The Year of Change. 1974
In early 1974, Elvis Presley was still getting his good humor back, but he still had some mood swings. On January 8 he turned thirty-nine years old, and in the city of Memphis they declared his birthday "Elvis Presley Day" and organized a parade along Elvis Presley Boulevard. But even the health problems that had started the previous year would soon bother him again and he also had to visit his dentist regularly for his teeth. Also the habits that he had acquired up to now and that would continue to increase his discomfort, because when she was away from home, other dentists were helpful in writing prescriptions for other medications she thought she needed. This would be the big problem, the dependency on him was not cured.
The year 1974 changed the direction of the artistic path of Elvis Presley. There would no longer be large studio recording sessions. RCA already had its musical catalog with the best of Elvis and did not seem to need me to offer material to publish. It would only be recorded in March 1974 in Concert and a studio rehearsal in August, but there would be no sessions with new songs for publication.
The Colonel did not consider the need to record new songs either, something unheard of in the artistic world to renew the image and obtain benefits and for popularity to continue to rise. As a consequence, new songs were not broadcast on Radio, nor were they recorded on TV specials. When the normal thing was to record and publish every so often a single, LP, as the artists who wanted to continue being successful did.
In summary, the commercial management was being handled absurdly, the purpose was only to obtain safe money through the Concerts. Only 3 LPS would be published, 2 Singles and the RCA Album, which was no longer beneficial for Elvis. Any artist published an LP every 3 months, singles, in addition to giving concerts, the publicity was constant.
Elvis did not receive the same treatment, he did not have support in the media, but it was not his fault, but his manager's. The public loved him as always, his name was synonymous with attendance at his concerts and would also have been for record sales if his music had been broadcast or appeared on TV.
Obviously the number of concerts increased during this year, because it was a sure economic value. It was the direction Colonel Parker had taken, because he saw an easy profit in Elvis' performances. But Elvis did not question these circumstances at any time and he would continue to do his concerts. It seems that he had no intention of recording new material, it is true that his performances for the public were the most important thing, but offering variety to the show and new songs would renew and boost his image as an artist. Unfortunately it was not like that, the year would have many performances as in the early days. Touring and his engagements in Lake Tahoe and both seasons at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Elvis earned a lot of money from concerts, but it is true that he also spent it to the same extent, this would be something that would also be important since it could spell big trouble.
This year his love for karate will grow and Elvis would carry out a new project that he was going to finance, a documentary film on martial arts. His search for change made him come up with something new to get excited, but it had nothing to do with music.
Elvis was a magnificent artist, an exceptional man, but he was lost aimlessly in his career as a performer.
"Following the Path of the King..."

In his artistic path, Elvis Presley did many things well and others would not be handled correctly.
Despite being the greatest artist for years, we all know his story and there would be many decisions that broke his desire to be a good actor. Elvis was also prevented from working with his favorite composers and choosing the music that he really wanted to record, due to the copyright that Colonel Parker demanded during the movie years. In short, there were many management and decision errors.
The greatest success would be the quality and evolution of him as an artist that Elvis Presley demonstrated for years, until the end of his days.

If we analyze the artistic and recording life of Elvis Presley, it is somewhat contradictory and peculiar to know the situation at the time.
March 1974, Elvis was still selling tickets, he was a strong and powerful magnet for the public and he would sell out stadiums. But yet only a dwindling group of die-hard fans seemed to be rooting for Elvis as a recording artist, they were the ones who bought his records, his new releases. Elvis, the legend, was filling concert halls throughout the United States and was also being offered contracts in Europe, Japan etc.
But ironically, his new songs were hardly heard on the radio. There were no TV shows where he was seen as a guest or special shows.

It really would have been an efficient business and intelligence coup on the part of RCA and Colonel Parker, who had taken advantage of that potential to look for new composers, with whom to experiment and find new hits for Elvis. But the erroneous policy of recording recent hits by other artists, it was clear that it would not give any results.
There was no desire to risk and bet on Elvis in terms of his discography. He was only considered as a safe value to be able to publish reissues or songs by others. And the Colonel would see his financial wealth in the Concerts, so he didn't care much about what he could record.

A disaster! Nobody did anything and Elvis, who always needed that little push to activate his desire to innovate, this time he was not encouraged.
Although he had the joy of the public, his greatest source of happiness was to enrich himself with new music, to innovate, to improvise...
The artist's soul grows when he discovers new music, it is necessary to feel that inner magic again. Because singing the same thing tires, no matter how good an interpreter you become.

The impressive thing about the case is that Elvis Presley kept singing the same thing, he did it well and filled the auditoriums.
One among thousands of artists could boast of this.
A pity that his real potential could not be used to record new music. Or choose an important variation within his repertoire, because by then he would have around 600 songs recorded in 1974. Obviously he had a lot of good material to choose from.

Another important factor in March 1974 was his voice. Elvis was singing very well. His voice is in a splendid moment. His spirits were on the rise and so was the result of these concerts.
He should have been used to suggest new songs, instead Felton Jarvis suggested to RCA that they record a live album.
This was not the solution, but it was done like this.
The solution was clear, a new manager, a new producer...d but the ineffective and bewildering wheel in which Elvis Presley was immersed did not stop and it was difficult to stop turning. And at some point everything could explode...
"Following the Path of the King..."

The March Concerts would be an absolute success for Elvis. From Audience and collection, a sample of this would be the one carried out in the Astrodome, a Gigantic stadium located in Houston, on March 3, with two performances.

Fortunately, at these concerts Elvis had guaranteed publicity on the Radio
AM, KILT, which started the event from day 1, with greetings to the King of Entertainment, announcing his performances. Elvis Presley would sound playing his records throughout the weekend.
On March 3, 1974, the Rodeo began at 2:00 p.m. in the Gigantic Astrodome.
After an hour of shows, Elvis's band takes the stage.
https://youtu.be/Xr3mGiS4rBY

The band consisted of James Burton, John Wilkinson, Ronnie Tutt, Charlie Hodge, Duke Bardwell, Glen D. Hardin. With the Choir and Kathy Westmoreland, JD Sumner & the Stamps Quartet, The Sweet Inspirations, Voice. But in these two concerts he did not lead an Orchestra.

The space was really very small and they were already very tight, although it is inconceivable that for a stadium of these dimensions a large stage would not be available to play with the Orchestra. But we already know Colonel Parker's way of acting: minimum spending, maximum collection.
Due to this circumstance, the 2001 overture would not be played. Ronnie Tutt the Drummer played a roll of drums to announce the entrance of the King.
Elvis arrived on stage riding in a red jeep and dressed in a white Jumpsuit, the "Nail Mirrored", with a blue scarf.

The show begins with Elvis looking at the crowd and with the good humor that characterizes him he says:
"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I am event number eight"...laughter and whoops.
After this he began to sing "CC Rider" and more than 40,000 people drowned out the music with his shouts.
At one point he stopped singing and said:
"What are we going to do now?".
Without stopping singing he would carry on with the show singing "I Got A Woman" ending with "Amen" twice!.
Elvis said, "If we don't get it right the first time, we'll do it again."
He continued with the song "Love Me", a wonderful interpretation, then he would surprise with the song "Sweet Caroline", which he hadn't used to sing in his shows lately.
Elvis moved dancing, waddling his body around the stage to the delight of the public, who went crazy and also screamed. More songs...

With "Polk Salad Annie" he performed a karate sequence of moves at the end. when he sang
"Hound Dog", the cries of euphoria were heard again, everything would be impressive due to the size of the place. He ended the song very differently than he had ever heard before. He did a series of combinations of the words chang & choong, much like chang, chang, a chang, dancing and freaking out.

In general there were good moments in his show, with his songs, his dances, the choir, etc.
He would sing "Help me" the new song recorded at Stax Studios. After Elvis enthused to the end, singing "Fever" with his movements, they yelled again...

