Elton John

Madison Square Garden
October 15 & 16, 1999
New York City, NY USA

Another fabulous Elton weekend. This time for the 2 shows at Madison Square Garden. The setlist hasn't changed since Boston -- and I am grateful. When I saw the setlist for this leg of the tour posted, it thrilled me to see some very cool changes and no deletions since except Sacrifice and Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.

On Friday I was sitting in the lower level behind the stage and had an excellent view of Elton's left side, as well as his hands on the keys and their reflection in the piano. He was wearing a black suit, the same black suit I saw him wear in Chattanooga earlier this year. It has sequined Medusas on the back left shoulder and the left front pocket.

The set has changed considerably since I last saw him in Providence. The Medusa disks and back panels have been replaced by a chandelier of stage lighting that hangs over Elton's piano. At the bottom of this fixture there is another Medusa head.

The new adds to the set all pretty much lived up to my expectations. Harmony was gorgeous, and it was the first time I heard it live since I first saw Elton in 1980. Sweet Painted Lady was fun to hear, but I think it could've benefited by a faster tempo. Philadelphia Freedom was slower and more soulful than when he sings it with the band. I like the rockin' version better. Elton's Song was exquisite. It's my favorite song of his without a Taupin lyric. I was afraid he might put too much synthesized sound into it (as he does on Daniel), but it was just mildly modified. Pure and simple, just as it should be. Empty Garden was the emotional high point of the evening and the only time Elton really had anything substantial to say. He reminisced on the night John Lennon joined him onstage there and the crowd went nuts. Burn Down The Mission was fun to hear again, but he didn't throw himself into it as much as I've seen him do in the past. Ticking, Carla Etude, Tonight, and Take Me To The Pilot are still the real highlights of the show for me, and the reason why, if I have any say in where my seat is, I prefer to be on the left side, so I can watch him play.

The times during the show I really missed seeing every expression on his face were during Empty Garden because of emotional content and during Pilot and Bennie when he plays with such intensity. Crocodile Rock got the crowd on its feet. I know the floor at the Garden moves when people are up dancing, but it really surprised me to feel the cement floor of the lower bowl of the arena vibrating under my feet. It was a scary sensation, like a mild earthquake or airplane turbulence.

The performance Friday was just about perfect in every way. The sound quality was nice and clear, even behind the stage. It didn't even occur to me until well into the show that Elton had heart surgery over the summer. His energy level is the same, but then these solo shows never had any jumping around.

Still they are long and require a great deal of stamina, and he pulled it off. I was also concerned about the size of the venue in relation to the intimacy of the show. From where I was sitting it worked fine, but I have no idea how it looked to the people in the 400 levels at the far end of the arena.

I know that on earlier shows in the tour Elton was dedicating Candle In The Wind to all the suffering people in the world, but at MSG he dedicated it to us. The Garden is his favorite place to play and he made it a point to let us know. Aside from that there were no special dedications.

On Saturday I was on the far left aisle of the floor near the stage, so I personally had a lot more fun than I had on Friday. I could get in to every song, and really felt like I was part of it. I was able to get to the front of the stage at the very beginning of the show long enough to take a couple of pictures before security sent everyone back.

I was also able to get down there for the autograph sweep after Burn Down The Mission. Elton signed my Five Years Of Fun book for me. It's the most unusual thing I have in my collection of Elton stuff. For those not familiar with it, it was a limited edition book published in 1975 to commemorate the 5th anniversary of Elton's debut performance at The Troubadour.

On a personal note I got a special treat that evening. I had the opportunity to meet and briefly speak with David Furnish. First, I told him he was the luckiest man in the world and he agreed with me. He then thanked me for being supportive and coming to the show, and he asked me how I was enjoying it. I showed him my recently autographed book with a look of total delight on my face, and I said I am loving it (understatement). I asked him my one burning question "Will there be a sequel to Tantrums and Tiaras" and he said "Not in the immediate future." So, that's either a diplomatic no, or he isn't ruling it out.

I was also able to get down in front of the stage next to the piano from Crocodile Rock on. A more centered view and some more great photo opportunities just add to the fun. I'm pretty much anticipating it all night, and it's such a release when I can run down there and stay for the duration.

He is so expressive during Bennie And The Jets, it's nice to be somewhere I can see his face. So, on a personal level I would have to say the Saturday's show was better, but on an artistic and emotional level as far as Elton is concerned, Friday's show was better. Friday's performance was pretty flawless and smooth, but on Saturday he really screwed up the lyrics to Better Off Dead -- nearly forgot a whole verse. Not even the teleprompter could save him.

Your Song
Skyline Pigeon
The Greatest Discovery
Border Song
Harmony
Daniel
Honky Cat
Rocket Man
Tiny Dancer
Better Off Dead
Philadelphia Freedom
Elton's Song
Sweet Painted Lady
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
Ticking
Carla/Etude
Tonight
Burn Down The Mission
The One
Blue Eyes
Empty Garden
Take Me To The Pilot
Levon
Crocodile Rock
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me

Circle of Life
Bennie and The Jets


Candle in the Wind


Review and Pictures By Elizibeth Wilcox