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Post by dougs on Apr 7, 2019 7:25:36 GMT
FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD concert reviews for Europe: May to July 2019:
Elton and the band are taking the FAREWELL tour to Europe in May to some 15 countries. This leg of the tour will run until July. With Davey Johnstone recovering from shoulder surgery, John Jorgenson, who was in the band from 1995 to 2000, will be filling in for Davey until he is fully recovered and ready to return.
It will be interesting to see if Elton alters the setlist to include songs that were much more popular in Europe than in the US and Canada: "Sacrifice" and "Are You Ready For Love" and "Song For Guy" are three such songs and would be a pleasure to see & hear. We'll see.
Post your FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD concert reviews, set lists, videos, and any other related concert information here!
Doug
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Post by dougs on May 2, 2019 6:36:15 GMT
FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD concert: Vienna (Wien), Austria - May 1, 2019: Just to remind everyone, John Jorgenson has replaced Davey Johnstone on guitar for this leg of the tour until Davey recovers from shoulder surgery. I checked John's website and he has indicated that he is playing with Elton and the Band for the entire leg in Europe into July. YouTube videos for certain songs of the first Vienna show John filling in nicely, as expected, on guitar. A concert review from the first Vienna concert has been kindly provided by iNews: inews.co.uk/culture/music/elton-john-review-wiener-stadthalle-vienna-farewell-yellow-brick-road-tour-europe/Doug
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Post by BiteUrLip on May 2, 2019 7:32:10 GMT
Jorgenson is the boss now!
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Post by dougs on May 3, 2019 1:21:43 GMT
Note: Set list addition in Vienna:
Elton added "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" to the set list in Vienna. The song was placed as the 10th song of the night after "Take Me To The Pilot" and before "Someone Saved My Life Tonight." Apparently no song was dropped and this was simply an addition. "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" was a strong charting & selling single in Europe when released so it is not a surprise and is a welcomed addition.
This is good to see but I am still surprised that "Sacrifice" or "Are You Ready For Love" or possibly "Nikita" have not found their way into the European set list - they were hugely successful in Europe. Still lots of time.
Doug
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Post by dougs on May 4, 2019 4:27:55 GMT
Elton announces that band member John Mahon has broken tibia! At the Vienna concerts (May 1 & 2, 2019) Elton announced that percussionist John Mahon is playing with a broken (and hopefully healing!) tibia in his leg. He also mentioned that Davey Johnstone is healing and will hopefully be ready to return to the tour by the autumn. EJ is so fortunate to have John Jorgenson to fill in; a very talented player and vocalist. John put his various bands and tours on hold to help out his ole' boss on the FRAEWELL tour. Here is a clip kindly loaded on YouTube which shows EJ announcing the band: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrRlGG0Su2wDoug
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Post by dougs on May 7, 2019 23:46:21 GMT
Elton and John Jorgenson on "Rocket Man" in Krakow and Prague on FAREWELL tour:
Check out YouTube for "Rocket Man" in Krakow and Prague (May, 2019) to see the piano-guitar interplay between Elton & John Jorgenson. Beautiful. The song is transforming in its last 4 minutes as compared to earlier in the tour. Really nice to see. Elton is clearly enjoying what John is bringing to the song.
Doug
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Post by dougs on May 19, 2019 18:47:24 GMT
Elton drops "Crocodile Rock" in Oberhausen and Copenhagen - May, 2019:
Apparently (not confirmed) Elton dropped "Crocodile Rock" from his recent Oberhausen (May 16) and Copenhagen (May 18) FAREWELL concerts. "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" remains in the setlist 10 songs into the concerts after being added shortly into the European leg of these FAREWELL shows.
We'll see shortly if "Crocodile Rock" is a permanent or temporary drop from the setlist. We will also see if the new Elton & Taron Egerton song "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" finds its way into the setlist...
Doug
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Post by eiricd on May 22, 2019 8:04:21 GMT
CR was indeed dropped in Copenhagen. I was there
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Post by dougs on May 22, 2019 21:25:28 GMT
eiricd:
Thanks for that confirmation about "Crocodile Rock" being dropped from Elton's recent (mid-May) set list. Hope you had a great time at the show. I noticed that the next night it was dropped as well.
Doug
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Post by eiricd on May 23, 2019 15:26:51 GMT
eiricd: Thanks for that confirmation about "Crocodile Rock" being dropped from Elton's recent (mid-May) set list. Hope you had a great time at the show. I noticed that the next night it was dropped as well. Doug
thanks
the show was very good. he'd had a few days off prior, so his vocals were strong imo (by mature elton standard)
Interesting to see John Jorgenson as the sole guitar player. No disrespect to John, but I think Davey is the stronger lead player. However, I have a feeling John's versatility is something Davey can only envy.
Elton actually mentioned during the introduction of the band that John was sick that day, and that prior to intermission he was not well. My hats off to him for being a trooper!
