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Post by dougs on Jul 5, 2018 3:16:55 GMT
Band Line-up: FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD tour:
Just curious to hear if there has been any additions to EJ's band line-up for the upcoming final FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD tour.
I must say that I liked what EJ did for the ONE NIGHT ONLY shows where he had two drummers; Nigel Olsson & Curt Bisquera. Nigel is excellent on ballads and power ballads and Curt is interesting to listen to on the more upbeat songs. I wouldn't mind seeing such an arrangement on this final tour. I think that we would all love to see John Jorgenson return. He has such a mastery of a wide range of instruments that he really enriches Elton's songs. Just check out the MADE IN ENGLAND and THE BIG PICTURE tours on YouTube to see John's wide ranging contributions. He and Davey play superbly together.
Being EJ's last tour it might also be nice to see horns and backing vocalists as well. Hopefully the tour provides a fresh setlist and renditions. The tour is sneaking up on us; less than two months to go.
It will be bittersweet...
Doug
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Post by rocketman on Jul 7, 2018 16:34:39 GMT
Doug, I recently read a thread on reddit from a musician who said that Nigel's strength is the ballad, just as you said (he also said that Nigel's weakness was that he wasn't the best at driving a rock song, which he surmises may be the reason why Elton jettisoned him in 1975). And I agree that Curt Bisquera brought a good energy to the One Night Only shows. He just seems 'quicker' than Nigel - or maybe he just looked that way during the shows, I don't know.
In any case, I have not heard of any additions to the lineup, but I would at least like seeing backing vocalists added for a fuller vocal sound. I thought having the two cellists around a while back was cool too, or even just one. They added nice body to songs like Sixty Years On, especially absent a full orchestra. Having an extra guitarist like Jon Jorgenson, with his versatility on sax, would be nice too.
I think the band that Elton carried during the One Night Only period was really sharp, and having Ken Stacey and Billy Trudeau around really filled out the vocals, plus Stacey could play guitar.
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Post by dougs on Jul 8, 2018 5:11:32 GMT
rocketman:
Yeah, your comments about Nigel's talents lending themselves better to ballads seems to be accepted by many. He is a master at them. Can anyone else have that perfect touch to "Your Song" or "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me"? Also, he excels at drumming most of the songs that he recorded with EJ. I still think his drumming in "Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding" is the best of the many performances by other EJ drummers over the years.
Nigel has stated that he prefers the ballads and things like "Crocodile Rock" are not his favourite to drum to. Rock songs need energy and power and fills and not just keeping the tempo. I never saw Roger Pope live in EJ's concerts (1975-76) but there are lots of YouTube versions where Roger really rocks out with the band.
I read somewhere once that when Elton brought back "Bite Your Lip (Get Up and Dance!)" into the set list (2004) that on one particular night another drummer sat in for Nigel to do the song. This was a song that Nigel never recorded on and it is also a rock song. If true, it is a bit of a statement. We have noticed that Elton's set list after Nigel returned full time (2001) has seen the elimination of songs that Nigel didn't drum on in the studio; essentially the late 80s and all of the 90s. That is why I wonder if EJ will have multiple drummers on his FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD tour because one would hope that the set list covers the hits and best songs from his career and not just 1970 to 1984 which has been the case in most of the last several tours. Nigel excels at certain songs but another drummer could step in for things like "Simple Life" and "Healing Hands" and "Nikita" and "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" plus some of Elton's rock songs. Best of both worlds!
Doug
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Post by newloneranger on Jul 8, 2018 5:25:12 GMT
My brother in law knows Curt Bisquera, He did do a fine job on the One Night Only show. I've always been a fan of Nigel. Maybe because I'm a ballad man myself. He does master the ballads. A combo of drummers would be ok too.  |
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Post by dougs on Jul 8, 2018 5:34:00 GMT
newloneranger:
I, too, thought that Curt Bisquera did a great job on those ONE NIGHT ONLY concerts. Is Curt still drumming away these days?
Doug
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Post by newloneranger on Jul 8, 2018 18:32:21 GMT
newloneranger: I, too, thought that Curt Bisquera did a great job on those ONE NIGHT ONLY concerts. Is Curt still drumming away these days? Doug Hi Doug, I'm not sure, My brother inlaw hasn't seen him in years. He told me they went to the same high school together. He does have a website., Looks like there is some music on there. www.curtbisquera.com/ |
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