At the end of the song Vernon Presley would come out on stage, leading Colonel Parker riding a small donkey!
Elvis laughed and the Colonel handed him some kind of drink, they finally left as he started to sing "Let Me Be There".
With "How Great Thou Art", Elvis moved the audience, with his interpretation inspired by him.
After singing "Funny How Time Slips Away", Elvis said:
"I really enjoyed it ladies and gentlemen. The first time was great and this time was even better. I really want to thank you for coming through the gas shortage so thank you and I'd like to sing this next song especially for you."
To end the show he would sing the song "Ca n't Help Falling In Love".

Elvis emerged victorious from the stage, as if he were a gladiator who had defeated his rival. After hopping into his jeep, he took a ride around the huge Astrodome to greet his fans.
The King had again won the game against the giant "Astrodome".
"Following The Path of the King..."

https://youtu.be/fWeAEAxYguY
https://youtu.be/SSNjUURasZ4

On this March 1974 tour, Elvis Presley would perform in places as well known as Monroe, Louisiana, Charlotte, North Carolina, Roanoke, Virginia, and Knoxville, Tennessee, with his musicians, the band, his entourage, and would also be accompanied by Doctor Nick, who was going quality. as an official doctor and for your own safety. Elvis needed medication to calm him down when he woke up, to be able to sleep and other intestinal problems.
On these trips it was the first time that Elvis was going to stay in a different hotel from the rest of the team, this would be cause for comments, although in general everyone was happy.
Unfortunately, jealousy made the "Voice" group the target of all resentment and it is also true that the reason had to do with their lack of punctuality, which even made them miss the buses, due to other unprofessional gestures that were very annoying. . Due to this discomfort, Sherrill Nielsen would leave the group during the tour and would have to be replaced on the fourth date by the Swedish pianist Per Pete Hallin. Sherrill Nielsen did two shows, but he just disappeared, he left because the tour was no longer to his liking. They contacted Hallin because they already knew him because he had been the Voice pianist since December and had already improvised on piano for Elvis. He liked it a lot and had proposed to record with him, in this way even at the Roanoke concert, Elvis honored him as an artist, since he presented him as a fantastic pianist and a great singer from Sweden.
Two of the best shows on the tour were in Charlotte, Elvis praised the crowd three to four times for how generous they were to him. At the Charlotte Coliseum there were 26,000 fans at the two performances.

In general, the reviews were good for all the concerts, since the atmosphere in the audience was indescribable and Elvis gave some great quality concerts.
March 1974 was one of his best moments in concert, after a long time and it would be difficult to do it again since the tour would be a real success.
Elvis had to return to repeat in a city like Monroe, his popularity in the southern states could be confirmed in concerts, such as in Montgomery. Alabama Governor George Wallace was there and declared an Elvis Presley week in Alabama. He also presented Elvis with an honorary appointment, a plaque, which he displayed during the Montgomery concerts.
At Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery they had a capacity of 11,308 for the public, plus they sold standing room tickets, so they actually reached 16,400 people. The demonstration of devotion in these cities would be incredible only with the presence of Elvis Presley and they would go crazy and when he sang or said something the madness was general.

One of the best known anecdotes in concert took place in Monroe, on March 8 at the Civic Center. Elvis asked to turn on the lights to see the audience, it was already a habit that he had and he noticed a little 5-year-old girl named Rhonda Boler, who was in the audience at the edge of the stage. Elvis asked a policeman to carry her on stage when she sang
"Can't Help Falling In Love," she sang the last few bars of the song to him. She then kissed her and at the end Elvis took the scarf from her and put it around her neck.
As the security guard began to lead Rhonda off the stage, two teenagers began trying to remove her scarf, and a woman ripped the scarf from the girl's neck, despite the guard's efforts.
  Elvis who saw it was very upset, her face was sad, he was really hurt because this woman had not respected the girl and she ordered the guard to take the baby to her. He then knelt down, took off a crucifix he was wearing and put it on the girl, while she said: 'Honey, this is yours, and no one will ever take it.' Then he made sure that Rhonda was delivered to her mother and escorted so that no one would steal this much desired object.
The love of the public can sometimes be unconscious and too vehement and this would be one of the demonstrations of the madness that could be for Elvis, to the point of wanting to detach a little girl from his gift.
Elvis loved his fans equally, but he was always struck by the children he would show all his affection to and Rhonda was lucky to be his chosen one.
"Following the Path of the King..."

The quality of the concerts that Elvis Presley was performing was being successfully recognized by his public, which is why Felton Jarvis, the producer, had the idea of ​​recording one of the concerts that were to be performed live.
  At that time it was difficult for Elvis to record in the studio and the only way to be able to publish a new album would be live.
Felton spoke to RCA about the idea of ​​recording in Memphis, where he hadn't performed in years. The RCA was not very convinced but finally they accepted with the condition that new material was presented.
The recording was made on March 20, 1974, Midsouth Coliseum Memphis.

  Although the album really brought together songs that he might not have sung on a regular basis, only two of them were new, the rest would always be hits.
In these recordings, Elvis's voice shows his security, his ease and also his dealings with his audience, his voice sounds mature, powerful and the result is a good concert.

If we compare the recordings of March with "Aloha Hawaii" or "Madison Square Garden", Elvis's voice sounds more confident and his game with the public is fully reciprocated. There is greater complicity, although it is true that the repertoire is less committed.
And you also have to take into account that Memphis was his place and the people closest to him, so Elvis would feel calmer.
There was no pressure to be a TV show or to be a city as demanding as New York.


In any case Elvis would feel good and he gave the best show of the year at this concert and luckily RCA recorded it.

In these March concerts, many songs were repeated in the repertoire, the usual ones, and there were also medleys that had been arranged to gather songs. Previously Elvis sang part of songs and mixed songs usually from the first period. In these concerts what was done were arrangements to mix the scores without cuts.
, He could sing a 50's rock with a 70's song etc, the songs joined perfectly as if it were a single song.
It would be one more feature of these concerts that he is going to perform. For example he combined the song "Blueberry Hill" with "I Can't Stop Loving You", the arrangement was perfect.

He included again some song that he hadn't sung for months like "Steamroller Blues", also "How Great thou Art", which he would sing in an impressive way.

the only songs that were new, since they had been included recently, were 'Help Me' and 'Steamroller Blues'.
Elvis plays more with the usual themes by making encores and variations on the endings.

The edition of the Album "Elvis Recorded Live On Stage In Memphis" included a single disc for its publication in July 1974. The show was reduced to 40 minutes, cutting the comments or jokes that Elvis used to make during it, with some exceptions.

  The song "How Great Thou Art" that Elvis would reintroduce at these concerts was awarded the Grammy for his great performance.
It really was one of the songs in which Elvis poured everything inside him and his inspired vocal recreation finally had recognition in the musical medium.
His voice moves the listener and for this he would receive the Grammy
for his performance of the song.
Interestingly Elvis Presley
  he would win two Grammy Awards in two separate years for two recordings of the same song.

"Let Me Be There" was different because of its energy and optimism and because of the lively arrangement that the accompaniment had. He is heard having fun and the public also responds to him. It was a song that gave a lot of play in concert.

  On this Album only eight songs from the "Aloha" concert were included in the Memphis show and
only four of them appeared in it.
A novelty would be that the image of Elvis did not appear on the cover of the album, it was the first time, in his place an image of his house "Graceland" and the gates of the property were included.

  The album sold over half a million copies in its first pressing and peaked at number 33 on the Billboard 200.
"Following the Path of the King..."

TOUR 10 . California
May 10 to 13, 1974. 5 Shows
In May 1974 Elvis Presley made a small tour of 4 days with 5 shows, in Fresno, Los Angeles and San Bernardino, days before his engagement in "Lake Tahoe".
The tour in California would be fortunately similar to the concerts in March.
An extra concert in the City of San Bernardino had to be added, due to the demand for tickets, it would be done on the last day.

