All Aboard: Experiencing the Elton John Connection

Apotheosic!!! With British punctuality — never more fitting — a well-known piano melody opens the concert. The Vesta by La Fulanita venue is an intimate, close space that allows the audience to be almost touching the musicians. “The Show Must Go On,” proclaims the room in bright neon. The musicians are set up beautifully and right at the front. And those chords we mentioned earlier are from Your Song, that unmistakable ballad by its author.

Elton John Connection was not a tribute act in the usual sense: it goes far beyond that. It is a musical journey through Elton’s career. Like any train Bernie Taupin describes in his songs, each ride is a song, and each stop is a spoken image of Elton John’s life. This makes the show very different from other proposals, and it helps those who are not die-hard Elton fans to situate themselves and discover aspects of Elton’s life that help them understand the myth — the living legend — of such an unrepeatable musician, always alongside his Two Rooms partner: Bernie Taupin.

But what is needed for this train to run with precision and offer a pleasant journey? Well, a good engineer and good energy. And this is made possible by its author, creator, and fan to the absolute core: Marta Coloma. Marta is an outburst of energy, with a subtle and deep voice, tender in texture, and with that warm and sweet narrative style that ensures nothing she explains — whether singing or narrating — ever loses its meaning. And it is not easy to summarize the important aspects of Elton’s life in an hour and a half without the show losing its punch.

As Marta rightly says: “(Elton) makes the difficult sound easy,” and she goes through the variety of styles where Elton has left his mark with his talent — country, pop, rock, blues, soul, and whatever else he feels like doing, because Elton, as Marta says, “is open to experimenting and has never stopped experimenting.” The selection of songs in the show’s repertoire is anything but accidental: each piece connects with the railway journey we embark upon, offering a solid overview of the vast and high-quality catalogue that Elton and Bernie have given to pop music through so many decades of unquestionable success. And it is no small thing that songs like Idol, Healing Hands, or Amoreena appear in the concert and are performed with the strength and mastery of this magnificent artist. And the best part is that she makes them her own — she squeezes them, studies them, and gives them a clean, subtle, personal touch that leaves the audience with no choice but to applaud wildly.

But Marta, who is very wise, knows that for her train to have all the energy it needs and to run smoothly, she must surround herself with a great band — and she most certainly does. And replacing Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, and Dee Murray is no easy task. The point is that this band pays homage to them in every single note they play.

Dan Vidal is the master of ceremonies: he has that frenetic, fierce, or sensitive piano touch whenever the melody requires it, those piano solos Elton has spoiled us with, especially in his finest moments. And Bas Kisje and Giancarlo Spirito, on bass and drums respectively, form a true guard of honor to Murray and Olsson.

And how do you honor Davey Johnstone? Don’t worry — Marta brings in Miguel Tarzia, ensuring that Rocket Man or Saturday Night’s Alright never lose steam. And why not give some pieces a jazz twist? Add a saxophone — Freddie Quintero — to Idol or Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, and you’re guaranteed to leave a mark.

But the icing on the cake is the backing vocals: Laura Guardiola and Júlia Tapia. Elton’s songs are famously meticulous on the vocal side — think of Mortonette Jenkins, Marlena Jeter, or Natalie Jackson, for example. Those harmonious voices appear to embellish All the Girls Love Alice or the already mentioned Healing Hands, just to name two.

But Marta had her surprise saved for Can I Put You On, Elton’s most obscure rock song par excellence — delivered masterfully, with an amazing final few minutes that made the entire audience vibrate, completely surrendered to the performance. And, with Judy Tzuke’s permission, Marta claimed Give Me the Love as her own — that brilliant and forgotten gem, one of the few Elton songs written by a woman and sung by him, and one of my favorites from the early ’80s.

I’m writing this Eltonin’ Around The World article on another train, an AVE from Madrid to Barcelona, still echoing the amazing concert from last night, from the E-X-P-E-R-I-E-N-C-I-E we lived, still floating and with the melodies in my head, with Marta’s voice resonating inside me, with the memories of a wonderful evening we never wanted to end — but which has only just begun. Because there will be more trains, more journeys, more versions, more wonderful live Music, because this Elton John Connection has so much to give and so much to offer. There are many hidden treasures that must come back into the light, to remind us of the immense legacy of an Elton who was once “a boy spending his pocket money in record shops,” together with that “brown dirt cowboy living in a farm village in northern England.” They fulfilled their dreams, conquered the world, and became eternal.

