19. Friends (Elton John - Live In Roanoke: 2/19/1999)

While searching for a show to upload, I stumbled upon a request from “BlueFlame” who says that he loves 1999 shows. In order for him to sleep at night, I present to you the first show from the 1999 tour! This took place in Roanoke and since it came from a master DAT, the quality is excellent. Despite first show nerves in the form of piano and vocal flubs in places, this is still a nice show overall with a great set-list to compliment it and Elton sounding pretty strong vocally. By this point in his career, Elton’s voice has shifted to a much heavier baritonal sound and while this makes his lower and middle ranges sound more resonant than ever before, it came at a cost of ease in his upper range as certain phrases began to get more choppy and less flexible. Now… time to talk about this show below…
“Your Song” is a solid start to the show with Elton growing more confident with the performance as it progresses. “Skyline Pigeon” has some nice phrasing in places, but nerves are on display as Elton bungles the piano early on and some vocal intonation isn’t completely clean. “The Greatest Discovery” features a more settled Elton and his heavier baritone voice compared to earlier in the decade sounds fantastic on the emotional ballad. “Border Song” has some nice powerful singing especially during the second half and Elton’s aged voice is a perfect fit for the song. “Talking Old Soldiers” showcases Elton’s “new” voice for the era as his middle ranges are full of powerful emotion while he still nails the upper belts with a strong attack to them. “Daniel” has a great softer tone being applied and Elton still delivers the classic hit single with a smooth tone which sounds nice. “Honky Cat” shows off some great creative playing from Elton as despite the first night’s nerves, he puts a ton of energy into his piano performance. The vocals are also quite good as he hits a couple of strong falsetto notes and his belting range is pretty consistent throughout. “Come Down In Time” is an amazing performance as Elton sings brilliantly and the delivery in many ways surpasses versions from when he was a young man. “Sacrifice” features some punchy vocal approaches and Elton delivers the song with confidence. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” has Elton stepping on the gas as he sounds very energetic throughout the performance along with adding some nice embellishments in places. “Ticking” is now performed in the original key again (the versions from 1994-1995 were played a step higher) and the first performance of the song on the tour sounds fantastic with Elton giving an emotional and passionate delivery. “Carla/Etude” sounds gorgeous in the high-quality audio. “Tonight” has a change in vocal delivery which was hinted back during the mid 90s performances as Elton now sings with a more chopped and staccato style. He also emphasizes his vocal power in bursts which gives the delivery a different feeling. “I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That” highlights Elton’s piano prowess as the solo section is very creative and full of twists and turns. He also delivers an aggressive vocal performance which gives off additional energy. Concluding this section, “The One” has an assertive vocal delivery with Elton’s middle register displaying great control.
“Amazes Me” makes its debut on stage and it sounds wunderbar with Elton’s voice displaying great power and flexibility. Despite a clunker on the piano, it’s great to hear this song stripped back and I wish that it lasted longer than a couple of performances. “Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters” has some lovely singing with Elton combining smooth phrasing with his heavier soulful baritone sound. “Take Me To The Pilot” is full of vigor and Elton’s boisterous performance makes this version a must-listen. “Friends” is the first performance since 1971 and Elton does a great job singing the original vocal melodies (albeit with more effort). “Recover Your Soul” has a couple of missteps on the piano, but is a generally strong performance with Elton pushing his voice in places to reach the higher notes. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” has some questionable chords during the instrumental break, but Elton’s vocals are pretty solid. “Blue Eyes” is a lovely version with Elton’s aged and darker voice suiting the Jump Up ballad perfectly. “Levon” has some really gutsy vocal moments during the choruses and the piano playing sounds especially nice during the improvisational section. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” features some nice soft tone early on and despite a lyrical stumble in the second verse, Elton delivers the classic ballad extremely effectively. “Circle Of Life” sounds excellent with the solo environment greatly enhancing Elton’s vocal prowess. “Bennie And The Jets” is a spirited version with Elton playing around with the vocal cadences and throwing around some excellent piano work. Lastly, “The Last Song” is an emotional version with Elton’s robust voice sounding strong.
ENJOY!!!

[@JonJon-dn5hh]

Awesome song, movie, sequel and album. Memories brought back. Time truly flies.

[@lorigibbs2379]

awesome

[@GAR1947]

This show has some unique additions to the setlist.

[@GregsynthWizard]

It's a great set-list!

[@apx2444]

@@GregsynthWizard I love the set lists to his solo shows. So much variation

[@GregsynthWizard]

@@apx2444 Indeed! The set-lists are often fantastic!

[@ncf1]

Nice addition to the setlist! I love the original of this, Michelle's Song and Seasons Reprise. Well, the non-orchestral stuff.

[@GregsynthWizard]

This tour has "Friends" in the set-list so you'll be happy!

[@ncf1]

@@GregsynthWizard I am chuffed to buggery!

[@GregsynthWizard]

@@ncf1 Yay!

[@ferrobiffarella1285]

Michelle's song?