Elvis had rested for two months and still maintained the same attitude, good humor and the public was very happy.
In addition, all the tickets would be sold and the press would also be favorable. Critics spoke of a cheerful Elvis wanting to act, compared to past years. He had regained his desire, since they had witnessed old performances and there was a great difference in him.
But according to some critics, nothing was the same anymore, they knew that Elvis was vocally good and despite having a few extra kilos, he was in top shape, but the general impression of the show was no longer what they had previously witnessed. There are many recordings of these concerts, so we can certainly appreciate that listening to Elvis's voice, he was very good, with real control of his instrument, but we can also appreciate that despite having his voice in good condition, he dedicated himself more to play with the public, the lyrics, etc, than to sing.
He really would not throw himself into any song, with some exceptions and this meant that although the show was correct, the artist was not really offering his interpretation, neither his passion nor his soul, as it was before. His physical condition was also good but it was also not seen in him, that implication of movements as impressive as in 1969 or 1970.
But who can always be like at his best moment? Really, all artists undergo changes, different times and it also has to do with their maturation and with their mind.
Elvis was in a different moment and what for him was something new and impressive in 1969, in 1974 it was no longer novel, but routine, so obviously his mind, his interest could not be the same if he did not take care of himself. to change it. https://youtu.be/7RkEOXsePKY

His closeness with the public went from the line of the singing artist, to the comedian and this was not what you would want in a true professional like Elvis.
He had always taken his concerts very seriously and had had great success on the recent tour in March, but for some reason his attention had been diverted from his path and Elvis did not perceive a true concentration and dedication. But in any case, despite this, Elvis was having a good time, it was a moment of laughter and the public also enjoyed it, what the critics might think or not, it would not matter at all if his fans, who were the ones who filled the audiences were happy. This was the good thing and the overall result was deserved applause.

As a summary, the public was happy but the show was flat and the songs were more or less the same, there were no changes. The truth is that the scope of him as a legend surpassed reality, unless Elvis made changes. His audience continued to adore him and this seemed reason enough not to change anything, for the moment it was like this and this was his new direction to follow, that is, there was no change.

Elvis premiered new designs to wear at his concerts that would be the ones he would continue to wear in Lake Tahoe and on the June-July tour, the previous Jumpsuits were left behind for now.
Another curious detail would be the criticism that the Stamps were being made for singing with Elvis. On the part of Christian circles there was some reluctance since the group considered that it was not doing something worthy. This was absurd because with Elvis they also sang Gospel.
The new member of the Stamps, Ed Hill, was a little afraid of these criticisms, but during the concerts members of churches would approach them and congratulate them on their performances with Elvis.
Another curiosity of the moment would be his relationship with his girl Linda, who, despite the fact that she would continue by his side, did not seem to be his favorite and seemed to have problems, because she asked to see him at the Forum Concert, but when he went there, he found himself in the audience. With three girlfriends, flirt with him. The situation was complicated for her, but he seemed to look the other way and continue enduring what was not a normal relationship, just an appearance. Although as a couple there was still time, since Elvis needed a woman in his house and for him to maintain his stability in his home.
This small May tour would be successful and fun for Elvis, it was a refreshment against the commitment that came next in Lake Tahoe.
"Following the Path of the King"

 For the Concerts of this short tour, Elvis only really added one song, which he had never officially recorded, nor would he ever record in a studio.
 He sang it only once, on May 11, 1974 at the Los Angeles Forum.
 
 "You Can have her" was a song written by William Cook. It was recorded by one of his all-time favorite artists, Roy Hamilton, in 1961, becoming successful as a Single.
 https://youtu.be/y1mkSm00kXM


 It would be covered by more artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Charlie Rich, Waylon Jennings, and Jim Ed Brown, etc. The last one by Sam Neely was in 1974. Again a song was chosen that was not new and there was already a recent version.


  The song that Elvis performed in concert on May 11, 1974, would be published in bootleg concerts, such as "Suzie Q" and Slippin' 'n' Slidin'.
 It would officially be released on the FTD Cd "Live in Los Angeles".


 A song with rhythm, with energy that Elvis reflected in that one performance. You can tell when listening to it that he liked to sing it, because it reflects animation. But incomprehensibly he would not sing again, only Elvis knew the reason, because the public would respond well.
 https://youtu.be/D8OvIoV8CPY


 The rest of the songs that he took on this short tour were repeated from previous concerts. Except for the song "The wonder of you", which he hadn't sung for a long time. Elvis's repertoire was not risky, the songs were comfortable to sing.
 Elvis was immersed in the comfort of the everyday.
 "Following the Path of the King..."

The press at the San Bernardino performance on May 10, 1974, said that everyone loved Elvis, they were true faithful. Elvis sang and the women screamed, Elvis made jokes that were defined as rancid but the audience applauded him.
The concert began after the soft singing of the Sweet Inspirations and the sale of Elvis posters, scarves and photos for sale. Elvis appeared before his audience backed by an impeccable Las Vegas orchestra. He sang number after number focused by colored lights.
Elvis would give his usual performance, beginning with his version of "C.C Rider". He spoke so fast, each sentence sounding like a single word, the crowd went wild.
The half of the audience that wasn't screaming was taking pictures, flashes going off at breakneck speed. Listening to him sing his song "You don't have to say you love me", it was clear that Elvis could sing well. But he spent more time playing with the audience than concentrating on his singing. In any case he gave his fans what they wanted, moans, sweaty scarves, swaying hips, daring poses and non-stop Elvis.
In the first half of the show, Elvis concentrated on old songs, with "Love me Tender" he made the song his handout to the audience. Elvis leaned in to hand over his scarf over and over again as he kissed and greeted his fans.
As he sang the song "Hound Dog," a woman came up on stage to present him with a rose. Elvis scolded her for interrupting the song, but then she smiled at him and accepted the rose.
Elvis Presley knows what the faithful want and wows them with his style, he will sell out wherever he performs.

In another press article about the Los Angeles performances, he said that the enormity of Elvis Presley's success since he returned to performing in 1969 had had a negative effect on the man who was surely the single most significant figure in the development of rock music. When Elvis returned to the scene he was a dynamic, electrifying performer, determined that he went beyond the legend of his and made it even greater. He included new songs that made his show grow with more meaningful lyrics, also the old tunes, "That's All Right", "Hound Dog", etc.
Despite the enormity of his influence and commercial appeal, Presley had to prove his worth in those early Las Vegas engagements and on subsequent tours. There was no doubt that nostalgia alone would be enough. Elvis's performances were dazzling with his country-blues voice even more intense than ever and his karate moves and twists instead of the original hip sway. He also impressed very well with his dramatic style and the audience, including the critics, was overwhelming for everyone.
In the press they were clearly referring to a challenge, something that evidently was an incentive for Elvis and a way of pushing him to the effort. But it was clear that simply the figure of "Elvis" was bigger as an appeal, since many people wanted to meet him and see him live. The legend of him was so great that he could endure the spectacle of him for a long time.
Over time, this would be detrimental to the artist, because it was clear that as the months and years passed, he would not have much to offer, simply to continue being the same "Elvis" as always.

The interesting thing is that Elvis seemed to enjoy performing again, for a while he was somewhat indifferent and absent, but at these California concerts he had regained his humor and heightened his sex symbol image. His attitude had changed in this regard, because when he moved to provoke the public, his smile spoke for him, it was clear the intention to make his public vibrate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RkEOXsePKY

The press highlighted that the present moment was a time to reevaluate his career and to consider where he wanted to go musically. If he wanted to grow his audience, it was necessary to find more challenging material and not just recreate the hits. The importance of him as an artist was always to be an innovator and it was what could grow his audience again and to a new audience.
Elvis should change his vision of the show, add other songs and continue with the enthusiasm that was characterizing him in these days of May 1974.
"Following the Path of the King..."

