From December 2nd to 12th 1976 Elvis was back at the Las Vegas Hilton for another "Pre-Holiday Jubilee", which included 15 shows. There was one concert each day at 10:00 pm, on Fridays and Saturdays the king performed at 8:00 pm and midnight. The tickets were sold at $29,00 each and included two drinks. Elvis donated the revenues from the souvenir sales (17,000 USD) to The American Heart Association.
Musicians
James Burton (guitar), John Wilkinson (guitar), Charlie Hodge (guitar and harmony vocals), Jerry Scheff (bass), Ronnie Tutt (drums), Tony Brown (piano), David Briggs (keyboard) and The Joe Guercio Orchestra. The harmony vocals were provided by The Sweet Inspirations (Myrna Smith, Sylvia Shemwell & Estelle Brown), J.D. Sumner & The Stamps (Larry Strickland, Ed Hill, Ed Enoch & Gary Buckles) as well as Kathy Westmoreland and Sherrill Nielsen.
About The Engagement
After Elvis' third contract with the Las Vegas Hilton had run out in 1975, the singer didn't sign another long-term contract of two engagements per year with two shows each night. Instead he opted for a single stint in December and performed twice on Fridays and Saturdays only. His condition had gotten so bad, that he couldn't do two shows per night anymore, even though they were supposed to last just 45 minutes each and there was a break of several hours between them. Elvis also did without the usual rehearsals. Instead of preparing new songs and giving his show the desperately needed update, he went on a short tour and made some additional money. At least from time to time the king included songs, he had rarely sung during the past few years. Amongst them were "I Just Can't Help Believin'", "What Now My Love", "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", "Reconsider Baby" and "Sweet Caroline". The outfits were also drawn from the past. During this stint he used the "Embroidered Arabian Suit" (1974) in combination with the belt of the "V-Neck Suit" (1975), the "Inca Gold Leaf Suit" (1974) in combination with the original belt and the buckle of the "Indian Chief Suit" (1975). The last mentioned one was also worn, but with a second, wider belt. Further Elvis used the "Blue Swirl Suit" (1974) in combination with the belt of the "White Two-Piece Suit & Blue Ornaments" (1975) as well as the "Red Phoenix Suit" (1975) with its second, wider belt. The first shows of this engagement were solid, but after Elvis fell down the stairs in his suite and was medicated with additional painkillers, the quality of the performances dropped significantly. The concerts got better as the stint progressed, but they didn't match the first ones. Because of his recent weight-loss Elvis looked ok from a distance, but his lack of energy was apparent and close-ups of his face reveal, how pale, bloated and weary he really looked. The amounts of "medicine" he took also caused an emergency case. One night in his hotel suite, he almost suffocated. Despite his obvious health problems and several weak shows, the management of the Las Vegas Hilton was keen to book him for December 1977, too. Back in those days very few people came to Las Vegas in December and January, many hotels even had to close their showrooms. But Elvis sold out, regardless when he came to town. In the summer of 1977 Colonel Parker was already negotiating another "Pre-Holiday Jubilee", this time in the newly build convention center with more than three times as many seats as the old Showroom Internationale.
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