Just saw Billy Joel and Elton John

[Ehwmatt]

I'll probably post a longer review tomorrow, I'm wrecked from Frontiers and beers last night and music and beers tonight (3.5 hr show tonight!). But for now I just want to say that these guys are two consummate fuckin professional performers and the (steep) ticket price is worth every penny. Unbelievable. More to come.

[Don]

I'll probably post a longer review tomorrow, I'm wrecked from Frontiers and beers last night and music and beers tonight (3.5 hr show tonight!). But for now I just want to say that these guys are two consummate fuckin professional performers and the (steep) ticket price is worth every penny. Unbelievable. More to come.

Finally, this proves my point. It doesn't matter if the singer has lost some range and can't hit the high notes any longer. When you're a fucking legend, getting up on stage and performing for the fans makes up for those shortcomings.

It's not a karaoke contest.

Looking forward to your review.

[Ehwmatt]

I'll probably post a longer review tomorrow, I'm wrecked from Frontiers and beers last night and music and beers tonight (3.5 hr show tonight!). But for now I just want to say that these guys are two consummate fuckin professional performers and the (steep) ticket price is worth every penny. Unbelievable. More to come.

Finally, this proves my point. It doesn't matter if the singer has lost some range and can't hit the high notes any longer. When you're a fucking legend, getting up on stage and performing for the fans makes up for those shortcomings.

It's not a karaoke contest.

Looking forward to your review.

I was going to mention this in my review... spot on. Elton's definitely older but he handles it very gracefully as far as changing the melodies when he needs to and tastefully staying away from the highs he can't do any more. His voice still sounds incredibly warm and powerful overall. The performance more than makes up for a few notes no longer being in his vocal arsenal. Billy, for his part, has barely lost ANYTHING vocally. Even singers who keep their range still sound "older" later on.. their overall timbre changes. Not so for Billy tonight. Great great stuff.

[squirt1]

When Elton 1st came on the scene in 1970 I told my sister in law this is huge . We attended the Goodby Yellow Brick Road tour. I was disapointed that he did not dress as the Statue of Liberty as on the cover of Time magazine, We had festival seating at the time and sat 1/4 up and on the side so I could see those flying fingers . Billy came somewhat later but has much of the same talent so these 2 together are music history!

[Don]

What a coincidence, turned on the Telly and there was Elton on ABC, an older concert performed at the Royal Opera House with the Royal Symphany Orchestra.

[Don]

I'll probably post a longer review tomorrow, I'm wrecked from Frontiers and beers last night and music and beers tonight (3.5 hr show tonight!). But for now I just want to say that these guys are two consummate fuckin professional performers and the (steep) ticket price is worth every penny. Unbelievable. More to come.

Finally, this proves my point. It doesn't matter if the singer has lost some range and can't hit the high notes any longer. When you're a fucking legend, getting up on stage and performing for the fans makes up for those shortcomings.

It's not a karaoke contest.

Looking forward to your review.

I was going to mention this in my review... spot on. Elton's definitely older but he handles it very gracefully as far as changing the melodies when he needs to and tastefully staying away from the highs he can't do any more. His voice still sounds incredibly warm and powerful overall. The performance more than makes up for a few notes no longer being in his vocal arsenal. Billy, for his part, has barely lost ANYTHING vocally. Even singers who keep their range still sound "older" later on.. their overall timbre changes. Not so for Billy tonight. Great great stuff.

When you sober up, can you give us a setlist or something either of them played?

[weatherman90]

I had the same exact feeling after I saw the show. Both are incredible showmen, and even though Elton may have lost range, it's not noticeable.

[Ehwmatt]

Set list was great... plenty of hits and some deeper cuts for both.

To start with, the two come out alone, unaccompanied for the first two songs before Elton's band joins them for Don't Let The Sun and then Billy's band comes out too and they all play My Life. Then Billy and his band leave:

Elton+Billy:

“Your Song,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” “My Life”

Elton:
“Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,” “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” “Burn Down the Mission,” “Madman Across the Water,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Daniel,” “Rocket Man,” “Levon,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Crocodile Rock”

Billy:
“Angry Young Man,” “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” “Allentown,” “Zanzibar,” “Don’t Ask Me Why,” “She’s Always a Woman,” “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” “River of Dreams,” “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “It’s Still Rock ‘n’ Roll to Me,” “Only the Good Die Young”

Encore with Both Bands/Joel+John:
“I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” “Uptown Girl,” “The Bitch Is Back,” “You May Be Right,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Birthday,” “Back in the U.S.S.R.,”

Bands exit, Billy and Elton remain:

“Candle in the Wind,” “Piano Man”

[S2M]

Saw them at the first Face2Face at Foxboro Stadium....I was so far back it didn't even feel like I was there...

Did they have the respective giant flags this time? And were those huge screens on each side for the people like me in the nosebleeds?

[Ehwmatt]

Overall, here's a few more general thoughts:

The stage production is awesome. All kinds of moving set pieces, lights, band placement etc.