"Peacock Suit" was a white suit with a blue embroidered peacock pattern design with gold thread and round gold studs on it.
The pattern was done on the left side, next to the chest opening.
The tail and tail feathers go to the right side and down the right leg. In the folds they were lined with gold cloth.
Also with the same pattern on the back. Around the neck adorn 6 tail feathers. Also embellished with blue, clear and transparent rhinestones in various sizes.
With three white twins in each fist.
The white leather belt that shows a bird flying into the sunset. They are surrounded by a thick circle. With two bronze-colored chains in six arcs around the belt.
Sometimes he used the belt of the "White Spanish Flower Suit".

He began wearing it on the May tour of California, then on the Lake Tahoe and June Tour of 1974, where he debuted the original belt.
Later in Las Vegas and later in Lake Tahoe and finally in October 1974.
Curiously, Elvis appeared in Las Vegas as the NBC peacock. The suit was called that on occasion.

This jumpsuit really liked Elvis, it was one of his favorites.
The photo of Elvis in this suit served as the cover of the "Promised Land" Album.
The funniest thing of all is that Elvis never called the suits by these names, but he would say, for example, I want to wear the one with the blue bird or the one with the red stones or whatever came to mind.

"American Eagle Suit" was a white suit inspired by "Aloha" but instead of stones and studs, most of it was replaced with colored threads.
With the American eagle embroidered on the chest, back and three smaller eagles on the outside of the legs and around the neck.
Everything was embroidered in blue and gold thread. With small studs in the gold color. The suit had three white cufflinks on each cuff.
The white leather belt has seven large golden medallions, two of them are on the buckle and with the wings of the eagle pattern covering it. With an engraving and With two golden chains in six arcs around the belt.
Elvis used it in 1974, on the May Tour in California, in Lake Tahoe with the "Aloha Bald Headed Eagle 3" belt.
The original belt that would be created from the suit was premiered on the June 1974 tour and later in August in Las Vegas it would be worn for the last time.

The "Turquoise Phoenix" or "Pale Blue Bird Suit", was a white suit with a turquoise bird embroidered on the back and chest. The embroidery was done in thread, in the tail and around the wings the thread was thicker. The same thread reached down to the legs and was embellished with transparent blue simulated diamonds.
On the neck it also had the same decoration with thick thread.
The suit had three white cufflinks in each cuff.
The leather belt was a turquoise copy of the "Lucky Suit", adding a silver chain in 7 arcs.

The original white leather belt with the same design as the suit and precious stones, adorned with seven square bronze medallions with an engraved flying bird.
Also two bronze chains with 6 arches.
There would be a third belt with the same design as the original, but with a chain of 7 gold bows and two gold chains with 6 bows and medallions.

Elvis wore it on the May tour, California 1974, in Lake Tahoe and the June tour of the same year already with the original belt. The last time would be in August Las Vegas 1974.

June 15 to July 2, 1974.
25 shows. Tour 11

The new tour carried out in June would keep the interest in their concerts increasing, although there was an agenda already planned, concerts had to be added, due to public demand.
All attendance and collection records were broken.
The benefit was really great, so it is not possible to understand the reason for the rejection of proposals abroad. Elvis would have enjoyed traveling the world and with his fans.

An example would be in Omaha, where he had not planned to perform. The manager of the Omaha Civic Auditorium received a petition with 13,000 signatures demanding an Elvis concert, so he passed it on to Tom Parker.
Fortunately the Colonel complied and the response was so great in Omaha that he had to do 3 more concerts.

In Las Vegas, Elvis was highly publicized during his engagements, but on tour it did not happen, something that was incomprehensible, like so many others that the Colonel did. Fans complained that almost nothing was announced and they had to go digging in some small local announcement, etc.

But really Elvis was on a roll and everything he touched was gold, because Tickets were flying.

  Elvis Presley was following the same direction as the May concerts and he seemed so inspired and joyful.
These concerts were successful in front of the public. Shouting, cheers and joy, they were really satisfied with his performances.

Critics were always more careful with his writing. Although the general was positive about the performances, some commented that the show had become boring, it is evident that they were comparing with performances from the 50's.

But Elvis had matured, his show was consistent with his present moment, with the music that he knew how to adapt to his voice. His show was enriched in a different way, because his and his audience had grown and the demand was different. He also had a group and an orchestra with a spectacular choir, added to his unmatched talent, it was absurd to compare it, since it was another stage in his life.
Although Elvis continued to sing songs from his old hits, he didn't sing them the same either, "evolve or die", it was logical.

Although Elvis took advantage of his legend, his movements and the public's response were assured. Some critics said that he was parodying himself.
But Elvis just enjoyed his fans and even did his karate demos which became a trademark at his shows.

But the best of all was undoubtedly his voice, magnificent, mature and sensitive, exciting. Elvis had a very good voice and he demonstrated it on this tour. The fans knew what they would get at the concerts and much more.

Although in these concerts there was a big security failure, because they were not prepared for so many people.
It was the "Elvis Effect" that unleashed madness in his fans.
"Following the Path of the King..."

In the Elvis Presley Concerts, a perfect organization in terms of security was required to protect Elvis and the entire team of musicians from him, both on and off stage.

But it is true that the security that was normally controlled during Elvis concerts, revealed serious problems during this tour.

There was a serious incident when they performed in Niagara Falls, where violent riots broke out among the audience.
Fans stormed the stage and two guards and a policeman were injured trying to prevent chaos.
In another case, the public imprisoned a security officer towards the stage. She screamed for help and why not? Elvis and one of her musicians saved her from the crowd by taking her up on stage.
The chaos was so embarrassing that when Elvis gifted the officer one of her scarves, fans immediately took it from her as soon as she walked offstage and Elvis once again gave her another of hers.

When asking a lady to sit down at once, he attacked the guard in the chest with his fist. The truth is that she was a loving audience with Elvis, but very hostile with the police...
Several people were injured in these clashes and a lady was knocked unconscious in a fight over a scarf.
Very similar things would happen in other towns during these June performances, but fortunately they were not as violent.

In Cleveland, another and worse mess broke out, when the fans reached Elvis himself and surrounded him, they were screaming madly, when he said goodbye to the audience at the end of the show.
Elvis was amazed and with his usual way of being on stage, he took it easy and with humor.
At last the Police would arrive to throw the people off the stage, since his bodyguards had not been able to reach him, because the public was too fast and they had his usual escape.
But it was unthinkable that this could happen, it was 1974, not 1957, although Elvis continued to attract his fans like the first day.
But it is very likely that the police did not anticipate this euphoria and it is true that the seats were full and it could happen.

Finally Elvis would be safely off the scene like thunder, accompanied by his entourage and guards.

All this would create as a consequence a bad and unfair review for his show, which had nothing to do with Elvis's performances in "The Gazette". Although readers sent her letters to say that the writer was not qualified to be a critic.

What was clear is that Elvis was still adored by his public and Security should have foreseen something similar.
"Following the Path of the King..."

As mentioned; Elvis was given four new outfits before his last tour in May and he wore them all in Lake Tahoe, too, even without the original belts that weren't made yet. Just before the Lake Tahoe season began, Elvis got another outfit for his stage wardrobe, this time with an original belt at the end of the season. Elvis used the belt designed for the "Arab Costume" for the "Inca Gold Leaf Costume" the first few times he wore this costume.










"Inca Gold Leaf Suit"

Inca Gold Leaf Suit" was a white jumpsuit with embroidered square patterns on the belly, chest and shoulders and on the back.
With the same design on the sides of the legs. At the bottom lined in gold.
In the pants also with squares; they lean against each other of threads in red, blue and orange color. With golden embroidery inside, which have studs.
With a high neck adorned with triangles and on the front part of the shoulders it has 12 patterns with squares, with a thick golden thread, also on the back.
In his cuffs he has three white cufflinks.
The white leather belt bears five golden medallions of Indian heads. With embroidery of studs and rhinestones. With two golden chains in six arches.
It was inspired by the "Faraon" costume, although it looks more like the costumes of the Incas.

