Elton, Billy @ the X
Posted on May 6th, 2009 – 1:35 AMBy Jon Bream
Elton John and band were on auto-pilot as much as Billy Joel was on and in the moment.
Elton’s performance Tuesday at the X felt like his Vegas’ “Red Piano” shows minus the awesome videos by David LaChappele. Short, sweet and pretty much rote, though Elton stretched out on piano on two tunes.
By contrast, Billy cut loose, throwing in some Prince piano passages, a version of “1999″ and a Bob Dylan impression. Billy knew he was in Minne.
When BJ and EJ collaborated, there weren’t the sparks and playfulness I remember from their 2001 and 2003 Twin Cities joint appearances but it still upped the ante.
Here is what they played:
1. Your Song (EJ/BJ) 2. Just the Way You Are (EJ/BJ) 3. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me (EJ/BJ and members of both bands) 4. My Life (EJ/BJ and both bands)
EJ & band set 5. Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding 6. Saturday Night Is Alright 7. Burn Down the Mission 8. Madman Across the Water 9. Tiny Dancer 10. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 11. Daniel 12. Rocket Man 13. Levon 14. I’m Still Standing 15. Crocodile Rock
BJ & band set: 16. Prelude/Angry Young Man 17. Movin Out 18. Allentown 19. Zanzibar 20. Don’t Ask Me Why 21. Always a Woman 22. Scenes from Italian Restaurant 23. River of Dreams/1999 24. We Didn’t Start the Fire 25. It’s Still Rock n Roll to Me 26. Only the Good Die Young
BJ/EJ and bands 27. I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues 28. Uptown Girl 29. The Bitch Is Back 30. You May Be Right 31. Bennie and the Jets 32. Birthday/Back In USSR (Beatles)
BJ/EJ together w/o band 33. Candle in the Wind 34. Piano Man
What did you think of the show?
16 Responses to "Elton, Billy @ the X"
I’d seen Billy Joel several times before, but went to this show for the opportunity to see Elton John, whom I had never seen perform. Joel definitely had more energy and the crowd responded better to him. Still, its a bit disconcerting to other old-timers like me because he looks more like Jim Cramer from Mad Money these days than he does like the angry young man.
Incredible show. It’s been 3 or 4 years since I’ve been to a concert. Was disappointed that EJ didn’t introduce his band. I know who they are, but come on, give them their props.
I honestly went to see EJ, but thought Billy stole the show. Would definitely see them again.
They can still rock their a**es off!
I agree that Elton John did not perform like he had in past shows in the Twin Cities, but when you are in your 60’s and can still play the piano like him, he deserves a lot of credit. Billy did steal the show. Both are showing their age….overall good concert. Worth every dime.
I expected a good show and it was just awesome! I may never see a better concert!
Great concert! Billy Joel performs - Elton John was good too, but not as animated or fun.
I’d heard for a few years that Billy was fading and that Elton stole the show. As a fan of both, but a bigger fan of Billy’s (come on, EVERYONE has his greatest hits albums and knows all his songs!) I was pleasantly surprised by how much Billy Joel stole the show. He was phenomenal. And Elton was still solid. Worth every penny once, for sure.
The main review is basically right on.
I’m a huge fan of EJ and have been to see many times including two Red Piano shows. I told my son, who is now 18 that the next time EJ came to town that I would take him. Disappointed that it would be with Billy Joel, the show was not a disappointment!! Like someone else said, EJ & the band seemed to be on auto pilot, but it was still to me a fantastic performance!! Also, did’nt like that EJ did not introduce his band even though I know who they all are! BJ was fun to watch with his wit and energy. EJ’s Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding was the highlight for me!!
This show rocked! EJ/BJ are two of my top three, if the Eagles had opened for them, there’s my trifecta! At any rate, what everyone is missing is that EJ is a showman, and BJ is an entertainer. They are a perfect complement to each other, and neither one mised a beat. I only wished that I was in the front row. EJ has a polished act, and BJ goes for the rough around the edges act. They both were great, but I do agree that I wish that EJ had introduced his band. EJ signed autographs and shook hands, while BJ was rather aloof as to direct contact. I would love to see the show again, there’s just so much to see.
