The concert took place on July 4, 1976 at 2:30 pm at the Mabee Center of the Oral Roberts University in Tulsa/Oklahoma. Even though it was a matinee, all 11,940 tickets had been sold in advance and generated 129,000 USD. Elvis wore the "Blue Egyptian Bird Suit", whose belt buckle showed the Presidential Seal. Because this outfit is also referred to as "Bicentennial Suit" and the concert took place on the 200th anniversary of the USA, FTD tried to turn the show into something special. But it wasn't, it simply was a tour concert.

The pre-show and the break are over, everyone has stocked up their supplies of popcorn and cola and awaits the arrival of the king. Finally the lights are dimmed and the orchestra plays "Also Sprach Zarathustra". The band takes over with the "Opening Riff" and Elvis appears on stage. He is dressed in his "Blue Egyptian Bird Suit", whose belt buckle displays the Presidential Seal. So the costume fits the date: July 4, 1976 - the 200th anniversary of the USA. Compared to his previous visit two years ago, the king has gained quite a lot of weight, his hair and his sideburns are longer. Elvis gets his guitar from Charlie and walks to the microphone in the middle of the stage.

This first song of the show is presented in a dynamic way. Afterwards Elvis greets the crowd and says "Good Afternoon, Happy 4th and Turn Around" and jokes "Mr Roberts would you help me?"

As usual Elvis toys around with the word "well", but today he thankfully keeps it short. "I Got A Woman" is also sung with zest, of course the king adds the gospel "Amen" and has JD Sumner demonstrate his bass voice. Jokingly he calls him "the lowest bass-singer in Oklahoma". Elvis also spoofs his moves of the 1950s. After these gags and gimmicks he returns to " I Got A Woman" and hands his guitar over to Charlie Hodge.

The ballad is performed the usual way, but during the ending Elvis gives some extra effort.

Now the king announces a song by Olivia Newton-John and sings "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)". It lacks the previous year's energy, but in general it's an acceptable rendition. In-between Elvis jokes a bit and comments the line "You know, you have whatever's mine to give you" with an ironic "almost".

This song offers a first opportunity for the king to display the full range and volume of his voice. He still belts out some lines in impressive style, but he cannot hide the fact, that it's exhausting and he has to push the envelope.

Elvis had started to perform "America, The Beautiful" during his "Pre-Holiday Jubilee" in Las Vegas and would keep it in the show for the rest of the year. Today's version is a solid one and the audience is going wild. Of course they do, the US is a patriotic country and today is July 4th.

The sales monster of 1957 is rushed and not treated with any respect by Elvis.

More of the same. However, the king hands out scarfs and the ladies are fighting over the souvenirs.

With the return to more recent material, "And I Love You So" had been released the previous year on the album "Elvis Today", the king also returns to a higher standard regarding his performance. It's not as good as on the record, but definitely worth listening to.

The classic is presented with zest.

Another oldie, once again well done. The audience is clapping along to the beat and Elvis drives the ladies crazy simply by moving his legs.

Elvis had stopped to sing "An American Trilogy" in the summer of 1975, but had revived it a few times during his recent stint at Del Webb's Sahara Tahoe Hotel in Stateline/Nevada. Because it's July 4th, he decides to give the patriotic set piece another outing. Of course the audience loves it, but the performance itself is very weak. Elvis' vocals lack precision and he's not able to hold the notes long enough. To be honest, this is one of his worst renditions of "An American Trilogy" ever. 

Even though the engineer didn't record the "Introductions" in full, the procedure lasts way too long. All members of the band play a solo, each harmony singer is introduced individually.

The show is continued with "Hurt", his latest single. Elvis belts out the song in impressive style and delivers the best performance of the afternoon. Then he asks "You wanna hear it again?" and sings another full version.

Now the king explains, that he had been hospitalized between his visits to Tulsa, but it was nothing serious and he is glad to be working again. Of course this is a major understatement. Since March 1974 Elvis hasn't just put on a lot of weight, but he is also completely dependant on his "medication" by now. He is heavily addicted and several doctors are giving him a year or two if he doesn't change his lifestyle. Of course the man himself is far from accepting the truth, but nevertheless he seems to feel the urge to explain himself. Afterwards he fools around with some fans at the edge of the stage and dedicates the next song to Oral Roberts, the patron of the university and the Mabee Center. The song itself is performed very well.

Unfortunately one cannot say the same about "Hound Dog". Elvis simply repeates the same four lines over and over again and shakes his plump body to the brass sounds of the orchestra. However, the fans don't see the actual man on stage, but the overshadowing image. They love it.

To take a look at the audience, Elvis has the lights switched on. The audience goes wild, because (in theory) the king is able to see them. The country ballad is performed well, JD Sumner gets two opportunities to display his bass voice.

The previous year the king had received a Grammy for his performance of "How Great Thou Art" on the album "Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis". By now the arrangement has grown more bombastic and it's obvious, that the singer isn't able to hold the notes as long as he used to do. Nevertheless it's an impressive performance.

Now Elvis tells the audience, that he had his outfit made especially for this concert and also points out, that the belt buckle shows the Presidential Seal. After the people applauded, he confesses that it was a lie and that he owned the suit for years. Surprisingly he performs "Little Darlin'", which he hadn't done all that much since the summer of 1975.

The king says goodbye and the band starts the usual "Can't Help Falling In Love". Because Elvis drank some water and therefore could not sing, he has his musicians start all over again. As usual the ballad from the movie "Blue Hawaii" segues into the "Closing Riff" and the king leaves the stage.