Elvis first wore it in Lake Tahoe in May 1974. Also on the tour in June and Las Vegas in August of the same year.
Elvis would use it again on his September-October 1976 tour, changing the belt buckle for the "Dragon Suit".
Also on the November tour and in Las Vegas and in December 1976.

Jumpsuits June 1974

"Blue Swirl Suit"
"Peacock Suit"
"American Eagle Suit"
"Turquoise Phoenix Suit"
"Inca Gold Leaf Suit"

  Colonel Parker always seized any opportunity to win through Elvis's talent. As the rights to his songs had been sold to RCA a year earlier, in August 1974, he sought a new avenue.
It occurred to him that the voice of Elvis that he had recorded with his jokes, presentations and concert comments could be used and put together on a record.

For this he even formed a record company, his own label, Boxcar Records, without using content that contractually belonged to RCA Records, with the intention of earning 100% of the beneficiaries. Parker sold it during Elvis concerts.

Despite his trickery, RCA curiously did not sue Colonel Parker, but claimed that any sound recording of Elvis Presley made under contract to RCA Records legally belonged to the label.
  Elvis was not amused that any of this was done and even less the publication in October of the LP, asking that it be stopped selling by withdrawing the copies. By then around 120,000 copies had been sold.

The album would be called "Have Fun with Elvis on Stage" it would be the title of the LP initially released and the one that RCA would keep.

They are dialogue and jokes, mostly jokes, from Elvis between songs during his live concerts, but without any order or connection and without songs.

RCA reissued it shortly after his death in 1977. "Have Fun with Elvis on Stage" reached number 130 on the Billboard 200 and peaked at number 9 on the Billboard LPs. But it is considered the worst Elvis Presley album.

As a curiosity, he is very interesting for fans, since he talks about his early life and his professional aspirations before becoming a singer, as well as his first appearance on The Steve Allen Show.
  He also hums songs etc.

RCA Victor, released it even with the same cover art as the Boxcar release and the message saying "Just a talking album"
Presley is credited on the back cover as the album's executive producer.
Elvis would come to hate this record, possibly because he was aware of his manager's and his record company's taking advantage of him. The sensation of object and that they took advantage of spontaneous or private moments with his public.
"Following the Path of the King..."

It is clear that sometimes the point of view of the fans or the critics who witnessed Elvis's performances could be very different. But since we want to know more, it is always interesting to know the opinion of someone who had seen more shows on the tour, than someone who has only seen one.
There were fans who followed Elvis at various concerts on the September-October 1974 tour, it was a good sample of the variation in concerts. And above all to testify that Elvis also did good concerts regardless of the bad start of this tour.

September 30, 1974 in South Bend, Indiana
Although this tour would be difficult for Elvis, there would also be many positive things to say about his concerts. An example would be in this concert on the 30th, which would be a sample of the artist's good work. Elvis had a good voice and his mood too, it didn't seem to be the same as the previous days. They say that Elvis was not up to the previous years, but the truth is that the fans said that he was better than in the last two years. The place he deserved it, the new Notre Dame Coliseum.
What many fans criticized was the peddling of Colonel Parker, because they said it was very annoying for the spectators during the concert. From how they sold it, not because they were bad products, it was clear that it had nothing to do with Elvis.

When the show begins, Elvis takes the stage as he did in all the cities on the tour, wearing sunglasses, which he takes off and hands to someone in the front row before starting to sing.
Elvis got off to a strong start very involved with his opening song 'CC Rider'. Elvis moved with claw, it was a start that was already part of his legend. Since his show is a set of factors, his voice, his moves, the karate, the jumpsuits and his musicians. His movements for this reason were important, his gestures and his voice mainly what transported the viewer. Therein lies his magic and his success, everything influences and the musicians also know that Elvis is doing a good concert.
Elvis greeted the audience by saying how much he had always wanted to play for Notre Dame. During the Concert he was joking with the audience and it showed well.
He also made some comment about the bad press and named Sheila as his girlfriend. (Forgetting the real one, Linda).
During the concert, Elvis saw a sign someone was holding with the phrase: "Elvis, The King".
Elvis told the viewer, "I really appreciate the idea, but I've never gotten into this 'King' thing. To me, there's only one who has a right to be called King, and that's Jesus Christ." This received the applause of the public, as always Elvis showed his faith since he was a believer and as a person, of course, he would show how modest he could be.

After singing usual songs and with good results, Elvis announced that he was going to release a new album. "Promised Land", but instead of singing this song, he sang "It's Midnight", the b-side of the single. With a great performance, Elvis sounded even more powerful than on the record, of course in many cases his playing could be much more powerful live.
  "Love Me Tender" was interpreted as it had been a long time without speaking, it must be said that in almost all the shows, Elvis used this song to greet the public, give them scarves, kisses, etc.
  Elvis sang 'If You Love Me (Let Me Know)', with great taste and a good arrangement.
Elvis would sometimes tell stories from years ago, like when he first heard JD Sumner, when he was sixteen in Memphis. JD was singing with the Blackwood Brothers and Elvis was really impressed. He said that he would never have imagined being singing with him, on the same stage.
He then sang a wonderful version of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water', in which Elvis experimented with some vocal variation.
The public rises to applause, Elvis pleases him and introduces his musicians.
He joked that Charlie Hodge had a fan club.
Some of the songs sped them up, like Teddy Bear' and 'Don't Be Cruel'.

Elvis around this time sometimes asked the public what he wanted to hear, so many people answered at once, that only those who were close could understand each other.
A curiosity was that someone yelled "Burning Love" and Elvis replied "No way!". Then someone asked Elvis to do 'You Gave Me A Mountain,' and he said, "Of course we will."
It is necessary to clarify that Elvis always sang what he wanted, taking into account that they had to have rehearsed or played it previously. But the truth is that "Burning Love" never liked to sing it and for this reason he answered the poor fan like that.
He would sing 'Give me..' in an impressive way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2NfJ9ge17Y
Elvis was hitting something in the range of notes that hadn't been heard in a couple of years. The reason is that that the repertoire he had then was more risky and Elvis also bet on taking risks. In 1974 his set list was more comfortable, the songs less complicated, which is why Elvis was bored, but he really could have fixed it.

The end of the concert would come and Elvis instructed Glen Hardin to start "Can't Help Falling In Love".
Elvis greeted the crowd and as he approached the fans someone ripped a ring off his finger, but Red West luckily got it back immediately.
In short, Elvis also gave good concerts on this tour, the fans also comment, despite the ups and downs he suffered and the addiction and health problems, he could and wanted to put on a great show and he did.
"Following the Path of the King..."

The set list chosen by Elvis Presley on this September-October 1974 tour, Tour 12, continued to be a list of comfortable and easy-to-interpret songs.
It is true that Elvis's voice could be affected sometimes by his health or his bad habits or perhaps by his state of mind, but really at this time he enjoyed a mature and confident voice, there were no vocal problems . But certainly the one who chose what he wanted to sing at all times was always himself. There could be certain moments in which he would propose to the public to choose a song, but it is clear that he had to have rehearsed or not be an occasional score, since he would not feel like singing it and the public could be disappointed.
But at this time, the songs to choose from were varied in spirit, there were always songs as usual, such as "See See Rider", "I Got A Woman", "Love me", "Fever", etc. Elvis was also singing well-known songs of the moment to animate the public such as "Let Me Be There", "If You Love Me (let me know)" or songs that he had included again such as "Big Boss Man", "The Wonder of You "... and songs that curiously added like "Hawaiian Wedding Song" or "Johnny B. Goode". The sad period of heartbreak songs, separations and misfortunes had passed or at least they no longer attracted as much attention as in the previous two years.
  Actually, the risk was not in singing these songs, because Elvis could and was able to sing them magnificently, because it is true that they did not require any vocal effort. Once again "Can't Help Falling in Love" or "Bridge over troubled Water", which was what the public also wanted to hear. Songs that could be more or less comfortable in his voice, without major vocal complications and without interpretation efforts.
Elvis was comfortable with a type of song for an audience that didn't know him yet or might see him for the first time, but perhaps he hadn't thought about the requirement of being a dedicated fan who could follow him to many of his concerts.
Since the Fan of always wanted to listen to the old and also wanted the songs that he was singing new, the songs that required vocal efforts, absolute dedication on the part of his idol and above all to see him radiant and laughing as he was the real Elvis.
The artist who always delivered a little piece of his soul in each song and who offered it to his audience asking only for his applause.
For this reason, this repertoire that he sang on Tour 12 fell short of the illusions of the demanding fan who followed Elvis. It is very possible that what the critics who saw in the audience said had something to do with this, because Elvis always showed enthusiasm at all times and in general, although there were good moments in many concerts, he would fall short and for this reason there were things to talk about in against him, by the press.
In any case, it is preferable for an artist to have a repertoire of songs that they face with total dedication and feeling, even if they do not have much to risk, than to sing songs that may be impossible to sing at certain times, due to fatigue, lack of confidence and of technique.
In 1974 Elvis was very aware of what he was doing and what was the result of his performances in front of the public and he preferred to sacrifice novelty in the face of sure success with well-known songs.

