Elton John: Appeciate

[VintagePunk]

Elton John: Appreciate

It was suggested to me earlier that I should have created a new thread, as opposed to contributing to the "Elton is a small, petty queen who bitches about Madonna" thread, and yeah, I probably should have.

The fact is, WOW. Holding his prolific catologue against anyone else from '69 to the early 80's? After that, he may have broken with Taupin for a while, to become mainly a/c / Disney, but the fact is, even when he does lame genres, he does them well!

And going back to his early catalogue, does anyone do it better?

I've been a fan for years, but earlier tonight just got Elton John Dream Ticket: Four Destinations, Four DVDs, and I LOVE it. To one of the original 70's pianomen/glam artists

 

[Lila64]

'Your Song"

 

[U2Man]

Great songwriter.

 

[Rochelle D]

Great songwriter.

he is a great songwriter, he also puts on a amazing live show

 

[Canadiens1131]

Made In England is the cheesy romp of the week for me. Woo woo!

 

[one4u2]

I love Elton John I've seen him live many times, he's definately one of my favorite performers

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

'Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters'

 

[1stepcloser]

Elton John>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Madonna

 

[Greenlight]

Yes, I love 70s Elton, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road has to be one of my all time favourite albums. Can't say I'm really into his later stuff but isn't he supposed to be bringing out a follow up with Taupin to Captain Fantastic soon? may be interesting.

 

[sami0201]

Elton

 

[Carek1230]

Elton

Daniel
Your Song
Bennie and the Jets
Candle in the Wind
Crocodile Rock


Wow, the list of favorites could go on and on. The only thing that really pissed me off about Elton is I went to see him in Oakland in the early to mid 80's and the show sucked major ass. He was late. He came out on the stage and sat at his piano and started playing, didn't interact with the audience or talk between songs. We walked out. He was just not in a good place in his life obviously. We could have sat at home listening to his cd's (which I will never stop doing) rather than paying for concert tickets and going out fighting crowds to see him. I've forgiven the man though.

 

[love_u2_adam]

ohh ya this man rocks!!!

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

'Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters'

I love Elton. I'd love to see him live one day.

 

[JCOSTER]

Out of all the people I've never seen live.

I love the song Daniel ....loved the named so much I named my 1st son Daniel.

 

[shortfuse]

My mom used to love Elton.... so when i was growing up i listened to alot of his music... and i still think its great.

Rocket man
whitewash county
the one
dont let the sun........
your song

so many good tracks.....

 

[one4u2]

Funeral For A Friend, Levon, Empty Garden, Tiny Dancer

 

[sami0201]

So this new album that's coming out, do you think he will do a full tour to promote it?

 

[BluRmGrl]

The Bitch is Back
Rocket Man
Tiny Dancer
Don't Let the Sun....
Saturday Night's Alright...
Yellow Brick Road
etc., etc,. etc.

OK, so he's a hissy-fit queen in the largest fashion & I don't much care for his later work, but damn, that man could rock a piano like nobody's business back in the day! I grew up loving him & still have a special place for him in my heart.

 

[fah]

Love him

Going to see him on September 27th...row 18 on the floor

Levon

 

[LemonMelon]

Tumbleweed Connection
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

70's Elton John in general...

 

[pgv]

He's such a diva, I love him
your song..
Ewan mcgregor killed it in moulin rouge.

 

[VintagePunk]

Three more sleeps till I see him.

Fah, for some inexplicable reason, the venue I'm seeing him at sells VERY slowly, no matter who's playing. And granted, I did try at the beginning of a presale...but I could have gotten 3rd row floors. Given the number of shows I'm seeing in a very short time, I opted for more reasonably priced ticket in the stands. But dammit, if it hadn't been for the other shows, I would have gotten those floors!

 

[jimmmm]

Loved most of his '70's stuff, saw him at Wembley Stadium in '84, can't say I was overly impressed with his live show, or maybe he just had an off night that night.

 

[sami0201]

OMG VP that's so exciting!!!

I'm so jealous! You will have an amazing time!!

 

[one4u2]

Going to his show tonight 20th row

 

[VintagePunk]

Have a great time, and report back!

Wish you could come with us, Sami!

 

[fah]

Have a great time tonight

 

[one4u2]

What an unbelieveable show! Great set! The man is genius and his voice is I could see him over & over

 

[VintagePunk]

We saw Sir Elton last night, and it was truly a phenomenal show! After more decades of concert-going than I care to remember, he is probably the 3rd best live performer I've ever seen.

Due to some unforseen parking snafus, the music started just as we were seated. I'm counting myself very lucky that we got there on time, because I wouldn't have wanted to miss a second of it. The setlist, and some random notes/thoughts:

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
Bennie and the Jets
it was at this point that he said he enjoys coming to Canada, it's like a second home to him now because he's half Canadian. I was puzzled for about two seconds before I realized that he was referring to his husband being Canadian.

Philadelphia Freedom
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
I was quite surprised to hear him say that this song had been taken out of the setlist for a few years, and that it was only put back in recently!

Believe
Tiny Dancer
I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues
Take Me to the Pilot
this song was preceded by a 5 minute piano interlude in which the band members left the stage, and the spotlight was on Elton. During this lengthy solo, he played snippets of classical, rock, gospel and honky-tonk piano, switching seamlessly between all of them. While I'm generally of the belief that extended solos are nothing but unnecessary wanking, and they bore me to tears, this was truly enchanting.

I Want Love
while like most other people, I prefer Elton's earlier material, I really like this song, and was glad to hear it. The video he did for this starring the wayward yet lovable Robert Downey Jr., and it's companion piece, the one with Justin Timberlake, they were both poignant and beautiful. And that's the nicest thing you'll ever hear me say about Timberlake.

Someone Saved My Life Tonight
This song was my introduction to what would become a life-long love affair with Elton.

Postcards From Richard Nixon
Tinderbox
Blues Never Fade Away
The Bridge
The Captain and the Kid
Prior to starting this set of songs from the new album, Elton introduced them by saying "I know it's awful to sit through songs you don't know, but please bear with us while we play these five new ones - we can't get them played on radio, so this is the only way they can be heard." What a sad reflection on radio today. If you're not hip-hop, faux punk/overly emotional or indie, you don't make the cut. I felt so awful for him, at that point, I would have gladly sat through the entire album. For those of you who don't know, the new album is thematically linked to Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. According to Elton's intro, it picks up around 1970 when they first toured the US, and goes to 2005, with songs about his and Bernie Taupin's relationship over the years. In order, the songs are about: the climate in the US when they first arrived; his and Taupin's relationship during a rocky period; the premature loss of people from one's life; times in one's life where you're at a fork in the road, faced with choices, and making the best decision so that you don't look back in regret; and finally, a song summing up him and Taupin. Interestingly, the final song on the new album has pretty much the same music and melody as the first and title song off of Captain Fantastic, as the two songs are meant to bookend the albums. My take on the new material given that last night was my first exposure to it is this - while I didn't hear any epics, or instant classics, it was definitely a return to Elton as singer/pianist/songwriter, without the Disney-fied, adult contemporary tone of recent years. I'll definitely be picking it up.

Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters
Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
this song, while I never disliked it, was always quite low on my echelon of Elton songs. Last night changed that. Wow. So profoundly sad. An unexpected moment that gave me chills.

Rocket Man
Daniel
Levon
Crocodile Rock
The Bitch is Back
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

Encore:

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Your Song


He played for just over 2 1/2 hours. It was an incredible night. Like Christmas, where every gift you unwrap gets better and better.

 

[one4u2]

^ Well said! He is amazing