Should Elvis have kept the new setlist in August 74?

[Lisarose]

I know that he sang snippets of Turn Around and Aubrey and songs like that. I would have loved for him to have done the entire song, not just a line or two. What a tease he could be. Did he ever perform Rainy Night in Georgia in its entirety?
I would have like to have heard:
Paperback Writer
Me & Bobby McGee
Good Day Sunshine
China Grove
My Eyes Adored You (yeah this one is pure goop, but I liked it!)
and a thousand others that I can't think of right now. I can say, I'm
so glad he chose to stay away from Disco music!

[AHM1977]

I would have loved it, if Elvis had made a new setlist back then, he could have kept the rock medley he did in '74, but doing the same songs over and over again must have been boring for him. When you listen to Elvis singing HOUND DOG, LOVE ME and ALL SHOOK UP during the last years, it's not to impressive.... Imagine he had began to use KING CREOLE, TREAT ME NICE, I WANT YOU I NEED YOU I LOVE YOU etc. when he should take oldtimers... I know I would have loved it.... and maybe Elvis had got some out of it too... So yes, he should have kept the new setlist for a while and then change it again... maybe a new one for each Vegas engagement or something...

[dicke.katze]

The setlist in 74 was great. New songs, new old songs with a new spirit. In june '75 Elvis had a great setlist, too with a great number of different songs in each concert.
The best idea for a cool and contemporary setlist would be to keep the 2001 opening then vary between C.C.Rider and That's All Right. Keep the '74 singles and add all the 70s singles by and by. First to extend the variety of songs and 2nd to promote his singles and albums.
Despite the publishing troubles which emerged with each session there were jewels in each of them (e.g. pieces of my life, promised land, my boy, i got a feelin' in my body, bringin' it back and many more). Rather singing hits from the 70s than doing a 10+ min band introduction. Besides of that the classics should have been kept as part of the show but considering the great number of songs Elvis could have selected these should have been more, varied as well.
Still the question why didn't he change? Maybe he was lazy or a bit bored at the end but as one of you said, when he faced a musical challenge he took it. IMO there were several reasons: The Colonel, C.Hodge (as a kind of "stage director" he was among the many "Yes-Sayer"), RCA/Management for not accepting material they couldn't get the publishing rights. Remenber Elvis was asked to starr in A Star Is Born but the ******* colonel refused.
Elvis could have done it if he had been encouraged much more by the people - and the fans - around him. Very often he returned to songs he had done ealier (burning love, bridge, blue suede shoes etc) and experimented with those one-liners coming from his mind where he had thousands of songs he'd like to sing.
But he is and always will be the king and I'm very thankful to be an Elvis fan.

Thomas

[Unchained Melody]

The setlist was good. Something different. Wish he'd stuck with it. But of course he didn't.

But many of the songs performed that night like It's Midnight, If You Love Me, I'm Leavin', etc were still in the lineup alot during that Las Vegas Engagment. See Rider/I Got A Women just come back to the setlist.

In March of '75, we see some fresh material added to the shows aswell.

[Unchained Melody]

We just had this discussed not 1 or 2 pages back btw.

http://www.tcb-world.com/showthread.php?t=15138

[SleepyJack]

Love the songs from the `74 set list.....It was good to see Elvis trying to breathe some new life into the shows.Maybe the problem at the time was that there too many songs introduced all at once and the audience weren`t sure how to react to it having probably been expecting the tried and tested formula shows...maybe he should have just put in two or three songs at a time and let the audiences get used to them.I guess it is hard to know why they are said to have been greeted with such a poor response,to my ear they are very good,solid versions of the songs.

[Diane]

We went to see a Tribute artist the other night and he asked the audience if they had any requests and all we heard from them was "All Shook Up" and Hound Dog". Some people are still stuck with the 50's Elvis and have not learned to appreciate how much he evolved and improved. They actually miss the best of Elvis!

Diane

[utmom2008]

Some people are still stuck with the 50's Elvis and have not learned to appreciate how much he evolved and improved. They actually miss the best of Elvis!

What a shame...it's their loss. You wonder just how big a fan they are when those are the first songs that come to mind.

[Diane]

Well they obviously didn't follow him along through the years so they probably aren't lifetime fans.

Diane

[Unchained Melody]

Love the songs from the `74 set list....

Those March 1974 shows weren't all that bad either people

[U.S. Male]

For those of you that "needed some coffee", here you are.

Enjoy!

[Unchained Melody]

For those of you that "needed some coffee", here you are.

Enjoy!

Umm...thanks for that Steve

[rhythmknights]

Big Boss Man, can't drink coffee unless it's in my special mug!

Now the setlist - i like that list, but i don't know a lot about his concerts - on the road or in Vegas. did Elvis ever do an all Rock or all Blues concert - and then sing an occasional ballad just to relax?
if he was ging to do old songs he should have done more than just Love Me Tender, One Night and Don't be Cruel, he should have done Such a NIght, Paralyzed, Money Honey, I want yOU I Need You, I lOve YOU, etc.
Just my Opinion!

[elvis himselvis]

I think if Elvis had great songs he recorded, he could have done a complete new setlist and then the fans would have loved that...but not all his songs he recorded in the late 70's were great enough to perform live,though I like them.

[utmom2008]

For those of you that "needed some coffee", here you are.

Enjoy!

I would buy this coffee in big bulk amounts!

[The King's Queen]

I would buy this coffee in big bulk amounts!

I don't even drink the stuff, but I'd buy it too!!

[Unchained Melody]

Elvis picked his setlist for the concerts.The Col didnt have any part of that so you cant point the finger at him on that issue.I believe Elvis kept a familiar setlist because it was comfortable.Dont forget that he gave up on rehearsing for his concerts.New material meant extra work.I know I've said it before but Elvis was in autopilot for the most part during the latter 70's.The motivation for change and creativity was long gone by 74.
Jak

Don't know if i agree with that Jak. For example, the march april las vegas engagment certainly showed a creative and motivated elvis singing songs like Your the reason im living and more.

[KPM]

I think youre exactly right.Im sure Elvis must have loved those tracks also.They were in the lineup all the way to the end.I have always felt the fans killed him with kindness to a certain degree.You said it perfectly about them not caring even if he performed badly.To this day you have so many that cant even acknowledge he gave some terrible shows.If the fans would have demanded more from him he may have tried to meet the challenge.I believe he felt he had nothing left to prove so what's the point.Elvis just wasnt hungry anymore, and his personal problems obviously were a huge obstacle. Jak

Total agreement-he could just flick a shoulder and people went nuts-why do anything more. It was too easy to produce the effect of hysteria-anything which is easy to do-becomes boring. Same with the songs, if everyone seems to love songs in the show you give-why change it.

[tony70]

yes plus someothers like Sound of your cry, other songs he never really sang on stage

[tony70]

but a lot of that had to do with the good ol Col , Elvis singing the same ol songs and saying the same thing word for word dang near