Saw the show last night in Denver. We went to the box office about 3 hrs before showtime (we had no tickets-the show was sold out - I had decided to find tix at the venue) went up to the ticket window and got 20th row center seats - right in from of sound booth!
The show started earlier (7:30) as there is a noise ordinance. Elton even commented about it and that they had a long show to do and better get movin!
He also mentioned that he had a lot of memories here. (I live not too far from the Caribou area and was told a while back that the studio went up in flames some years ago - deliberately set to collect insurance money apparently).
Some random thoughts about the show: EJ opened with Circle of Life - an okay opener. I think an uptempo EJ/BT song would do better - too much Disney already! Grey Seal was great to hear - really rocked. It just reminded me what a great rocker Elton is and should do more of it than he has been. The crowd was thrilled every time the band cranked it up. Great arrangement of Levon too, with rockin ending. Very ethereal version of Rocket Man. I was kind of suprised at what seemed to me to be polite respone to songs like Tiny Dancer and Daniel and even Your Song - maybe people have heard some of them enough times? No Roy Rogers, but they did do Teenage Idol - that was a treat since I had never heard it performed live - thinking of Marc Bolan - it was fun to hear.
Really enjoyed the mandolin duet on Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters. I must say while the new drummer seems fine, I really missed some of the Nigel Olsson fills that he chose not to do - especially on songs like Lucy in the Sky. I was especially looking forward to Lucy in the Sky as I hadn't heard him perform that in many years. It was really a treat to hear and the lighting was all psychedelic and really cool. Elton sang the wrong verse at the end though... I was singing along and expecting to hear "picture yourself on a train in a station" (I love how he sang "suddenly somme onne" on the record!) .and he sang "picture yourself in a boat on a river..." verse. Maybe it was all that psychedelic lighting.
The sound was okay, but I felt the bass and drums were too overbearing and boomy. I saw the percussionist hitting and shaking a lot of instruments but I don't think I even heard 80% of what he was doing. Elton's singing voice was solid and it continues to astonish me how he can do these long shows and tours and still keep his voice sounding so good and his performance so strong. What's interesting is that when he introduced the band he actually sounded somewhat hoarse. It is amazing to see that he performs so many shows - at 21/2 hrs+ with such excellence and intensity 28 yrs on. He gives it his all and appreciates his fans, and that's one of the things people love about him.
Elton signed quite a few autographs and slapped lots of hands of fans crowded down at the stage. He was wearing a light grey suit with thin striped bright lime green checked pattern and a solid lime green shirt. Really nice outfit. He was sporting really cool looking darker blue lensed Honky Chateauish glasses. All in all, another great Elton experience.
*Beware of the pricey t's and other tour merchandise - if you plan to buy any - bring plastic!*
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