Myself and a friend and his friend just finished attending the Louisville show this past weekend. Since we all live in Utah, we flew to Kentucky by way of Atlanta.
Needless to say, we were not disappointed. Let me qualify this. September of 1995 we attended the Made In England tour at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The show was going along just fine when there was some sort of feed back in the audio system, a squeak. This really got Elton upset and he made a comment along the lines of "It's going to be one of those kinds of nights..." It was evident that Elton was upset, because he cut three songs (that were typically played at the other MIE concerts) and bypassed the introduction to Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding starting right at the piano solo. (It was a great show, nontheless!)
Contrasting this to the Louisville show, there was some audio feedback, but Elton continued being his typical energetic self. He was in an amazing mood. He would stop and sign programs and tee shirts between all of the songs. He would smile and make gestures to those in the front rows. He also acknowledged those sitting behind the stage. He was positive and very up-beat. And the energy, the pure energy of him and the band in general.
Here is the set list, since not too many of these have been published yet:
Simple Life The One Grey Seal Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Honky Cat Can You Feel the Love Tonight Tiny Dancer I Guess That's Why... If the River Can Bend I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me The Last Song Daniel Love's Got a Lot To Answer For Take Me to the Pilot Something About the Way You Look Tonight Made In England Believe Someone Saved My Life Tonight Philadelphia Freedom Levon Bennie and the Jets Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting We All Fall in Love Sometimes / Curtains The Bitch is Back Sand and Water Your Song
After Your Song was played, the lights went down and stayed off and it would appear that Elton was going to come back out and play more songs. However, after a while the house lights came up and the concert was over.
I suspect, IMHO, that this last 'fake' encore (there were two before it) was staged to give Elton time to leave the arena and get to the airport before any fans were able to chase him down.
After the show we went around to where the band bus was loading and asked John Jorgenson if Elton was still around. He said that he was "long gone." We were fortunate enough to get John's autograph along with Billy Trudell's. Lastly Davey Johnstone popped out of the bus and quickly signed our programs.
It would appear, contrasting this with previous concerts, that Elton is adding/dropping Daniel, The Bitch Is Back and Long Way From Happiness depending on the venue.
Elton played all of the songs with his band, with the exception of Daniel and The Last Song, which were solo Elton with his piano.
Elton introduced the band mid-way through the show, forgetting Davey. After the next song, he corrected his omission and introduced Davey with fanfare.
Myself and friends were seated on the opposite side of the floor from where the stage was. From the first song we were on our feat clapping, singing along, etc. We did have the misfortune of being asked to sit down, but when we didn't acknowledge the request, the people behind us just stood up for the whole concert. For the most part, the people on the floor were standing, dancing, etc.
Elton was dressed in what appeared to be a lime colored Versace suit with a white tee shirt. (I could be wrong on this, due to the lighting and my location on the floor.) He didn't give any lengthy discourses between the songs, but did dedicate a lot of the songs to whom I would assume were local people, since none of the names were familiar to me.
He did dedicate The Last Song to those people suffering from AIDS.
The highlight of the show, for me, was when he sang Beth Nielsen Chapman's Sand And Water. It was a very heartfelt moment, second to the last song of the concert, and "dedicated" to Gianni and Princess Diana indirectly.
Someone here asked for the lyrics to the song, so here they are:
Sand And Water Copyright 1997 BNC Songs, Inc. all rights adm. by Almo Music Corp. ASCAP. All alone I didn't like the feeling All alone I sat and cried All alone I had to find some meaning In the center of the pain I felt inside All alone I came into this world All alone I will someday die Solid stone is just sand and water, baby Sand and water, and a million years gone by I will see you in the light of a thousand suns I will hear you in the sound of the waves I will know you when I come, as we all will come Through the doors beyond the grave All alone I heal this heart of sorrow All alone I raise this child Flesh and bone, he's just Bursting towards tomorrow And his laughter fills my world and wears your smile All alone I came into this world All alone I will someday die Solid stone is just sand and water, baby Sand and water, and a million years gone by
(Beth Nielsen Chapman's husband, Ernest died of cancer in 1994. She says the following: "The songs on this album reflect many stages of grief and healing for me. It has been a long struggle, but I'm staring to feel more joy there days..." The song album, Sand And Water, is dedicated to her "amazing" son, Ernest A. Chapman III.)
It didn't appear that Elton added any special verse to the song. I could be wrong, but Elton's rendition of this song is one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard! Finishing the concert off with Your Song practically 'finished me off.' It was a very emotional climax!
I have to agree with Anthony in Atlanta who said that when Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting was played it "finally got the balcony off their butts and dancing." This song, Take Me To The Pilot and The Bitch Is Back had the same effect. Major jamming in the isles!
In addition to Sand And Water, a real treat was to hear We All Fall In Love Sometimes and Curtains back-to-back album style! A special note: Towards the end of Curtains, when the chorus is repeating, Elton started a very serious jam on the piano. It was very fast, while the backup vocalists continued to sing the slower chorus. It made for one really amazing event. I would love to hear this rendition placed on a single disc or such.
The concert ran for approximately two and a half hours, although I really think it was pushing three hours if you count the third 'fake' encore. The band was really tight and amazing. They interacted with each other with Davey and John going over by Elton and 'crowding him out' at the piano bench for Bitch.
It seemed that Elton and the band were all so happy for the duration of the concert. And I am sure that this excitement, enthusiasm and happiness carried over to the audience of over 20,000.
It was one amazing evening that I am not going to forget for a long time!
Kevin
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