It was pure fun! And your smug and over-critical reviewer, a malcontent for sure, missed the weaving in of The Girl from Ipanema. The thing about live performances (not lip-synced as BJ noted) is that they are subject to errors. ..but infinitely more exciting than something absolutely perfect. As for the back-up musicians- have you actually ever done that? Fries the brain. THe audience had a great time; too bad you didn’t!
I sat at the bar and put bread in the jar and said, man, what are doing here? I LOVED IT. I totally did forget about life for awhile.
I have seen these two perform individually and together on a number of occasions over the past 35 years. Last night, the place was packed with people (young and old) who appreciate the incredible musical contribution these two guys have made throughout their careers. It was another great performance, and all who attended should consider themselves lucky at the chance to see these two living legends perform live.
I am continually amazed at the armchair arrogance of the those that want to be critical after experiencing a performance like this. Elton John and Billy Joel are not one-hit wonders, and comments like “his band being on auto pilot”, “finally finding a groove”, “aka Hello Gold Brick Road”, and finally, a self imposed op/ed on Billy Joel’s current marriage suggest that the reviewer should look for work at TMZ, the National Enquier, or Entertainment Tonight, instead of offering us his lame musical opinions.
Elton John and Billy Joel are musical icons, whose musical contributions are literally woven into, and are part of, the fabric of american culture. Very few musicians can compete with thier musical resumes. They have been performing thier music since the 70’s, and are among the most talented musicians ever.
Get off your high horse, and appreciate how lucky you are to have the opportunity to experience their musical contributions. If you can’t do that, let someone else use your ticket next time!
I think that Elton was far better than Billy. Elton performed exquisitley while Billy almost turned it into a comedy act with crude humor and language that should not be used for a general admission. Elton is and always will be far superior. granted Billy was superb, Elton was far better. Give elton the credit that is do for once Jon! I have seen elton 7 times in concert and you have never said one good thing about him. Dont show partiality to one particular artist! I wonder if you attend the same concert that is given, cause u are always way off!
Having growing up with these two legends, they proved that you can still put on an great show with alots of energy for someone in their 60’s. They are still top performers and once again have shown the music of the 60’s and 70’s can’t be beat.
I have seen Elton John every time he has been to the Twin Cities since 1971. I have a scrapbook devoted to those concerts (especially the ones from high school). The funny thing is I have all the reviews, too. Jon bream has always been critical and way off in his reviews. I even wrote in my scrapbook “were you really there?”. I think the concert ROCKED! Had a blast! My daughter took me—a Christmas Gift—what a joy to share something from my high school days with my now grown daughter. We made a wonderful memory last night. Thanks to
Elton and Billy for the influence their music has always had on my life!
Kudos to these icons, for respecting each other’s music, and for taking us all away for 3.5 hours of first class entertainment, nostalgia (yes) with a whole lot of great musical moments tossed in. Special thanks to the female percussionist who knew the words and could soar the vocals on the 1999 fun bit, and we were all lucky to be witness to a “rock n roll f***up” by this band! And EJ gave us a healthy dose of piano improv that I will treasure.
I really wish I had gone to this show…I’ve seen each of them separately a couple of times (in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s) but neither in the last about 15 years. Elton and Billy always put on great, full length shows.
RE: Jon Bream, I have, over the years, suspected that he never attended the shows. He’s had errors about what songs were played and in what order, and when I’ve questioned them, there has never been a retraction or admission that he wasn’t there. He hates every show. My favorite example is that when The Who played here in ‘79 or ‘80 (a fantastic, long show with some rarely played songs and the debut of Kenney Jones on drums), I was trying desperately to get backstage. Bream, who was speaking with a representative of the band, was asked “What did you think about the show?” He replied “They sure left out some hits!!” It isn’t worth reading any review he writes, unless you just want to find out what songs were played — or in the case of The Who, what wasn’t!