All the attempt to vary his repertoire was definitely forgotten, he just added the new single "Promised Land" with "It's Midnight" which he was already singing at these concerts. Thus he announced his new publication, although the songs had been recorded the previous year.
It must be taken into account that during the year 1974, Elvis did not set foot in a recording studio and this was something that harmed his popularity, since really if there were no new recordings, he would continue to have the stigma of old glory and would not advance with his audience. that she was really looking forward to seeing him grow even more.

If Elvis reached so high it was because he created with his songs and did not stagnate in what others did, that was his secret, the novelty in music, the different. Making a masterpiece of a song that he had already sung before.
But in 1974 he was recording songs by artists who were already recent hits and he wasn't really adding anything new, because his version was very similar.
It is true that just by Elvis singing these songs he could elevate them to the highest, but certainly if he had created something different in this time he would have been recognized as the great artist that he was and always will be.
But his repertoire was that great cross that he had to carry, Elvis was the victim of his own success and he didn't know or couldn't help it.
"Following the Path of the King..."

 Elvis wore jumpsuits again on this tour, he had to choose from up to seven beautiful embroidered outfits, but he only wore four of them.
 It must be remembered that in the previous Las Vegas engagement, he had tried out some leather suits that should not be very comfortable on stage and did not look the same as those designed by Belew-Doucette at all.
 We know that when he chose his clothes, he had not foreseen anything and Elvis took the suit that occurred to him according to his whim, mood, etc.
 Although it was a multi-day tour, Elvis was captivated by these costumes with exotic animal designs. Certainly the color and design drew a lot of attention on stage despite doing without the striking rhinestones of other costumes.


  Jumpsuits:


 ,"Peacock Suit"
 "Blue Swirl Suit"
 "Chinese Dragon Suit"
 "Mad Tiger Suit"

The year 1975 begins with a great variety of artists, groups and musical styles. Like John Denver, Olivia Newton John, Queen, America, Jethro Tull, Elton John, Carpenters, etc.

 Different musical styles and new and also renowned artists.
 The truth is that Elvis Presley was not on the list of the most successful performers of the moment and the one who was focusing more on concerts, kept him further and further from the top. It was necessary and indispensable to record new songs.
 At the beginning of the year, in the first three months, 2 singles and two LPs would be published, which could again open the doors of success. And also to make his potential as an artist known to a new audience, but not everything depended on recording. The work of advertising and marketing his records was 50% a possible success.
 That is to say that although Elvis threw himself into recording some new songs in an impeccable way, if these records were not heard on the radio, on TV or enough publicity was placed, it was difficult to reach any audience. This was the commercial work of Colonel Parker and the RCA.


 It was also important to continue with his concerts because obviously an artist has to continue performing before the public and also because these performances would give him a lot of income.
 This is why it was important to start the year in good shape, record and fulfill concert commitments.


 But Elvis Presley would start the year with health and addiction problems, for which he had to be hospitalized and postpone his commitment to the Hilton Hotel until the spring of 1975. Before that, he promised to record new material at the Studios.
 In these recordings he would once again demonstrate his great quality as an artist.
 "Following the Path of the King..."


 

Hospitalization was mandatory, on January 29 at 03:30 a.m., Elvis was urgently transferred to Baptist Memorial, his admission was in critical condition. He really had various problems regardless of his addiction to drugs and so on. He suffered from a twisted and blocked colon, as well as liver damage caused by the barbiturates and many tranquilizers he was taking.
This time it was the second hospitalization and it would be very similar to the previous one because Elvis was located in a private part of the Hospital, where they would try to make him as comfortable as possible considering his condition. The windows were covered with aluminum foil and again Linda Thompson would stay with him in the room.
The press was informed through a community confirming Elvis' admission as a patient due to a liver condition. Elvis received countless get-well cards, teddy bears, and flowers too. Although his room number was a secret in order to avoid harassment, it was really easy to guess what his room was from the outside looking at the eighteenth floor, due to the peculiarity of the covered windows. The television news teams discovered it with his cameras, the world really did want to know what it was about Elvis Presley, despite not giving himself publicity or wanting to be seen publicly.
Elvis was discharged on February 13 and to leave it was planned to avoid the press and the curious, through the back door and at dawn.
It was clear that the world did want to know what was wrong with Elvis and they were eager to hear from him.
During his stay, Elvis underwent several tests to find out what he was suffering from, the hospital confirmed that Elvis continued to have glaucoma, which is why he had severe headaches, as well as the discomfort of the spotlights on the scene. Also a distended intestine that was causing a blockage in his intestine, causing digestion problems. But no surgery would be necessary, he was simply prescribed more medication for his physical ailments. What would not be counted is that Elvis would be there long enough to get him away from his usual drugs and lose all dependence on them.

His father had a heart problem and would stay in the room next to Elvis's.
Because of this situation and Elvis's condition, the production of the karate documentary that had been started was put on hold, it would be shelved and Elvis was losing interest. Jerry Schilling and Sonny West were in charge of escorting him to the other side of the hall for safety and Elvis had all the comforts and they even brought him food from Graceland, because he couldn't stand the one from the Hospital. While he remained in the Hospital he would not take his usual drugs and he was also trying to stop them, because Jerry says that they received a package at Graceland that said Las Vegas. As the person in charge of collecting and reviewing what he received, he opened it to see if it was something Elvis might need, when he discovered a delivery with pills that were obviously not for any treatment. Doctor Nick got very angry when he saw what the jar contained and decided to test Elvis, leaving this jar in the bathroom. When asked for an explanation Elvis said they were pills for his father, he told Jerry he didn't want to embarrass him, but when he left the Hospital he hadn't tried a single pill.
Jerry would say that they didn't really know which doctor was sending him these opiates and in exchange for what, but what was clear is that he was trying to avoid it at this time.

An anecdote that would take place in the hospital would once again show the generosity and affection that Elvis showed for his fans. Ed Parker would tell about the letters Elvis received while he was there. The story was published and told about a fan named Judy MacDonald, who had sent a letter to Elvis asking for an autograph on the occasion of his birthday which was on January 31st.
This day she was celebrating at her house, when she received a call advising that in 15 minutes she would receive another long-distance call, as she thought that some family member could congratulate her.
Twenty minutes later the phone rang and Judy answered, "Hi," "Hi. Judy? I wanted to wish you happy birthday." She didn't know who she was and asked who she was.
With a teasing and disappointed voice, she replied, "Judy, well Judy. Don't you know who I am? She replied no...
Then her voice said, "Well, who's your favorite singer?" Judy then asked, surprised, "Are you Elvis?" and the response was "That's correct!".
Judy was speechless with emotion, she could not make a sound. There was silence and Elvis told her that if she was still there, Judy said yes with an emotional voice. It was then that Elvis he explained that he had read some fan mail and that was when he read hers. Elvis told her about her mother and what she told him before she died, that she never forget the people who, like her, made her who she was now, supported her unconditionally. Judy promised not to call any reporters so as not to publicize this and Elvis thanked her. Then Elvis told him "Well, I have to go now, and I just called to wish you a happy birthday and God bless you." Judy ran to her room and cried with so much emotion.
This would demonstrate once again the qualities that Elvis had as a person, even when he was hospitalized he thought of his fans...
Elvis Presley Genius and Figure!
"Following the Path of the King..."