Thank you Marta Coloma, thank you girls, thank you guys. Yesterday, when I left your concert, I reaffirmed myself as an eltonite for another 40 years. See you in Barcelona in 2026 — if not before!

Live At Beacon Theatre, By Richard P. Georgeou

The concert was sold out and I went with two friends and long time Elton fans: Ann Lawrence and Claude Bernardin. We all sat in different seats because this was the toughest ticket in town.

As the time drew near the emcee announced everyone in your seats, it is 10 minutes til 'air time.' The concert was being transmitted on cable network Fuse-TV. Elton first graced the stage and told the audience, let me say this is a one off show where we will play the entire (14) Union tracks. We will have Leon come out and play some of his hits and at the end of the Union performances, "I will play some of my songs".

It went exactly as mentioned. Leon started off with:

Tight rope
Prince of Peace
Song for You
Delta Lady
Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms
Stranger in a Strange Land

Then Elton joined him on stage. Their setlist of songs performed together was:

If It Wasn't for Bad
Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes
Hey Ahab
Gone to Shiloh
Jimmie Rodgers' Dream
There's No Tomorrow
Monkey Suit
The Best Part of the Day
A Dream Come True
I Should Have Sent Roses
When Love Is Dying
Hearts Have Turned to Stone
Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)
In the Hands of Angels

And, Elton appeared by himself and played:

Burn Down the Mission
Levon
Tiny Dancer
Ballad of A Well Known Gun
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
Your Song
Take Me to the Pilot
Sad Songs Say So Much
The Bitch is Back

They announce that they had more time so they encored with Leon returning to the stage as they said we will do "Hey Ahab" again. They performed it even better than the first performance,in my opinion. They hugged once again on stage(Elton/Leon), and waved to the crowd that was standing with one of many standing ovations.

The whole evening was surreal to me.Here we have two music legends from the 1970's, back together on stage again as was the case at the Fillmore, when they shared top billing on the marquee.

Elton had gone full circle, bookending his glorious career, performing face to face, with his idol/mentor, 40 years on.

I nearly fell out of my seat when Elton played 'Ballad of a Well Known Gun'. It was almost like thanking his long time fans that have constantly asked for the obscure tracks in concert. He did this song when i attended the 60th Birthday party concert at Madison Square Garden on 25 March 2007.

This concert already ranks in my top 10 Elton shows I have attended. This was an evening to remember. I will savor this experience for many years to come. Elton John and Leon Russell-Need I say more? 'Fantabulous.' Both musicians(Leon/Elton), the band, plus backup singers rocked this house on it's foundation. It was a product of love and respect for this eventful happening.

Rock on,
Richard P. Georgeou

At The Beacon Theatre, By Brian Gold

Well, in a word, "BRILLIANT"!!!! A once in a lifetime show. For those who were able to watch it live on the FUSE network, you already know what I'm talking about. It will be re-broadcast on FUSE on October 24th. I'm told that there were some microphone issues in the very beginning of the broadcast. There were none in the theater, so hopefully, that will be fixed on the re-broadcast.

Elton came out to HUGE applause and a standing ovation. He told us that first Leon would play some of his own songs, then they would play the ENTIRE new CD, The Union, and then Elton would play a set of his own songs. He said that this would be one of only 2 times that they would play the entire CD. He then introduced Leon Russell.

As Leon took the stage, he and Elton embraced, Elton left, and Leon started his set. Since I was facing Elton, I could only see the back of Leon's head. He appears to have the same hairstylist as Santa Clause. MAN can that guy play the piano! His style is, in many ways, similar to Elton's. He has a lighter touch, but still uses the piano as a percussion instrument (it is one). VERY catchy songs... some familiar, others not, but still earning him standing ovations after several numbers. I couldn't see his facial expressions, but I honestly don't think he had any. He just sat there, played the piano, and sang. Never said a WORD to the audience! To paraphrase from a quote about US President Calvin Coolidge, "Leon... he don't say much. But when he does... he don't say much." But when he writes a song, BOY does he say a lot! Some brilliant lyrics in there. I really need to listen to some of his CDs.

