The fist time Elton John and Billy Joel toured together in 1994, it was a stadium-filling success and one of the top grossing tours that year. The coupling of these two ivory pounders, back on tour this year, was a stroke of genius by some undoubtedly now-economically-elated promoter.
Money motives aside, the pairing makes sense in a lot of artistic ways, not just by the common thread of both being piano players. After all, John has been part of many successful duets (e.g. George Michael, Kiki Dee). Teaming up has usually been a good move for him, although there was that dud of a song he did with Lee Ann Rimes in 1997.
While both men are great baby grand recitalists, they have never been linked in the category of legendary keyboard-men (in the vein of Jerry Lee Lewis/Little Richard). None of this matters, as both have catalogues for which most performers would sell their eternal essence. And while many have squabbled over the high ticket price for the tour - Joel even called the prices "ridiculous," but sarcastically followed that comment up with "well, at least I know my kid is gonna go to Harvard" - patrons have gladly shelled out the cash for this duo to sell out five nights at the Fleet Center.
Taking the stage together at the show's onset, John and Joel played three ballads, sharing lead vocal duties. Though it's hard to remember a time when a concert opened with a ballad - let alone three - Joel's "Just The Way You Are," sandwiched between Elton's "Your Song" and "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," worked surprisingly well. After Joel's exit, Elton, with his full band in tow, delved into an hour and a half of material, most of which was unexpectedly drawn from his heady '70s repertoire.
Opening his solo set with the amazing "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" collage, from his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album, was a treat for the more hardcore listeners, but left many a new generation fan a bit bewildered.
Digging up classic rock chestnuts, John blended '70s standards ("Take Me to The Pilot," "Levon," and "Philadelphia Freedom") with early '80s smashes ("I'm Still Standing"), and wisely passed over nearly all of his '90s material. Strangely, Elton's newer songs ("I Want Love" and "This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore") met with lukewarm, but polite audience response, which is sad, as his latest Songs from the West Coast CD is his most complete work in years. Backed by a crack quartet that included his longtime guitarist, Davy Johnston, and powerhouse drummer, Nigel Olsen, John finished his set with the bouncy "Crocodile Rock," during which he let the audience take over on the nonsensical chorus, no doubt in part to preserve his voice from cracking.
If John's musical range was ever in question, it should be put to rest. For all the abuse he's taken for some of his more maudlin numbers, i.e. the Lion King soundtrack, his output more than makes up for his missteps. Hell, even Elvis Presley (who John is neck and neck with in Top 40 hit totals) made some bad musical choices when it came to soundtracks (if you don't agree, just try listening to the soundtracks to G.I. Blues or Clambake sometime).
As quickly as John left the stage, Joel returned. After a few self-deprecating comments about the botched hair cut he tried to perform on himself (can't he afford a Flowbee with those ticket prices?), he reached back to The Stranger album for the epic "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant." While the song of young love gone awry and the memories of mid-'70s New York may seem dated to some, it really is one of Joel's more ambitious early works.
His uncorking of "New York State of Mind" was an expected move for the all-too-proud Long Island native, but his unearthing of the obscure, but stellar, "Miami 2017," a song about bizarre events in New York was a surprise. The tune had also been a highlight of Joel's set at the "Concert for New York" last October.
Much like his touring partner, Joel has made a couple of blunders along the way. Whereas Elton concealed his bad judgements at the concert, Joel was all to happy give a history lesson and strap on a guitar for his annoying "We Didn't Start The Fire." In fact, when Joel first strapped on his Gibson, he spoke out about how unfair it was that Aussie rockers AC/DC had not been inducted by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the second year in a row (Billy Joel...an AC/DC fan?).
With that, Joel introduced a bulky roadie, (named Chainsaw!) and picked up the mic for a blistering version of "Highway to Hell." A truly cool move by Joel, if only he hadn't messed it up by playing the oft-covered "Fire." That aside, his set-concluding "Only The Good Die Young" was hot enough to make up for any minor sins he committed.
Gathering together after Joel's set, the duo once again traded vocals, but on some more buoyant tunes this time. The upbeat feel of Joel's tale of weekend debauchery, "You May Be Right," and John's prima-donna-ish "The Bitch Is Back," meshed well, but the mood was brought down a bit for a nice nod to the late George Harrison on "Here Comes The Sun." The energetic mood quickly returned with a cover of "Great Balls of Fire."
The show-ending "Piano Man" was appropriate for these two veterans who certainly don't need each other to sell tickets, but complement each other's style in a now-celebrated manner. In a business ripe with overactive egos, it is nice to see two of the most successful performers of all time still humble enough to share the spotlight.