The overall mix was incredibly good. Crystal clear and a perfect volume. You could hear every nuance of every instrument, right down to the little clicky percussion thing during Funeral for a Friend.

Both guys are great performers, but I was surprised Elton didn't talk to the crowd more. But he's still funny in his own quirky way, right down to his outfit of course. Billy was hilarious from the get-go, doing a hilarious little dance when he first came out, funny bantering in between songs, and some funny little mannerisms etc.

It's really hard to decide who I liked more. I'd give the slight edge to Billy if someone forced me to, simply because his band had a more contemporary sound and having two-three guitars just gave it a bigger overall sound. Plus, his voice hasn't changed a bit. This was a very pleasant surprise because he doesn't sound all that great on the last few DVDs I have. Maybe he cut down on the boozing. But don't get me wrong, Elton's band was great and flawless. I just felt like Billy's band had a bit more oomph to their sound. I think a lot of people come away preferring Elton since he does have a bit more of a pedigree than Billy, so fuck it, I'll score one for Billy.

Elton playing Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding for his very first song was just great. Probably my very favorite song by him and it didn't disappoint live. It was really pretty amazing that six guys reproduced all the nuances/layers on that song so flawlessly. Other highlights of Elton's set for me were "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Rocket Man," "I'm Still Standing," and the title track from "Madman Across The Water."

Billy's set was great as well. It was pretty standard hits for the most part, but deep cuts "Zanzibar" and "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" were great to hear and all the hits sounded great. River of Dreams had a nice surprise for the Ohio crowd as they broke into "Hang On Sloopy" for a verse. Allentown, Angry Young Man, and We Didn't Start The Fire rounded out my favorites of Billy's set. Never cared much for Still Rock N Roll, would have rather heard A Matter of Trust, I Go To Extremes, or really any other song. Only the Good Die Young is overplayed but probably a must for him and it's a fun song, however tired of it I am.

The encore with both together was great. My favorites there were You May Be Right and the Bitch is Back. The two Beatles covers smoked, especially U.S.S.R. But I would have rather had one more Billy and Elton song. Candle in the Wind and Piano Man closed the night as it began, with just the two of them, two crisp pianos, and two great voices still holding strong after 3.5 hours.

My only major gripe is a pretty benign one: Even after 3.5 hours, there were still so many great songs, commercial hits even, that could have been played. These two are truly legends with incredible catalogues and I'm glad I got to see them at least once before they hang it up.

Everything else was perfect, even down to the small details: The show started right on time, which is always nice. Billy also came out literally 30 seconds after Elton exited following his set. There was no down time or drag at all to this concert. It just kept going. Anyway, that's all I got.

[Marzdog]

My only major gripe is a pretty benign one: Even after 3.5 hours, there were still so many great songs, commercial hits even, that could have been played. These two are truly legends with incredible catalogues and I'm glad I got to see them at least once before they hang it up.

And this is what will make you go see them next time they come through; the possibility that they might play the other songs that they didn't play this time around.

[S2M]

Zanzibar is a deep cut, but Scenes From An Italian Restaurant is pretty known....

Now if he busted out, 'You're My Home', 'Rosalinda's Eyes', 'Roberta', or 'Somewhere Along the Line' that would be DEEP cuts!

Sounds like you had a good time....wish I could have seen them this time around....

[Ehwmatt]

A small taste...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHOWzDP3qso

Be sure to go HQ

[Moon Beam]

Thanks for slipping in a set list for us Sir!
Glad you had a good time.
One of these days I would love to see Elton pull out Cry To Heaven.

[stevew2]

I saw them both together about 10 years ago.Im not into Elton as much anymore,he keeps pushes that gay shit out on all his interveiws.If he likes having things in his butt, thats fine for him,Id rather hear him sing and play piano,then hear him talk about how he found 'the love of his life'.. gross. I hope he brushed his grill before his kissed Ellen{another fruit}on her show

[Don]

Wow, all the collaborations must have been a real treat.

[Ehwmatt]

I saw them both together about 10 years ago.Im not into Elton as much anymore,he keeps pushes that gay shit out on all his interveiws.If he likes having things in his butt, thats fine for him,Id rather hear him sing and play piano,then hear him talk about how he found 'the love of his life'.. gross. I hope he brushed his grill before his kissed Ellen{another fruit}on her show

Yeah, at least he doesn't say shit on stage though. I don't care if he's fruity. It sure was a treat to watch those guys play piano all night.

[brywool]

I saw them both together about 10 years ago.Im not into Elton as much anymore,he keeps pushes that gay shit out on all his interveiws.If he likes having things in his butt, thats fine for him,Id rather hear him sing and play piano,then hear him talk about how he found 'the love of his life'.. gross. I hope he brushed his grill before his kissed Ellen{another fruit}on her show

Elton's become the biggest bore in music. Can't stand him, a complete douche and the guy cannot laugh at ANYTHING. Just a creep.
I don't care if he's gay or not. Has nothing to do with it. The guy's just wayyyy too serious and just such a pompous ass.
Billy Joel, saw him about 15 years ago. Wasn't a fan at all. After the show, I bought like 5 of his albums. He put on a great show.
The guy was a really great entertainer.

