June 15 1999
Copps Coliseum, Hamilton ON Canada
8:15 start,
11:05 finish
First thing... Elton John is an incredibly charismatic performer and a kick-ass pianist to boot. His enthusiasm was unbounded and I believe he was mightily pleased with his playing.
Second thing... floor seats at the back suck giant lemons. Thank you to the person who invented the overhead video screens.
Third thing... Clive Franks should TURN DOWN THE VOLUME! One man and a piano shouldn't sound like a plane taking off. The aural assault detracts from the performance. And why does a grand piano sound like soggy porridge?
This was my first Elton John show since August 1992 (The One tour) and my first ever solo show. As much as I enjoy live shows, I find the high moron factor and the high prices to be a disincentive to buying a ticket. I am sure my age also enters into the equation, although MANY of the crowd looked to have been in high school during the early part of Elton's career.
The pre-concert music was turned up a notch at about 8:10 to feature an orchestral piece. I suspect this might be the incidental music from The Muse soundtrack. The video screens were flogging Elton's participation in writing the score for the film.
The lights dimmed at 8:14 and Elton entered wearing what appeared to be a pink sequined suit. It was difficult to tell since the video screens were badly overbalanced to red. A quick walk around the stage to acknowledge the ovation, and straight into Your Song.
From our vantage point in row 40 of the third floor section (each one having 41 rows), Elton was barely visable to me (6 feet tall) between the heads in front while remaining totally obscured to my wife. The couple behind us weren't inclined to stand, so we remained seated. This wasn't much of a problem, since the video screens were mounted HIGH and provided enough visual input to make the show enjoyable.
Elton: why not raise the stage five more feet so you can be seen from those top-price tickets at the back? While you are at it... consider taking a page from Neil Diamond's book and setting up "in the round" for shows in hockey rinks. At least the worst floor seat is only 30 rows back!
The sound was wretched throughout the show. When the piano's electronic bass effects were turned off, the low notes could barely be heard. The upper keyboard notes, where Elton plays lots of fills and figures, was thin and tinny. I was shocked that such a beautiful instrument couldn't be presented better. And we were sitting 30 feet to the left of the sound engineers!
And the volume... far too loud for the musical program. It is great to rock out with Elton at high sound levels, but delicate pieces like Skyline Pigeon, Sacrifice, Blessed, Tonight and The One don't need ear bleeding levels... and actually suffer from them.
Amazingly, all of this was overshadowed by Elton John's terrific playing and singing. His fingers flew over the keys while his singing was confident and accurate. As the night went on, his enthusiasm increased until it reached a high during I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues. He was rocking and smiling while doing this number, and at the end you could easily read the enthusiasm on his face and in his body language.
Some other high points in the show:
From the "what was he thinking?" department... Blue Eyes. Since this was my first opportunity to hear him sing this solo, I'm willing to pretend he really wants it to sound this way. To my ears he is almost singing one thing and playing another dissonant tune. I think this one missed last night.
Would I recommend "An Evening With Elton John"? Yes... but sit on the sides (or even behind the stage) rather than at the back of the floors or at the back of the arena.
Now what do I wish? A live CD and video to mark this tour. Especially a CD so I can enjoy the music the way it SHOULD sound.
Finally, I always like to check out the distribution of the songs from the set list over his total recorded output. Let's have a look:
Your Song 1970 Elton John Skyline Pigeon 1969 Empty Sky The Greatest Discovery 1970 Elton John Border Song 1970 Elton John Talking Old Soldiers 1970 Tumbleweed Connection Daniel 1973 Don't Shoot Me... Honky Cat 1972 Honky Chateau Rocket Man 1972 Honky Chateau Sacrifice 1989 Sleeping With The Past Better Off Dead 1975 Captain Fantastic... Blessed 1995 Made In England I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues 1983 Too Low For Zero Ticking 1974 Caribou Carla / Etude 1981 The Fox / Tonight 1976 Blue Moves I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That 1988 Reg Strikes Back The One 1992 The One Blue Eyes 1982 Jump Up Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters 1972 Honky Chateau Take Me To The Pilot 1970 Elton John Written In The Stars 1999 Aida Levon 1971 Madman Across The Water Crocodile Rock 1973 Don't Shoot Me... Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me 1974 Caribou Circle Of Life 1994 The Lion King Bennie And The Jets 1973 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Candle In The Wind 1973 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
That makes 18 of 27 from 1969-1976. 5 from the 1980s and 4 from the 1990s. The Elton John album wins with 4 selections.
Nothing at all from Friends, Rock Of The Westies, A Single Man, Victim Of Love, 21 At 33, Breaking Hearts, Ice On Fire, Leather Jackets or The Big Picture.
I find the balance a bit bizarre because his music of the 90s has been every bit as vital as his early work, and musically more interesting in many cases. Having said that, I still wouldn't have minded if he'd played the whole Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy album and gone home!
-- .../Paul Maclauchlan, Oakville Ontario Canada paulmac@vex.net http://www.vex.net/~paulmac "I sat on the roof, I kicked at the moss"/EJ&BT'69
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