As a result of the success of the first engagement at the International Hotel in 1969, Colonel Tom Parker negotiated the fabled “tablecloth deal”. The negotiations took place during Elvis’ performance at the International, and, with nothing else to write on, he used the tablecloth to spell out the terms of a five-year contract with the hotel. There would be two engagements a year in February and August, from 1970 to 1974, for which Elvis would be paid $1 million per year plus any bonuses. This made him the highest-paid star in Las Vegas. Colonel Parker also negotiated that his gambling debts to that point would be cleared.
The second engagement ran between January 26, 1970, and February 23, 1970. The engagement was every bit as successful as the one just six months earlier. RCA recorded the shows, and the resulting album “On Stage, February 1970” peaked at number 2 in the UK and number 13 in the USA. The single “The Wonder of You” topped the UK singles chart for six weeks and was the biggest-selling single in the UK in 1970. In the USA, it reached number 9.
Just two days after completing the second Las Vegas engagement, Elvis was in Houston, Texas, where he would headline the Houston Livestock & Rodeo show. Elvis was guaranteed $100,000 plus a percentage of the show’s gate revenue, paid by the Houston Livestock Association. Elvis would perform two shows a day from February 27 to March 1, a matinee and an evening show. Across the three-day event, 207,494 people attended, with the largest crowd on Saturday evening for Elvis’ show, which drew 43,614 to the stadium. It was Elvis’ largest audience to date. Attendance records for the rodeo were broken, and the Houston Livestock Association rewarded Elvis with a gold Rolex wrist watch.
Shortly after arriving in Houston, Elvis gave a press conference at the airport, during which he told reporters that he wanted to return to live performances for the inspiration he got from a live audience. When asked if he had any more movies planned, he said no, but would consider doing more in the future if they were better than those he had done previously. He was asked about how he relaxed and told the press he enjoyed karate, horseback riding and reading. The rodeo directors were also invited by Colonel Parker to have photographs taken with Elvis.
Elvis performs on a stage constructed in the centre of the field and is driven round the perimeter of the field in a Ford Bronco truck before and after taking to the stage.
In 1974, Elvis returned to the rodeo for a second time, performing two shows on March 3, once again breaking the single-day attendance record, with a total of 88,000 attending the two concerts.
