After almost two years of negotiations with Colonel Parker, the management of Odessa's Ector County Coliseum finally was able to book Elvis Presley for an appearance on May 30, 1976 at 8:30 pm. After the 8,000 tickets were sold within a few hours, it was agreed upon an additional matinee at 2:30 pm. The bonus concert sold out as fast as the first one. Elvis wore the "White Egyptian Bird Suit" and the "V-Neck Suit", which are shown on the album cover. "Elvis In West Texas" was released by Follow That Dream Records in 2015 and features the evening show. The compact disc is housed in a 5" digipak and is accompanied by a booklet. By the way: The picture of the king in the "White Egyptian Bird Suit" was taken on September 4th in Lakeland/Florida, not on May 30th in Odessa. Because the engineer didn't start the recording before Elvis got to the medley of "I Got A Woman" and "Amen", the first two tracks on the disc are taken from the afternoon gig.

The orchestra plays "Einleitung, oder Sonnenaufgang" from "Also Sprach Zarathustra". Then the band takes over with the "Opening Riff" and Elvis enters the stage. He bows in every direction and gets his guitar from Charlie Hodge.

The usual show opener is performed well, but not as energetic as on the album "Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis". After the song is over, the king tells the audience, that he had visited Odessa 19 years ago. In fact, it had been 21 years. In 1954 and 1955 he had performed here in front of 750 and 2,000 people.

From now on we hear the actual evening show. Elvis sings the word "well" in different pitches, which James Burton repeats with his guitar. During "I Got A Woman" the king appears to be a little short of breath. As usual he demonstrates some of his famous moves, sings an excerpt of "Amen" and offers JD Sumner an opportunity to display his deep voice. With a return to "I Got A Woman" the opening is finished. 

Now Elvis introduces himself as Wayne Newton and hopes, that his suit stays together. "Love Me" is sung the usual way, the king uses the oldie to hand out the first scarfs.

The king says "Take it on" and the band starts to play "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)". As the song hasn't appeared on any of his records yet, it's new to the people. At least from Elvis.

This one is known from the movie "Elvis On Tour" (1972) and the tv-special "Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite" (1973). Today the king cuts some lines short, but he still knows how to sell the song.

Elvis announces a medley of old hits. "All Shook Up" is presented short, fast and without too much care.

This one is also not much more than background music for the distribution of scarfs. The fans don't care, their love the songs and fall all over themselves to catch one of the scarfs.

His first number one hit still seems to mean something to Elvis. It's performed quite well and nice to hear.

The title song of the king's third movie is also presented with zest, albeit it sounds very much like Vegas.

Elvis adds another rock'n'roll classic. It's not a bad performance, but it's very routine and it lacks the energy it deserves.

At first the king misses the key and makes fun of the situation. But then he gets it right and makes the ladies scream with his leg moves. He might be overweight, but the fans see the image, not the actual person.

Before he continues the show, Elvis introduces the members of the group. Ironically he states, that The Sweet Inspirations on their seats look like chickens on a roost. Everyone plays a solo, James Burton even does two. Elvis includes short versions of "Early Morning Rain" and "Love Letters".

Now Elvis presents his latest single, the power ballad "Hurt". Here he uses his voice to its full extent and sounds really impressive. He seems to like the song very much, because he performs it twice in a row.

The rock'n'roll classic is a different matter altogether. The king mumbles through the same four lines over and over again and shakes his plump body to the brass sounds of the orchestra.

Now Elvis talks to some fans and has the house lights turned up to take a look at the audience. Then he sings the country ballad "Funny How Time Slips Away", which is also used to hand out some more scarfs.

The king sticks to the country genre and performs "Help Me Make It Through The Night". Recently he hadn't sung the tune too often, so it's a welcome addition to the show. It's also presented very well.

Elvis tells the crowd, that "It's Now Or Never" is his favorite songs of the ones he recorded. Whether it's true or not, it's a good performance.

Now the king thanks the fans for coming to see his show and promises to come back anytime. He closes the program with the usual "Can't Help Falling In Love" and leaves the stage to the sounds of the "Closing Riff". Finally the mc tells the crowd, that the show is over and pitches the merchandise, which is sold in the lobby of the venue.