Sir Elton

The first time I was ever aware of the existence of Elton John was in 1974. Before then, I had heard his songs only occasionally on the radio since my parents controlled the music in the house and that music was country. I was at my friend's house and saw the album Elton John's Greatest Hits laying on her dresser. I asked Erin if we could listen to it and we spend several hours listening and practicing for karaoke, which unfortunately wouldn't be invented for another twenty years or so. It was then that I fell in love with "Rocket Man", "Crocodile Rock", and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me".

A lot of years have passed since I was that fifteen year old, budding back-up singer. I have loved quite a few Elton John songs, such as "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word, and my personal favorite, "Philidelphia Freedom". "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" always takes me back to my senior year of high school. Even though any song from "The Lion King" irritates me, I would have to say that I have been an Elton fan from way back.

I never thought I would ever get to see Elton John perform live. At least not in Montana. But that all changed last Saturday night when we got to see Sir Elton perform in Bozeman. Montana. And he was awesome.

We had good seats, my husband and I, Jough and Beleisha, Josh and Becki. We were sitting just far enough up to look over the people on the floor and close enough to be able to watch him play the piano. Which he does with gusto. Before the concert started, I looked around at some of the other attendees. There were people of all ages. Eighty-five hundred people. (Take that, Metra in Billings, who claimed they wouldn't have been able to sell enough tickets to break even.) There were a lot of older folks sitting in chairs on the floor. I felt sorry for them because I knew that even if there are chairs on the floor, you still have to stand. But we stood as well. Throughout almost the entire show. But not because we had to stand to be able to see. Because we had to stand to be able to move. And dance. And sing.

I didn't know a few of the first songs he performed. I think they were from early in his career before I realized who he was. The songs had some long piano sections, which I loved to listen to, and enabled him to warm up the audience. Then he swung into "The Bitch is Back" and we never looked back.

He played all of the songs he was known for and the audience sang along. From "Daniel" to "Good-Bye Yellow Brick Road" to a twenty minute rendition of "Rocket Man", which totally rocked and in my opinion was the highlight of the concert. He sounded great...the music was excellent and his piano skills are par none. And he played for two and a half hours! One of his drummers (there were two) was Nigel Olsson, another one of my favorites. (Does anyone remember "Dancing Shoes" or "A Little Bit of Soap"?)

The music was infectious and everyone was dancing and singing. The security guards did a good job of keeping people away from the front of the stage. One older lady tried to sneak up the aisle quite a few times and was sent back to her seat each time. I appreciated the work that they did...if everyone from the seats above came down to try and get closer to the stage, it would be an utter mess.

This concert ranks right up there as one of my favorites. I actually liked it better than any Barry Manilow concert...mainly because everyone knew almost every song instead of only the die-hard fans knowing the songs. It rivels my all-time favorite concert experience of my favorite band, Collective Soul. All in all, a great concert experience that will create a fantastic memory.

Comments

[Patia]

Sounds like you had a good time!

I didn't go to the one here .... I enjoy EJ, but could take it or leave it.

[bernie]

There is NO WAY any concert could rival collective soul in the shrine in Billings. The atmosphere was just right and even though there was maybe 2000 people there, the facility size fit the crowd just right. I've been to concerts in every state I've lived in and that was the best concert I've ever seen.

[Pandora]

That was a great concert wasn't it! I remember how excited I was when I heard that they were coming to Billings and how I was literally shaking when they took the stage. Collective Soul is awesome. Elton John's concert is a close second but the CSoul concert will always rule!

[Monkey]

What a great review! Wow - you should review for a living!

[Pandora]

The only drawback in having me write reviews is that it is extremely difficult for me to write a bad one!

Thanks for visiting Monkey! I hope things are going well for you.