In many moments of our life, it is possible that we find ourselves with people who hide a great depression and their way of being is such that it is difficult to know what is happening inside. Elvis was a cheerful, optimistic man and always smiled before his audience, it was difficult for viewers to know his real face in life or if he was hiding discouragement, pain or any ailment, because he always had a kind face.
His strength was tremendous and his humor always gave him a way of treating everything in a good mood and even though he might be in a bad situation we could never know.
In May 1975, Elvis, like him, would always give a lesson on this strength that he had to control himself and he would lose weight again to be able to give a good image to his fans. In any case, he also did it for himself, because he liked to be fit and show himself that he was still the same man and the true artist. So he would demonstrate again his great quality as an artist and his mastery with his voice. It had been three weeks after the previous tour in which he had been criticized for his appearance and this was still important to him.
The beginning of this tour that he would carry out from May 30 to June 10, would once again give hope in terms of his recovery and good spirits to the entire team that surrounded him at his shows.
But sometimes everything is not as it seems, that restlessness and dissatisfaction that Elvis Presley had inside him was still inside him and it was clear that his habits had not changed, so it was necessary that his doctor, Doctor Nick, was always monitoring so that everything was normal.
Elvis really was in appearance, in top form and for this reason his mood was on the rise on this short 12-day tour.
They would visit the cities of Huntsville, Mobile and Tuscalosa in Alabama, Houston and Dallas in Texas, Shreveport in Louisiana, Jackson in Mississippi and Memphis in Tennessee that ended Tour number 14.
Elvis was vocally in one of his best moments and he would show it in these Concerts.
"Following the Path of the King..."

Normally between concert tours there were a few days off for Elvis Presley. This new Tour would be fast in 12 days and also even more beneficial than the previous one. He would win $811,000. From that moment on, a new tactic had been planned in these Tours, running in and running out, as was done in the past, in the early days. It was a way to save time and trouble, on the part of their fans who were so enthusiastic that there were enough riots and even injuries for this cause.
Elvis would travel through the following cities Hunstsville, Mobile, Tuscaloosa, Houston, Dallas, Shreveport, Jackson and finally in his city Memphis.

At every concert Elvis gave he would announce his new Single "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" to promote it, thus presenting it as his latest recording, but he couldn't really fight the commercial ineffectiveness either. This was not his job, but to put on good concerts and of course he did it.
Elvis was in good shape, physically and mentally, he had lost weight again, so his figure looked slimmer and also because of this, he would dress again in the Jumpsuits that had been designed for him for this tour.

The repertoire would repeat songs in his repertoire that were similar to the previous one, although he was stronger with the Rock songs and even took up songs that he barely liked like "Burning Love", his intention with this was to throw himself back into his show.

The tour would begin from May 30 to June 10, 1975.
Elvis wanted again to give everything for his audience and it begins in an enthusiastic and joyful way.
"Following the Path of the King..."

The concerts took place as successfully as possible, many of the journalists praised Elvis in their chronicles.
In Huntsville's National Taler newspaper publications, Dianna Sheran, wrote under the headline "The Streamlined Elvis Still Has The Old Magic":
"Elvis Presley has lost 10 pounds and is back on tour almost as lean and balanced as ever, and he hasn't lost any of the magic that makes women cry.

Despite the riots that occurred at various concerts in the early days, also in the southern area, Elvis fans were regular fans and acted in the same way. There were jubilant cheers in Alabama, also in Texas and when he returned to Louisiana, Mississippi and again that he came to the end of the tour in Memphis.
The performances that Elvis Presley gave at the five Huntwille concerts were full of spirit and heart, his performances would be memorable. Elvis was in good shape and this would show on stage. The atmosphere was in a good mood, laughter that also followed him in his performances in complicity with his musicians and singers.

Elvis would sometimes test them and force the backing vocalists to hold a longer note, for example on the song "Love Me", while he joked to the audience that "All these black 'boys' turn white".
He also joked about the Sweet Inspirations and the new image of him, who had cut their hair short. Of Kathy the soprano said, she turns pink...
On another occasion that he was going to throw a scarf to the public, all arms were raised before Elvis and he said to them:
  "Honey, why do you have all your arms in the air? Do you have to go pee?" When he leans in to kiss a woman, he asks, "Do you want a baby kiss or a decent one?"
  He made fun of the Stamps during his introduction, but began as usual by saying, "I like to introduce the Stamps individually...", but instead: "...but I'm not going to."
Of the Stamps he said:
  "They live at the Hilton Inn (which of course they didn't), where the gang live? At the Holiday Inn. How come you guys don't live where we live? You make too much noise, don't you?"
They were their jokes between laughs that sometimes only they understood, but the public laughed anyway.
It was clear that Elvis was in a good mood and his musicians were used to his jokes and comments. He also said about drummer Ronnie Tutt when he was doing his drum rolls, that Ronnie thought the drummer is his wife...
And with Charlie Hodge, his trust and affection was so great that when Elvis introduced him, he lifted him up into the air and almost threw him into the audience. Charlie as always laughed and everything was in jokes between them.
From the Voice group he joked saying They're great... well... I wouldn't say great. Maybe mediocre..."

In many concerts the emotion was very intense in most of them, especially when he sang "American Trilogy". They say he looked fantastic at all times, especially at the end of this song in which his whole being stood out, at times with half of the jumpsuit open, without the scarf, sweat on his chest and with his hair disheveled. The emotion was very great for everyone and especially for Elvis who lived his show minute by minute. For this reason the public could perceive so much greatness and emotion.
"Following the Path of the King..."

Comments about Elvis Presley's performance at the Hirs Coliseum in Shreveport.
A journalist narrated what was the experience of him seeing Elvis's performance for the first time and especially the effect he caused on the public.
He was not really a fan of Elvis Presley, but he realized that his admirers were millions of people and also recognized that he was a singer with a magical effect on the audience, wherever he went.
He would describe him by his rocking movements, his heavy eyes and his coal black hair. The shouting was constant and the people were exalted at all times.
Really his intention to see the concert was to watch carefully, listen carefully and above all open his mind with the hope of finding out what Elvis had to make him the main attraction as an artist and his ability to fill and sell all the tickets at every concert. place you visited.
But he would confess that unfortunately he was never able to reach a clear verdict on him and his music, since he was in a bit of a difficult place to attend properly.

When Elvis came out before the public, he saw him looking vigorous, although with a bit of a belly, he said. He was dressed in a dark sequined suit and described the good accompaniment he had with his band of musicians and choir. He would listen to several songs, between 15 to 20, already known and old, the favorites of the public and a little bit of Elvis talk. He said that speaking was not brilliant and that his jokes were a bit stale, but his singing was intense and delivered on all songs.
It seems that for this journalist it was surprising that he had such a tremendous voice at the age of 40 (obviously he was not a journalist who knew anything about the voice, his instrument, since when the cavities of the paranasal sinuses, nose and throat mature, back of the throat are enlarged, therefore there is more room to resonate and this thickens and makes the voice more powerful, more serious).
Elvis had not only matured in terms of his experience in the art of singing, but also his instrument was more trained and therefore more powerful. But for this journalist, being 40 years old was synonymous with being too old to sing, it is not strange that he could not give any clear opinion of the concert.

