REVIEW

Written by Paul Roy
Published November 17, 2007

 

 

Although I have always been a big Elton John fan, I probably would have passed on this new concert DVD had I not seen the amazing set list and all of the rare bonus footage that was included.

I already own Sir Elton's excellent live greatest hits DVD, One Night Only , from 2001 so Elton 60 would have to offer something pretty damn special for me to shell out more of my hard earned money on this aging legend performing these same songs again.

Not only is it special, but it is also one of the best bargains of the year. Setting aside the 33-song, three-hour, main concert feature, which is pretty incredible in its own right, you also get an additional two hours worth of live, rare, and unseen bonus material to boot. We're talking previously unreleased live performances going back as far as 1970. The bonus material alone would have been well worth the asking price for this DVD.

The suitably titled Elton 60 marked Elton John's record-breaking 60th sellout performance at Madison Square Garden, New York City, which just so happened to also take place on his 60th birthday. The performance was recorded on March 25th, 2007 and was televised to a worldwide audience.

The format for this concert was commendable. I was half expecting it to start off with some kind of garish birthday tribute featuring adorations from all of Elton's celebrity friends but surprisingly it got right down to the business at hand - the music. Elton walks out to a dimly lit stage and receives a warm ovation from the celebrity-filled New York City crowd.

He takes an appreciative bow and dispenses a few waves of the hand to his fans, then he takes to his piano and launches right into the damn-near 60-year old song "Sixty Years On" from his 1970 self-titled second album. Great start so far.

I was sitting there with this huge shit-eating grin on my face throughout the entire first part of the show, because it featured mostly lesser known, and rarely performed, gems like "Holiday Inn," "Hercules," "Ballad of a Well Known Gun," and "Where to Now St. Peter?" from his early '70s masterpieces like Honky Chateau, Tumbleweed Connection, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, and Madman Across The Water. These are what your local rock radio station might refer to as "deep cuts."

Most people, unfortunately, only know Elton's music from his greatest hits albums, but these brilliant performances show that those fantastic early albums really had to be appreciated in their entirety.

The stage was bright and colorful, looking like a giant, multicolored, kaleidoscope at times, with a huge video screen taking up the entire upper portion of the backdrop. The Brooklyn Youth Chorus was positioned behind the band, just below the video screen, and elevated one level above the main stage.

They made their first appearance five songs into the set during "Ballad of a Well Known Gun," adding some excellent background and harmony vocals throughout the remainder of the set. They were especially impressive during "Burn Down The Mission," helping Elton turn this performance into one of the most compelling I have ever heard.

One of Elton's most powerful and enduring ballads, "Levon," was given an alternate arrangement this night, which I didn't particularly care for. I can certainly understand the man wanting to change things up after performing the song for more than 35 years, but his vocals, in particular, sounded terrible on this performance. Some of these old classics you just don't want to see messed with too much either.

Fortunately, the bonus material includes an amazing 1971 performance of the song from the old BBC2 television show Sounds For Saturday. The difference in his vocals was stunning.

Elton more than made up for it next, when he rewarded the audience with a moving performance of "Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)", where he first talked about the night in 1974 when he was joined onstage by a petrified John Lennon, who had agreed to do so if the song they made together, "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night," ever made it to #1. It did.

Elton introduced the song with the following remarks: "I only ever sing this song at this place, because it's the only place that is appropriate to sing it, and because it is too upsetting for me to sing it anywhere else." What a treat it was to see this rare performance played so marvelously.

At this point, the music is put on hold temporarily as Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams take the stage to give Elton, "a man who used to make Liberace look Amish," according to Williams, his birthday tribute.

They eventually welcome Elton's long-time lyricist (40 years this year) Bernie Taupin to the stage, to lead the crowd, which included such celebrities as Michael Caine, Kiefer Sutherland, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Rosy O'Donnell, Brian Wilson, and Mr. Rock Star himself, Bill Clinton, into singing "Happy Birthday."

When the show continues, it is more of a run through of the greatest hits. It is during the ballads like "Daniel", "Rocket Man" and "Tiny Dancer", where Elton's diminished vocals really start to show their weakness. In 1986, Elton lost his voice during his Australian tour, and he underwent throat surgery later that year. He has certainly made an admirable recovery, but the inclusion of all of the amazing vintage performances on these DVDs, really show how much has been lost.

