There are now 9 blocks between me and Madison Square Garden and I'm still not sure how I'm feeling about tonight's Elton John concert.
The show started strong, with a piano-driven set straight from the 70s that included some of my favorites: "Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding," "Levon," and "Philadelphia Freedom." But it quickly became apparent that Elton was compensating for what he has lost vocally with painfully long piano solos. "Rocket Man" clocking in at 15 minutes, really??
1) They usually don't have an opening act because they want to get home before midnight just as much as I do.
2) They are wise enough to know we really don't care about their new body of work.
Well, Elton forgot #2 and spent an hour playing his new duets with Leon Russell. Now, Leon seems like a nice rock and roll hall of famer, but that is an hour of my life I'll never get back that could have been filled with "I'm Still Standing" and "Pinball Wizard." And just to prove that he knows everyone in the music biz, Greg Allman was dragged out to sing along with them.
The show ended strong with the usual string of hits, such as "Your Song" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me." Never my favorites, but it was a thrill to see a rock legend still enjoying what he does so thoroughly. And Elton was kind enough to skip his body of work from the 90s, so that was a plus. Something tells me that when Ruffo and I recall tonight, we will remember the laughs we had at our fellow fans' expense more than the music.
Next up: Elvis Costello @ The Beacon
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