The 1971 Tour
The main body of this article deals with my own take on the shows and is followed by data covering the (known) complete setlist, the dates, places, cities, show times, attendance, outfits, and belts for the entire tour. Hopefully by doing it this way you will find that this makes for more entertaining reading in addition to providing easier access to the basic information one may refer back to.
Before dealing with the 1971 tour itself I would like to briefly assess Elvis’ previous 1971 work. Possibly because there was no professional footage shot or official live recordings made, 1971 is a rather overlooked and undervalued period in Elvis’ career. The common belief is that Elvis was never again was as consistent or committed as he was during 1969-70. If this view has basis in fact, it has often kept new generations of critics and fans from fully appreciating his subsequent performances.
1971 cannot be directly compared to 1970 as far as raw power, but creatively Elvis was continuing to evolve. Of all of Elvis’ performances, the winter 1971 Vegas engagement is the most unfairly dismissed. Elvis no longer relished playing Las Vegas, but it had yet to really impact the quality of his shows. They may have been on the short side, but this was partly down to the International management wanting to keep patrons in the casino. Still rail thin, this gig was perhaps the last to have the raw rock vocals that helped Elvis reclaim his career. There were some notable structural alterations particularly regarding the way Elvis entered and exited the stage. With “Also Sprach Zarathustra (theme from 2001 A Space Odyssey)”, Elvis’ always-dynamic first appearance became astounding. The perennial closer, “Can’t Help Falling In Love”, was also (temporary) dropped in favor of an ornate interpretation of “The Impossible Dream”. Perhaps this alone makes these concerts unusual in feel, but I find them to be quite informative as far as following the course of Elvis’ career.
There are only three tapes commonly circulating, but what has been heard from Elvis’ July debut at the Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe is electrifying. Some of the fifties material was now unmistakably only done for its symbolic status, but Elvis was perceptibly delighted to be playing on a fresh stage. The gig lasted two weeks, but was lamentably scheduled right before another month log residency in Las Vegas. The audience at the newly renamed Hilton saw basically the same show, but Elvis himself wasn’t the same. In retrospect the lack of a break, along with the ennui that set in after performing almost 300 times on the same stage in little over two years, seems to have drained Elvis’ vitality. Because Elvis was still in good shape these weren’t bad shows, but they lacked his previous sparkle.
If spending a month in Vegas had lost its luster, Elvis hadn’t lost his enthusiasm for being on the road. In November 1971 Elvis set off on his sole tour of the year and it was extraordinary. Being on the road let Elvis see more of his hard core fans as well as bringing about a much-needed change of pace. The reinvigorated Presley played fourteen shows in twelve days
crisscrossing from the east coast all the way down to Texas. With the exception of Houston his itinerary brought him to cities he hadn’t played for 15 years, if ever, exposing him to a whole new audience. Elvis’ outfits for this tour were far more ornate then the ones he wore previously. They were made of heavier material, had huge matching belts, and also came equipped with heavy corresponding capes that were worn on the less physical selections.