I saw Billy Joel and Elton John 6 years ago (6 years, 15 days to be exact, but I only remember the date because it was my 30th birthday) but I've never been one to eschew a live show just because I've seen it before. Besides, well, it's Billy Joel and Sir Elton John. What more reason would I need? An audible tour of the library of either artist takes me through my entire childhood; from birth through high school, they were there every step of the way. Whether I was reading Dr. Seuss, playing at my Grandma's house during summer vacation, getting ready for junior high dances, or dragging Main Street in my beat up old Chevette, Billy and Elton were always part of the soundtrack of my life. Traveling the hundred miles to Tulsa to see the Face 2 Face show was a no-brainer.
Our seats were behind the stage towards the top, but the stage was visible from all angles. Given that, we actually got better seats than the people on the opposite side of the arena. Billy addressed us early in the show, "Those seats aren't as bad as you thought they were going to be, are they?" He thanked the people across the stadium from us, "you people all the way up in Wichita," for paying money for those seats. He then pointed out to those who thought they had the best seats in the house that they need only look up at the mass of steel and lighting equipment suspended above their heads by a few thin cables, to realize that things are not always as they seem. "But enjoy the show!" he quipped to them with sadistic delight.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. The show began with the stage opening and two pianos rising up from underneath. The lights went out and the men took their places on the stage to thunderous cheers from the audience. They began with duets on Elton's "Your Song" and Billy's "Just the Way You Are" before they brought their bands out. The duets continued with an amazing purple and orange light show on "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and they picked up the pace a bit with "My Life" before Billy left the stage to Elton.
It was about this time that I began to wish I had brought something with me on which to record the set list because I knew I would never remember all the songs they performed. I was lucky enough to find a set list from a previous show and I modified it slightly to remove songs I'm sure we didn't hear and add songs I remember them playing. Elton and his band treated us to Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting, Burn Down the
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by Paula Love
I saw Billy Joel and Elton John 6 years ago (6 years, 15 days to be exact, but I only remember the date because it was my
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