The end of the set builds to a climax with some of Elton's more rocking numbers: "The Bitch Is Back;" "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting;" and the epic "Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding".

The not so guitar-friendly mix and the absence of a second guitarist to accompany Davey Johnstone took some of the bite out of these songs, but it was still an amazing finish that left you wanting more.

Elton 60 is a remarkable two-disc DVD package, with stellar production values all around, and over five total hours worth of material. The package includes a 36-page booklet that features a separate page for each song performed, including the album it came from, writing credits, and a vintage photo.

Audio is presented in both DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, as well as PCM stereo, and they each sounded flawless.

The widescreen picture is one of the cleanest and sharpest I have seen, and David Mallet's camera direction was outstanding as usual.

Set List
01. Sixty Years On
02. Madman Across the water
03. Where to Now St. Peter?
04. Hercules
05. Ballad of a Well Known Gun
06. Take Me to the Pilot
07. High Flying Bird
08. Holiday Inn
09. Burn Down The Mission
10. Better Off Dead
11. Levon
12. Empty Garden
13. Daniel
14. Honky Cat
15. Rocket Man
16. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
17. The Bridge
18. Roy Rogers
19. Mona Lisa's And Mad Hatters
20. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
21. Bennie And The Jets
22. All the Girls Love Alice
23. Tiny Dancer
24. Something About The Way You Look Tonight
25. Philadelphia Freedom
26. Sad Songs (Say So Much)
27. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
28. I'm Still Standing
29. The Bitch Is Back
30. Crocodile Rock
31. Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
32. Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding
33. Your Song

Ratings:
Performance 8/10
Production 10/10

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Elton John likely to hold fundraising dinner for Paddick

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/view.php?id=6470

 

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6th January 2008 15:20
PinkNews.co.uk writer

Sir Elton John and his partner, the film producer David Furnish, are thought to be preparing to hold a fundraising dinner for Brian Paddick, the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of London.

Brian Paddick, previously the most senior openly gay police officer in Britain told LBC last month that he was likely to be backed by the celebrity couple (transcript below).

Mr Paddick attended the couple's wedding. They have an enviable address book and have consistently shown their stellar ability to raise money, particularly for Sir Elton's AIDs foundation.

The backing is thought by some to be a move to make Mr Paddick more popular within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community who could contribute as many as 1 million votes in the election.

However, PinkNews.co.uk editor Tony Grew told The Sunday Times: "I wouldn't say that he would have any special appeal because most gay people will be voting on everyday issues, such as transport and taxes."

"Paddick is a political virgin," he added.

Speaking to Nick Ferrari, Mr Paddick said that if elected he would alter the role of Police Community Support Officers in order to free police officers from paperwork and return them to frontline policing.

The 49-year-old faces incumbent Ken Livingstone and Tory candidate Boris Johnson in next May's election.

Mr Paddick came to public prominence as borough commander of Lambeth, when his policy of targeting resources at class A drug dealers and taking a more relaxed approach to cannabis use caused right-wing outrage.

The policy was popular with locals, and his direct style of policing helped to foster a trust and respect with many who viewed the police with suspicion.

He has been critical of the decision of Prime Minister Gordon Brown to raise the classification of cannabis to a Class B substance, but said he thinks the drug is harmful.

Mr Paddick called for a public enquiry into the terrorist attacks on London on July 7th 2005, something the government insists is unnecessary.

The election for Mayor of London will be held on May 1st 2008. Mr Livingstone is seeking a third four-year term of office.

TRANSCRIPT OF LBC INTERVIEW

Nick Ferrari: Have you got any celebrity friends that are going to help you?

Brian Paddick: A couple of them have suggested they might help yes.

Nick Ferrari: And who might they be?

Brian Paddick: I wouldn't want spoil the surprise.

Nick Ferrari: Let me put it another way, it's been suggested to me that you are quite friendly with Sir Elton John and David Furnish and they might come out and help you in some fashion and support you, do something.

Brian Paddick: Yes I've heard that one as well.

Nick Ferrari: Don't be all, we all like you because you're not a politician. Is that true?

Brian Paddick: Yes it is.