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Like most artists Elvis would periodically change his setlist, introducing new songs or dropping others completely and more often than not these changes were made at the start of a Vegas engagement. With the obvious exceptions these changes were more subtle than radical, but from late 1975 the changes were kept to an absolute minimum and the setlist became almost rigid.
The obvious exceptions were in Jan/Feb 1970 where many new songs such as Proud Mary, Sweet Caroline, Let It Be Me, The Wonder of You, Kentucky Rain and See See Rider were introduced in order to make the show more contemporary and with the recording of a new live album in mind. The next major change came in August 1970 where filming for TTWII would taken place and this would see songs such as I Just Can't Help Believing, Bridge Over Troubled Water, I've Lost You, You Don't Have To Say You Love Me and You've Lost That Loving Feeling added to the setlist whilst others like There Goes My Everything, Just Pretend and Twenty Days and Twenty Nights would make fleeting appearances together with many of the new songs from February being dropped.
The next big change came in January 1972 with the introduction of five new songs, I'll Remember You, American Trilogy, Until It's Time For You To Go, Never Been To Spain and A Big Hunk O' Love and the setlist would remain much the same until August 1974.
August 1974 brought probably the most drastic and exciting change to the setlist with the dropping of both 2001 and See See Rider. This was replaced by Big Boss Man and the opening show included for the first time Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues, Down In The Alley, If You Love Me (Let Me Know), Softly (As I Leave You) and Let Me Be There, It's Midnight and Promised Land. This change however would not last and the changes were reversed by the next show. 2001, See See Rider and I Got A Woman were reinstated although many of the new songs would stay on the setlist and the reasons for this u-turn have been the source of debate within the Elvis community for many a year and no doubt will continue to be so.
The last major change to the setlist was during the spring and summer of 1975 where Elvis included songs from his new album - Today, such as And I Love You So, T-R-O-U-B-L-E and Fairytale and others would come and go on a show by show basis.
Throughout, however, there was always room for Elvis to squeeze in a new single or song from a new album but in January 1971 only two small changes were made to the setlist, at either ends of the show. At the start 2001 was introduced and at the end of the show Elvis would alternate between the usual Can't Help Falling in Love and a new introduction, The Impossible Dream.
This alternating ending would continue into Lake Tahoe in July and twice in Vegas in August. Elvis would sing The Impossible Dream only twice thereafter, at the Midnight show on 16 Feb 1972, presumably for the benefit of RCA who were recording for the abandonded Joan Deary project 'Standing Room Only' and of course at MSG on June 10 1972, the final time Elvis would sing it live.
Unfortunately only the first half of opening show 26 January 1971, which Elvis closed with Impossible Dream, was recorded by the engineer and with Can't Help Falling In Love closing the Dinner Show on the 27th, this from the 27th Midnight Show was the first version to be recorded.