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Exactly a month after having performed at the sold out Tarrant County Convention Center Elvis returned on July 3, 1976 to entertain another crowd of 14,000. It can be estimated, that each of the shows earned him approximately 120,000 USD. On stage the king worde the "White Egyptian Bird Suit", which can be seen on the cover of the album.

 

See See Rider

Once again the sound technician didn't record "Also Sprach Zarathustra", so the second disc starts with the "Opening Riff", too. Elvis performs his opening song well, but it obviously takes him some effort to sound dynamic. Before he continues with the next song, he jokes a bit with the fans.

I Got A Woman / Amen

Follow That Dream Records wanted to save us from boredom, so they edited the usual game with the word "well". The Ray Charles classic gets a good outing, Elvis also seems to enjoy the gospel "Amen". While he demonstrates some of his old moves, the king tells the crowd, that he usually isn't awake during daytime. Mischievously he adds, that he does quite a few crazy things at night. After having offered JD Sumner an opportunity to show off his bass voice Elvis reprises "I Got A Woman" and welcomes the crowd. Of course he also takes some time to interact with the ladies at the edge of the stage.

Love Me

During "Love Me" Elvis keeps up the contact to his fans and throws some scarfs into the audience. His focus is not on the singing, at times he sounds a bit tired.

If You Love Me (Let Me Know)

In the background we hear Charlie Hodge suggesting to continue with "Trying To Get To You". Elvis turns him down and wants to sing "If You Love Me (Let Me Know" instead. He does it well, but not as dynamic as last summer.

You Gave Me A Mountain

Once again Mr. Presley delivers a good performance, but lacks the power of his rendition in the movie "Elvis On Tour".

All Shook Up

Just like in Amarillo the tempo is very high, but Elvis' vocals are not as energetic.

Teddy Bear / Don't Be Cruel

The singer doesn't seem to care about the hit song from his movie "Loving You". The second tune of the medley, the 1956 sales monster "Don't Be Cruel", is treated with a little more respect. In general it's quite obvious that Elvis isn't too keen about his own classics.

And I Love You So

The more recent "And I Love You So", a ballad from his previous years' album "Elvis Today", is performed with much more care. However, at times the king sounds a tad shaky and also doesn't hit 100% of the notes. It's not a bad performance by any means, but certainly not as good as on the album. Last year the man sounded more vital and also more confident.

Jailhouse Rock

Elvis raises the tempo of the show and presents the "Jailhouse Rock", one of his signature tunes. Nowadays it sounds more like Vegas than like gutter, but the king sings the old tune well and the audience is clapping along happily.

Fever

Now the king moves from 1957 to 1960 and performs "Fever", one of the tracks on his comeback album "Elvis Is Back!". Even though he's overweight and far away from being his old sexy self, he's still able to drive the ladies over the edge by simply moving his legs to the beat. It's entertaining to watch and hear.

America (The Beautiful)

Due to the 200th anniversary of the United States Of America Elvis presents the inofficial anthem "America (The Beautiful)". Without doubt this is the highlight of the afternoon. The king's vocals are full of emotion and solemnity. The audience is awestricken and gives a standing ovation. Even Elvis, certainly not unfamiliar with adoration, appears to be a bit abashed by the reaction of the crowd.

Polk Salad Annie

Back in 1970 "Polk Salad Annie" was the highlight of the movie "That's The Way It Is". Meanwhile the adonis has become a fatso, but despite his limited ability to move he presents the song astonishingly well. He obviously likes to sing the swamp rocker and doesn't appear to be as breathless as on most occasions. Jokingly he even changes the first line to "down in the state of Texas", which earns him some extra applause. After having finished his performance, he tells the crowd, that his pants split when he presented "Polk Salad Annie" a few months ago in Pontiac.

Introductions

Now Elvis asks, when he visited Fort Worth the last time and is surprised to learn, that it was just a month ago. Ironically he claims to have a memory like a dear. Since the fall of 1974 the introductions of the band have become longer and longer, now they eat up almost a quarter the singer's time on stage. Every member of the harmony groups is introduced individually and every member of the band performs a solo. James Burton even has to do two. Elvis himself adds his voice to short versions of "Early Morning Rain" and "Love Letters", he also mumbles along to "What'd I Say" and "Johnny B. Goode". In general the "Introductions" are nothing but a downer, pure time-killing.

Hurt

Elvis continues the program with "Hurt", his latest single. At times he belts out the lines in impressive style, but his performance doesn't sound as powerful as on the record. Nevertheless the fans are thrilled and so the king sings the ballad a second time.

Hound Dog

The most current release is followed by "Hound Dog", one of his greatest hits ever. Unfortunately Elvis simply repeats the same four lines over and over again and also doesn't bother to invest much energy. He ends the song by shaking his chubby body to the brass sounds of his orchestra. Of course his fans love every second of it, but to everyone else the scene looks somewhat embarrassing.

Funny, How Time Slips Away

As usual Elvis wants to take a look at his fans and asks for the houselights to be switched on. During the interaction with his admirers, somebody asks him, if he will return to Ashville. Jokingly Elvis answers "...in 77". Of course he couldn't know it back then, but his manager later would book the local Civic Center for August 26, 1977. When the king died on August 16th, all 7,500 tickets were sold. The country ballad "Funny, How Time Slips Away" is sung the usual way, of course JD Sumner gets another opportunity to present his bass voice.

Can't Help Falling In Love

By his standards Elvis takes quite some time to say goodbye, then he bows out with "Can't Help Falling In Love" and leaves the stage to the sounds of the "Closing Riff". After everything is said and done, the crowd is reminded of the merchandising, which is sold on their way out.

 

 (C) Follow That Dream Records / Sony Music Entertainment