Elton John and Billy Joel, one night in a huge stadium, what more could you want? Well, you might ask them to play your favorite song, and chances are they probably played a few. The evening started at 8 and ended a little after 11, but you could tell the crowd wanted more from these piano men.
The night started with Elton and Billy playing a duet. They played songs from each other’s catalogue and traded vocals throughout on: “Your Song”, “Just the Way You Are”, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me”, and “My Life”. Then Billy got up and exited the stage to let Elton control the show for a solid hour set of classics and crowd favorites. Kicked off with “Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)”, he barreled through “Daniel”, “Madman Across the Water”, “Tiny Dancer” and a huge jam of “Rocket Man”, proving that Elton can still rock it no matter what.
After his set he exited the stage, and Billy took over and opened with “Angry Young Man”. He also played classics like: “Zanzibar”, “Don’t Ask Me Why”, “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”, “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” and “The River of Dreams” with a quick interlude of Tommy James’ “Dirty Water”, which pleased the sold out crowd.
When his set ended, he and Elton returned for an encore of: “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues”, “Uptown Girl”, “The Bitch is Back”, “You May Be Right”, “Bennie and The Jets”, “Candle in the Wind” and closed the show with a rousing version of “Piano Man”.
This was a great night for music from two great showmen that don’t mind working together. These shows will be running on and off for the next two years. Try to catch one.
