Pre 1975, fans favourite Just Pretend had only been performed on stage around five times, all between August 1970 and November 1972, only one of which was outside Las Vegas. It was therefore something of a surprise when it reappeared on the set list for Elvis’ rescheduled second 1975 engagement in the Las Vegas Hilton.
Considering that these 1975 live renditions, the bulk of the combined total, are among the best it is ironic that they might never have materialised. That is to suggest that had his intended engagement in August 1975 been completed and not been abandoned after just five shows, then the final rendition of Just Pretend may have been in Hawaii on 18 November 1972.
As a result of the early curtailing of the August engagement needed to be rescheduled in order that Elvis’ contractual obligations were met. The only available dates were in December and that would always have been a time for any serious act to give the city a wide berth. This time of year was well known to be the quietest time in Las Vegas and as a result casinos had less custom and the showrooms were often at half capacity. However, despite these obstacles, Elvis sold out every one of the dozen shows and although he had visibly gained weight since August and still not in the best of health, the shows were consistently good throughout with some standout performances included.