There are entertainers and there is Elton! The man is nothing less than a phenomenon!! He proved this in Pittsburgh Friday night to a sold out amphitheater. The sound was great!! Every word and note was so clear.
He wore a dark purple plaid suit and matching purple tinted glasses that were triangular in shape. He looked very handsome in that color.
He kept drinking his diet Coke constantly. The crowd was enthusistic. In fact, one female fan got through security and jumped onto the stage to hug Elton. She was promptly escorted back to her seat! There was another incident when a fan got on the stage but the person did not reach Elton.
His voice sounded strong and his piano playing superb. All of the extended solos on songs were wonderful!! It breathed new life into older familiar songs, like Rocket Man. I also enjoy his talking introduction into the rarely performed gems. Elton, if you are reading this, please, please release this concert series as a CD. It would surely hit #1.
Below is the set list with the surprise of the night, Candle in the Wind!! I may not have them in exact order.
He entered with the AIDA finale
Your song - Always great!! A familiar song to open to spark the crowd to cheers.
Skyline Pigeon - A beautiful song
The Great Discovery - One of those rare gems
Border Song - This is not my favorite song of EJ's but I enjoy the live version
Talking Old Soldiers - One of those gems again. Nice talking explanation about the song.
Daniel - A favorite of mine - Always gives me chills
Honky Cat - A crowd pleaser
Rocket Man - Terrific!! One of the best songs of the evening. Another one to give me chills. He added a lot of piano extras throughout the song. A crowd pleaser!!
Sacrifice - Another favorite
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues - I know people say they are tired of this song but I will always enjoy this one. It was a crowd pleaser. One for the fans to sing along because of its familiarity.
Better Off Dead - A gem
Blessed - Great
Ticking - This gave me chills. Its relevance today is chilling. One of my favorites of the evening.
Carla Etude - A beautiful song but people seemed to get a little too relaxed on this one.
Tonight - This concluded the Etude
I Don't Wanna Go On with You Like That - A nice rouser after the above combination. Got people singing again.
Mona Lisas and the Mad Hatters - A rare gem
Take to the Pilot - The intro to this is incredible!! Another one to give me chills. You wonder how it is humanly possible for one person to generate that much sound.
The One - Again, beautiful piano extras through the song and I have always enjoyed the ending!!
Levon - Great
Blue Eyes - I think this is a really sexy song. They way he sings Blue Eyes, My baby's Got Blue Eyes. Makes me glad to have blue eyes.
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me - Another crowd pleaser!!
Recover Your Soul - I love this live!!
Sorry Seams to Be the Hardest Word - Very soulful
Crocodile Rock - I have absolutely been in love with this song since the day that I heard it in the 70's. To hear it live brings tears to my eyes!! It was one of those songs where everybody was on there feet singin and dancing. I looked behind me and there were kids about 10 -12 years old enjoying it as much as the adults.
Encores:
Circle of Life - One of my favorites live and on album
Benny and The Jets - One of those crowd pleasers again!! He played the first note to hype the crowd and they went wild!!. He goes wild on this song live. Just phenomenal!!
Second Encore - Candle in the Wind!! The surprise of the evening. I have been reading on the set list that he had been singing The Last Song as the exit song and to my delight he sang Candle instead!! I thought I would never hear him sing this live again!! I wondered what sparked him to sing it again.
I hope I didn't forget any thing!!
Sharon
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