Unfortunately the journalist was sitting in a place where he couldn't decipher the words neither speaking nor in the songs, he listened to the sound so much that it was painful for the poor thing. The sound he said was very loud and he felt his eardrums burst. Then there were the fans, because their location in relation to the stage was like a necessary step that everyone wanted to skip. He was trampled on, his notebook hit, a little girl stepped on his right shoulder when he was going to the railing... A woman who ran over him three times already tired him out and grabbed his arm and asked abruptly "Excuse me, ma'am Do you want to come in?" and she still spat the word "Yes" in her face as she continued forward. From time to time the guards passed by who he said cleaned the bodies from the railings every few minutes and surely saved him from certain death.
It was clear that it was difficult to see a concert like this, so his chronicle would be more anecdotal than anything else, but in conclusion what he said was that Elvis Presley gave his fans the opportunity to be carried away by his performances. .
What is incredible is that a newspaper would send someone who had no musical culture to offer a concert review. Most of the bad reviews that Elvis would receive at this time would be from subjects who did not talk about his way of singing, but about his physique, from the fans or anything anecdotal.
In one of the first concerts Elvis bent down to kiss a fan and his pants burst from behind, he laughed it off and joked with the audience downplaying it. But the journalists already had something to criticize and call him fat, etc. This hurt Elvis a lot because he couldn't read this type of chronicle about his physique, it was another way of depressing him.
Elvis was constantly exposed to this kind of tabloid and unprofessional press.
"Following the Path of the King..."

August 1975, Elvis Presley again has to perform in Las Vegas, but his health will be decisive in the coming months in which all his physical problems will be discovered. Until December of the same year, everything will be decisive as to what may happen, Elvis will be medically controlled, but he has to take care of himself and follow medical advice to avoid having major problems.
The two Seasons, one short in August and the next in December as a compromise due to the cancellation of these days and end the year with a concert on December 31. Everyone around Elvis knows that it is necessary for him to follow all medical instructions and stop using drugs to recover physically.
Doctor Nick tells Parker that he needs to cut back on the Concert schedule if he wants Elvis to get back on his feet and continue living. But really, luck is sometimes uncertain, since circumstances could benefit or hinder depending on the person himself. Elvis wanted to be well and followed medical advice, but over time his routine would remain the same.
The Colonel intended to at least compensate the Hilton Hotel in December in order to meet his commitments. But the year 1976 would once again be an active year of concerts, for various reasons, the main one being economic, since Elvis was spending a lot of money and would end the year with other types of unexpected circumstances. He had to make decisions and solve everything that was happening, during Seasons 13 and 14 in Las Vegas...

Silverdome Stadium, Pontiac, Detroit, Michigan. December 31, 1975. A stadium open to the public since August of the same year, to be the headquarters of the Detroit Lions of the American Football League and went down in history as the first indoor stadium to play matches of the Soccer World Cup .

Elvis was very nervous and really impressed by the dimensions of the stadium, in which a circular stage had been designed at a great distance from the public for his show.
Everything was ready on stage for his performance, a rehearsal had already been held prior to which Elvis unfortunately did not attend. It would have been a success on his part, taking into account the place that was unknown to him and as an artist he was really forced to do it, to test the acoustics, see the layout, etc. As a consequence of this, when Elvis went on stage he would only find himself on the first level platform that provided the stage. His musicians and his orchestra were on the second level of the stage, so Elvis couldn't have a clear view to blend in with his band.
He had arranged a kind of tunnel that linked his dressing room with a spiral staircase that went up to the stage so that the public could not see it. And when Elvis's overture sounded, he began to curse on stage because of this two-level separation. The music kept repeating the overture until he finally calmed down and began to sing.

The audience was a long way away, and even though they were in an indoor arena, it was freezing cold and the sound system was having trouble transmitting the Elvis concert. The musicians of the Orchestra and his band were also frozen so it was difficult for them to play their instruments. Elvis was way above them so it was hard to get a good rapport.
But the thing did not stop there, because once the Show started and after a song, Elvis began to move and perform some of his characteristic karate movements. Elvis was dressed in the Rainfall Suit and when he made these movements he ripped the seam of his pants. Elvis with his usual humor told his audience: "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. I just ripped the seat out of my pants, can you believe that?" Elvis continued the concert and after singing the song "Polk Salad Annie" he told the audience that he had to leave the stage to change his costume.
J.D. Sumner and the Stamps sang "Sweet Sweet Spirit" as he changed into the V-Neck Suit with the Rainfall belt.
The repertoire that Elvis sang in this concert had no change, nothing new, the recently added "America the Beautiful" that exalted patriotism in the public and the usual ones. It is very possible that Elvis did not want to risk anything new in such a special concert and with such an audience, this again shows the insecurity, but also the prudence that he had with his shows.
Elvis was not at all happy with everything that was happening, his voice was a little tired through the speakers and the poor musicians who wore coats could barely reach the high notes with the wind instruments due to the cold. The instruments were easily out of tune, everything seemed to be against it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3p09ZoHS8w

Despite the sound disaster, the audience responded well to his performances, applauding, cheering, and when the climax is reached when the countdown to the end of the year is given, everyone joins Elvis in singing "Auld Lang Syne." . After the first verse, Elvis stops singing as the audience continues, because he only knew the first sentence. He would surely be impressed to hear the 62,000 people singing that typical New Year's song. Everyone standing and happy to close the door of the year 1975, to enter the new 1976.
Elvis ended the concert as was his custom with the song "Can't Help Falling In Love", after a few final words and a New Year's greeting.
The Concert would be a success despite all the difficulties and the reality of the situation, but the public loved Elvis Presley and he would show it again in spades. Because to everyone, Elvis was still the King..."
"Following the Path of the King..."

In many cases we can identify with the people who went to see this special New Year's Eve concert on December 31, 1975. Fans lining up to get into the Silverdome, not caring how long it would take to get to their seats or to finally see his idol. People were in a good mood hoping to get a closer look at him and get his signature or a photograph. Although there was some problem with the Tickets because there were duplicate tickets, no one got angry, as long as the case was resolved. It was the largest audience ever achieved, 62,000 people who would share their love for Elvis Presley and who would applaud every song, every gesture, every word. Always faithful to the greatest artist, despite the fact that he had gained weight, his unexpected mood swings, the bad sound that reigned in the place and above all, being cold, very cold. The fans loved the virtues, forgave the defects and when they had to applaud, they left their hands and the screams were thunderous. Elvis should never have been afraid of not satisfying his audience, his insecurity was unjustified because even with everything against him, the fans loved him faithfully. Only a few complained about the distance to the stage, the sound, but without doing fuss, without bothering anyone. It is true that Elvis always had problems at some point, due to the lack of control and the hysteria that exploded with his presence. Fortunately, there was no problem at this concert, despite the traffic jam before reaching the venue. You always wanted to keep a memory of Elvis and his performances, so fans could buy by lining up at the Elvis item stalls, that the Colonel had set up for the occasion. They paid $3 for programs of 12 images, autographed blue and white scarves that cost $5. What they bought the most would be Elvis buttons or pins at $1. They wore them during the performance on any part of their clothing.

But the most important thing that a fan enjoys was the emotion of seeing and listening to Elvis Presley live, face to face, even if there was a distance. The moments of heat and intensity when enjoying each song, seeing him even more attractive in person than in the photographs, because the man surpassed the myth and his image was even more impressive in person. His voice flooded inside much closer than on vinyl or on the radio, everything remained in the mind and turned the stomach. Despite the changes, the age, the weight, the sweat, the effort... Nothing was lost. He stood between Elvis and his fans, because regardless of the fact that during this period he was bored of doing the same, his love was reciprocal and growing. It didn't matter where they had come from, the money they would have to spend and the distances they would have traveled, because all they wanted was their King! And then at the exit, when Elvis had left the stadium, the smile and the satisfaction of having seen his show and enjoyed the moment, because this day will never be forgotten. Elvis Presley, the man, the myth... the King!
"Following the Path of the King..."