Bakersfield and Fresno
I've outdone myself this time. I just got back to New York from a long, glorious Elton weekend in central California.
We arrived in Bakersfield early, and as we were walking by the box office, we saw Davey Johnstone and John Mahon picking up their tickets and VIP passes. I stopped by to say hi and chat a bit with them. Davey told me this was the first show on this solo tour he was attending and that John Jorgenson wasn't coming because he was working in Nashville. They were gracious and let me take a picture of them. It started the evening off great.
Centennial Garden is a pretty nice looking arena -- mostly glass on the outside. Upon arriving inside, I was a bit disappointed by the first three rows of chairs going all the way across. This makes it close to impossible to access the stage from the center.
The show started about 8:15 and Elton came out wearing black (again) and orange tinted glasses. For those who saw Sixty Minutes II -- it was that suit. He was also wearing a skull and crossbones earring made entirely of diamonds. The only new song in the setlist was House and sadly, he dropped Friends and Mona Lisas and Madhatters.
There had been a few changes since I saw him in Atlanta last February. Some were for the better, and some not. It's unfortunate he dropped Come Down In Time for Rocket Man, but I guess it's his job to please the crowd as a whole. I think the best change for the better was the addition of Crocodile Rock toward the end of the set. After a string of slower songs it really gets the crowd going again.
My favorite part of the show is still the Ticking / Carla Etude / Tonight segment. Ticking is even more poignant now in light of the recent tragedy in Colorado. Elton was very aware of that and said so as he introduced the song. For this show I was in the 13th row on the far-left aisle in the front left section of the floor, so I had an excellent view of Elton's hands on the keyboard. I was also far enough back to see the video screen for good face close-ups. Being able to watch him play those piano solos really enhanced the concert-going experience for me.
There were no incidents of note (i.e. overzealous fans) or any special dedications. But, before Circle of Life he told us all how much he appreciates the positive feedback he gets from us.
The show in Fresno was held at the Selland Arena. Selland Arena is pretty old and not very attractive inside or out. But, the audience was much better (more enthusiastic) here, and I think that's what really counts. It was also nice to see that the center aisles were clear to the stage. As soon as Elton came out a crowd (including myself) had gathered at the front of the stage. I claimed an ideal spot at the foot of the stage just to Elton's left, and I got to stay there for the first 2 songs until security insisted we all return to our seats. Although my favorite place to be is at the foot of the stage I certainly couldn't complain about being in the 5th row. It was also on the left side aisle so I had an even better view of Elton's hands on the keyboard as well as easy access to the stage -- more on that later.
NEWSFLASH -- Elton was not wearing black! For this one he wore a purple plaid suit. It was ugly, but at least it was DIFFERENT.
The setlist was the same as Bakersfield except he added Mona Lisas back in -- much to my delight. It's always been a favorite.
For this show there was one special dedication. He dedicated Recover Your Soul to a couple good friends who had come up from L.A. It turns out they were sitting to my immediate right. By the way, to my immediate right there were six absolutely gorgeous gay men, all with VIP passes.
After I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That I was able to get up to the stage again. For those going to upcoming concerts and are lucky enough to be in the first 10 rows -- this is the time to go up for your autograph. He starts on the far right side of the stage and spends several minutes working his way across signing things for as many people as he can. I got him to sign my ticket stub. Don't worry about bringing a pen -- he's got one. I was able to stay at the stage part way through The One, but security insisted we all sit down again. During Crocodile Rock we all went up again, and then we got to stay for the duration of the show.
When he came out for the first encore he made the autograph rounds again. Because I already had one I stuck up my left hand (I knew his right hand would be otherwise occupied). He took my hand with his left hand and for a few glorious seconds I grasped it tightly and just absorbed the pleasure.
Of the two, this was the better show -- better audience, better sound, and Elton was in a better mood. I was a little surprised though that he didn't mention it was Bernie's birthday.
I'd like to thank Shannon who made it possible for me to enjoy two pretty incredible shows.
"I like living easy without family ties."
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