(does anyone happen to know what it was?)
further thoughts;
* The band is good, but the up tempo songs are no longer very up tempo. Whether this is due to the players slowing down with age, or if it is to make it easier for Elton to sing - I don't know...
* I was left with a feeling that regardless of the end of touring, Elton will keep playing. Maybe shorter runs in Vegas, London etc, and maybe as a solo act with no up tempo songs.
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Post by dougs on May 23, 2019 16:54:20 GMT
eiricd:
Yeah, John Jorgenson is covering for Davey as he continues to recover from surgery required to deal with lingering back issues. Davey is expected to return by the autumn 2019 leg of the FAREWELL tours. I just love John Jorgenson's versatility. He and EJ are jamming quite nicely on "Rocket Man" in a different way that Davey had been. Elton was fortunate to have someone like John step in at short notice to fill in for Davey. Regarding EJ, it is clear that Elton's knees or hips really bother him these days and it is not just because of a recent sprain that he is walking gingerly. It was clear back in 2018 that Elton's movement was much slower and more deliberate. To go along with his lack of mobility, he has put on a little weight which can only make joint issues tougher. Regardless, Elton has this incredible endurance and energy level that makes me feel guilty!
I agree that most of the upbeat "rock" songs being played by Elton and the band do not rock like they used to. I really don't like the simple endings to these songs either - doink. "Levon" is an exception; it is phenomenal, isn't it? Love the lengthy jam. "Love Lies Bleeding" still rocks. I guess that it only makes sense that the fast-tempo rock songs are not as edgy and rocking because EJ and most of the band are in or near their 70s! I agree that EJ's vocals are the best that they have been since the early part of the millennium.
This is the question; to what extent will Elton stop doing concerts after the FAREWELL tour? I, too, can't see him stop. Clearly his kids and family life will take centre-stage but going from non-top touring to nothing just doesn't seem likely. I could imagine short stints playing out of one city doing something very different being possible. Wouldn't it be nice to see EJ play a small series of concerts in a small venue in one city where he and the band play album tracks only; "Hercules" and "Madman Across the Water" and "Where To Now St. Peter" and "Meal Ticket" and "One Horse Town" and "Tonight" and "Harmony" and Ticking" and...so on.
Time will tell.
Doug
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Post by eiricd on May 24, 2019 10:35:59 GMT
Somewhere hiding in my ramble, was this point : He is still very very good at what he does, all things considered. If he plans it properly, he can easily do a "an evening with Elton and piano" type of shows for many years still.
I guess it's written between the lines also, as he emphasises how this is the end of touring and travelling. He's too passionate about music to ever stop imo. Also, that would be a great way to showcase deep cuts for the die hards. Once you move into a theatre, you don't have to do a greatest hits show tailored for a big arena.
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Post by dougs on May 24, 2019 12:34:42 GMT
eiricd:
I feel the same way as you. EJ still puts on a superb show in so many ways. I am always impressed with his heart & constitution. A remarkable performer who I have been fortunate enough to see play live over the years.
Yeah, imagine an "album cuts" series of concerts in a 3000-4000 seat venue. It would be challenging (in a good way) and rewarding for Elton (and the fans).
Doug
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Post by dougs on Jun 10, 2019 14:05:28 GMT
Set list addition in Hove:
"Crocodile Rock" was added back into the set list at the Hove (June 9, 2019) concert. That brings the set list to 26 songs. Taron Egerton joined Elton to duet on "Your Song."
Doug
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Post by dougs on Jul 8, 2019 3:55:38 GMT
The July 7, 2019 concert at Lucca, Italy saw the end of the 3rd leg of Elton's FAREWELL YELLOW BRICK ROAD tour.
No major setlist changes for these concerts across Europe. "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" was added early to the leg of concerts and stayed in the setlist. "Crocodile Rock" was more and more kept out of the setlist as time progressed on this leg of the tour. "Levon" kept evolving during the instrumental jam of the song during its last 8 minutes. A real joy to see how Elton and the band jammed playfully in a rocking way on this one. With Davey Johnstone recuperating from back rehab it was interesting to see how "Rocket Man" developed a truly beautiful instrumental section where Elton and John Jorgenson an acoustic guitar played stunningly well together. The song came alive during their interplay.
Elton and the band seemed to really enjoy these European shows and the energy was extremely high. Surprising number of outdoor shows which would have limited some of the staging and images/lighting due to playing outside in daylight for most of the evening. It didn't seem to matter as YouTube videos showed festive crowds everywhere.
It will be interesting to see if Elton makes any changes when he and the band return to the USA and Canada in September starting in Salt Lake City. Many shows are in cities that Elton played in the 1st leg of the tour so it might be nice to see a couple of songs dropped and a couple of new ones added. Both "Burn Down The Mission" and "Take Me To The Pilot" would be good candidates for retirement. "Hercules" and "Empty Garden" might be nice additions.
Doug
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