Two cherubs in the Versace style presided over the proceedings from atop the stage at Riverport Ampitheatre on June 5, 1999 as Elton John took the stage at that venue for the third time since 1992 (The One Tour -1992; Made in England Tour - 1995). The nearly three hour concert on his recent solo tour was nearly a sell out and the fans were not disappointed.
Mr. John entered through the back door of the stage to the recorded strains of instrumental music from Aida surrounded by his entourage of aides and assistants at a couple of minutes past 8 pm and he did not leave again until a couple minutes before 11 pm. The solo show opened with Your Song and was followed by an introspective look at some early material. Elton played many more crowd pleasers and "greatest hits" than on his tour with Ray Cooper.
Elton was adorned in a lime green suit with a sequined Versace pattern and wore wire rimmed glasses. The song list was peppered with numbers with extended piano solos. Elton played a brilliant extended version of Honky Cat. Other numbers with extended piano solos included Rocket Man, I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That, and the ever evolving intro to Take Me To The Pilot (a song once referred to by a St. Louis Post Disgrace writer as "Take Me to the Bottom of Your Soul" - See embarassing review of Elton John/Billy Joel Busch Stadium show in 1994).
I arrived early at around 5 pm. As I walked up to the front gates, which did not open until 6 pm, I could hear Elton doing a sound check. The most interesting part of the sound check was that he played/rehearsed songs not played in the concert including Sad Songs Say So Much (fast version), Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Downtown and Live Like Horses.
I was fortunate enough to secure good seats under the pavillion even though my good friend Mike Hensley and I were deprived of a good place in line at the ticket outlet by virtue of the fact that I drew the next to the last number in the line ticket drawing to determine the order we would line up on the morning of ticket sales. Mike was understandably upset because he had the number right after mine.
All in all, I enjoyed this concert as much as any of the other 20-25 times I have seen Elton, although the sheer excitement of the show with the band is still my preference.
The Stage consisted of Elton's 9 foot black Yamaha Grand Piano ("Baby" Grands are under 5 feet) set just to the left of center and the three film reels from The Big Picture Tour stage set. One of the aforementioned reels was laying on stage and tilted up at an angle and two hung atop the stage just below the light rigging. It was on these two that the cherubs were projected.
The Song List was as follows: Your Song, Skyline Pigeon, The Greatest Discovery, Border Song, Talking Old Soldiers, Daniel, Honky Cat, Rocket Man, Sacrifice, Better Off Dead, Blessed, I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues, Ticking, Carla Etude, Tonight, I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That, The One, Blue Eyes, Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Take Me To The Pilot, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Levon, Crocodile Rock (fast version - trmendous crowd reaction - sing along on the La La La part), Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me. Encores were Circle of Life (with video from The Lion King), a really great version of Bennie and the Jets which included a medley of The St. Louis Blues and In The Mood. Elton returned in his travel attire (a track suit) and sent us home with a beautiful rendition of The Last Song.
If you haven't seen Elton alone at the piano, I commend it to you as an experience you will not regret. In fact, there were times during the show when I wondered why the extra sound from the band was needed at all. One such time was the fast version of Crocodile Rock performed solo at the piano. If you haven't heard that, this song alone is worth the price of admission - to hear Elton bring all of the elements of this song together solo with only a piano is absolutely amazing!
Enjoy the Show!!
Return to concert information.