[DracIsBack]

Finally, this proves my point. It doesn't matter if the singer has lost some range and can't hit the high notes any longer. When you're a fucking legend, getting up on stage and performing for the fans makes up for those shortcomings.

I saw Billy two summers ago when I was living in Minneapolis. He was absolutely astounding - one of the best performers I've ever seen. Not just a good musician but quite an entertainer.

On the range things, I've heard people say that he's lost a bunch of range (I think I remember him saying he can't sing as high as he used to). But at that show, I saw him do AN INNOCENT MAN and nail all the really high parts. You could tell he was concentrating very carefully to pull it off, but he definitely did it.

[Ehwmatt]

Finally, this proves my point. It doesn't matter if the singer has lost some range and can't hit the high notes any longer. When you're a fucking legend, getting up on stage and performing for the fans makes up for those shortcomings.

I saw Billy two summers ago when I was living in Minneapolis. He was absolutely astounding - one of the best performers I've ever seen. Not just a good musician but quite an entertainer.

On the range things, I've heard people say that he's lost a bunch of range (I think I remember him saying he can't sing as high as he used to). But at that show, I saw him do AN INNOCENT MAN and nail all the really high parts. You could tell he was concentrating very carefully to pull it off, but he definitely did it.

I mean he was downtuned on at least some of the songs, I could tell listening to the instruments, but still, he nailed all the melodies as they were written. Just a bit lower. Losing your range is when you're like Joe Elliot from Leppard, they downtune and he still sounds hoarse raspy and shitty.

[Saint John]

"Don't Let Your Son Go Down On Me..."

[stevew2]

"Don't Let Your Son Go Down On Me..."

LOL Crocodile Cock

[Moon Beam]

Elton's become the biggest bore in music. Can't stand him, a complete douche and the guy cannot laugh at ANYTHING. Just a creep.
I don't care if he's gay or not. Has nothing to do with it. The guy's just wayyyy too serious and just such a pompous ass.
Billy Joel, saw him about 15 years ago. Wasn't a fan at all. After the show, I bought like 5 of his albums. He put on a great show.
The guy was a really great entertainer.

I'm surprised by what you say here Sir, had you folded as a fan of Elton's tunes.
Thanks for offering up your two coppers worth, love reading others opinions.

[mikemarrs]

"Don't Let Your Son Go Down On Me..."

LOL Crocodile Cock

your dong

[stevew2]

"Don't Let Your Son Go Down On Me..."

LOL Crocodile Cock

your dong

Funeral for a Fag

[Saint John]

"The Itch Is Back"

[stevew2]

Blue Balls {blue eyes}

[DracIsBack]

You guys like making dumbass gay jokes like you're in a POLICE ACADEMY movie from the mid-1980s

[stevew2]

You guys like making dumbass gay jokes like you're in a POLICE ACADEMY movie from the mid-1980s

Im glad you dig it

[Gideon]

I'll probably post a longer review tomorrow, I'm wrecked from Frontiers and beers last night and music and beers tonight (3.5 hr show tonight!). But for now I just want to say that these guys are two consummate fuckin professional performers and the (steep) ticket price is worth every penny. Unbelievable. More to come.

Finally, this proves my point. It doesn't matter if the singer has lost some range and can't hit the high notes any longer. When you're a fucking legend, getting up on stage and performing for the fans makes up for those shortcomings.

It's not a karaoke contest.

Looking forward to your review.

If this was an allusion to Steve Perry, I'd have to disagree wholeheartedly. You're making a false analogy; Elton John and Billy Joel were not vocal juggernauts in the same tier as the great Steve Perry; the fact that the two of them have (relative to their prime) diminished vocals and are still able to put on awesome shows is more or less saying that the fact that Eric "Slowhand" Clapton can't shred like Steve Vai is a sign that he's still awesome. In the case of Clapton, he is not known for shredding or speed -- the fact that he can't do it doesn't diminish his legend because he's basically lost that which was irrelevant to his career to begin with. Joel nor John aren't world-class singers; they sound decent, still, but their skills lie more or less in the realm of well written songs and piano skills. That's why it doesn't matter if they can still "hit the high notes."

I personally have enormous respect for Steve Perry and his talents. That's why I won't "settle" for anything less than awesome vocal work. Does that mean I wouldn't listen to his new material or condemn him as a terrible singer? No. I just recognize that he is no longer the best.

The mentality around here seems to be because he is Steve Perry, he is automatically awesome, regardless of whether or not the quality of his work reflects that accolade.

So, yes, when it comes to a legendary SINGER, whether or not he can hit the high notes is very much importand and very much relevant. At least to me.