Elton John - Elton 60
(Live At Madison Square Garden)
Performance
Production
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Elton John - Elton 60 Performance
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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 setlist 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. After taking an appreciative bow and dispensing a few waves of the hand to his fans, he takes to his piano and launches right into the damn-near 60 year old "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 70's 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 longtime 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-disk 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. The main concert performance is split between two disks, due to its sheer length and the inclusion of three audio tracks. The bonus material includes the following: Disc 1 - Live, Rare & Unseen: * To access the hidden track "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" press REPEAT ALL during the closing credits when "The Bridge" is playing. Reviewed by Paul M. Roy - November 2007 |
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Running Time: 198 Minutes |
DVD Release Date - October 2007 |