be common, especially in a large building such as this, but moans and strange high pitch sounds were heard through the night that had no explanation. Going over the many hours of Video and Audio was next. Nothing much was found on the DVR, mostly dust and bugs. When going through the hundreds of photos taken, again nothing was found. When it came to the audio, it was a different ballgame, seems the spirits couldn’t stop whispering. We collected more EVP’s (electronic voice phenomena) here then at any other investigation. Many whispers were heard, but could not be deciphered, others were very clear. The EVP I liked the most was of a whisper heard very clear that stated "I love Johnny Cash" seems a fan hasn’t left yet, perhaps this is the same fan who clapped for our investigators on stage. Another EVP wasn’t so optimistic that was recorded in the hallway that the apparition was seen; you can listen to all our evidence below.

Our visit to the Municipal was a good one. We were treated with hospitality and the people were enthusiastic about everything. The investigation went smooth as silk, and we did get quite a few EVPs. If you are ever in the downtown Shreveport area, make sure you swing by the Municipal Auditorium and check it out; it will be well worth it! Once again thank you to Johnny Wessler and the Friends of the Municipal Auditorium for everything.


Please take the time to visit the website for The Municipal Auditorium, and the Stage of Stars Museum at
www.stageofstars.com

Thanks to Louisiana Spirits for the article below.