Leon has a nasal, reedy voice that I honestly don't like much, but when combined with the likes of Elton, it sounds far better. Leon really got the crowd going on a couple of his songs. More than just a warm-up act... he is a pro, and a great songwriter. It was obvious from the crowd reactions that most people were there to see Elton, but Leon also had his fans present. Many were singing and dancing to Leon's set.

Leon's setlist was as follows:

Tight rope
Prince of Peace
Song for You
Delta Lady
Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms
Stranger in a Strange Land

When Elton took the stage, things really started to pick up. They played the full CD, as promised, in running order. Starting off with "If It Wasn't For Bad", and playing all the way through to "The Hands Of Angels".

Their setlist of songs performed together was:

If It Wasn't for Bad
Eight Hundred Dollar Shoes
Hey Ahab
Gone to Shiloh
Jimmie Rodgers' Dream
There's No Tomorrow
Monkey Suit
The Best Part of the Day
A Dream Come True
I Should Have Sent Roses
When Love Is Dying
Hearts Have Turned to Stone
Never Too Old (To Hold Somebody)
In the Hands of Angels

Elton's comments about that last song were that they had already finished laying down all the tracks for the CD when Leon came in the next morning and said "Wait... I wrote another song last night in the hotel. It was a tribute to working on this project together, and we were in tears". Elton was just watching Leon playing that song mouthing the words along with him. But I'm getting WAY ahead of myself.

The Union is, in my opinion, one of Elton's best albums in MANY years. It has a bit of everything... gospel, country, rock, ballads... all around, an excellent collection of songs. It's obvious that working with Leon really inspired Elton to get out of his comfort zone a bit, work differently, write differently, and record differently. It's often hard to tell which songs were written by Elton and which were written by Leon. It's also hard to tell which lyrics were Bernie's and which were Leon's. It's a perfect blend of two enormous talents whose styles mesh perfectly creating a whole that is greater than the sum of it's parts. Neither one of them could have done this CD alone. There a few really great rockers on the CD such as "Hey Ahab". This song is FAR better live than on the CD! Monkey Suit had the whole audience up and dancing.

"Gone to Shiloh" has a gorgeous lyric by Bernie. Definitley a song I want to hear again.

"A Dream Come True" has the feeling of a southern (US) church on a Sunday with gospel music just pouring out of it. Hand clapping, and the gospel choir going wild....

"When Love is Dying" is a beautiful ballad. Elton and Leon trade off on the lead vocals. I just can't help thinking of a line that I read in a review once. When speaking of Elton's vocals, the writer described them as "A voice from Mount Olympus". It's so true. Elton's vocals are so powerful and so beautiful. On most songs, Leon holds his own on the vocals, but not on this one. Elton just shines. Outshines Leon by far. I love the song, but it does show the weaknesses in Leon's vocals.

"I Should Have Sent Roses" is a terrific ballad. Leon takes the lead vocals for the first half of the song, with Elton on backups. This works really well. On the second verse, Elton takes the lead. Leon takes over again on the chorus with Elton once again singing backup. A very wise decision by producer T Bone Burnett. It makes the song work perfectly.

"Hearts Have Turned to Stone" has Leon's stamp all over it. Without looking at the CD notes, I am sure that Leon wrote it. An uptempo mix of country and gospel. Elton adds some terrific vocals during the chorus, but this song belongs to Leon. It was beautiful watching and hearing them perform it live. It's obvious how much respect Elton has for Leon. Neither was trying to "out-do" the other. They just blended perfectly (in most cases).

"Never Too Old" is a song that I first heard Elton perform live solo on the piano. I liked it, but I didn't love it. It reminded me too much of too many other mediocre efforts of Elton's from past albums. I have to say that knowing this song as a solo, piano-vocal song definitely gave me a specific opinion of it. Mediocre. I'm happy to say that with a full arrangement and with Leon's voice on the second verse, this song really comes together. The beautiful backing vocals on the chorus, and the instrumental arrangement really adds a lot to this song. I ALWAYS prefer hearing Elton's songs with just Elton and the piano, since that is the way I perform myself. This song appears to be the one exception. It's MUCH better on the CD than live/solo.

"In The Hands of Angels" is a beautiful gospel song written by Leon. With the backing vocalists singing like a "choir of angels", and the church-style organ giving this song a wonderful slow, southern feeling. It's a love song to Elton by his fan, and idol, Leon.

I know I've left out a couple of songs in this article. They are for you to discover on your own. It's not necessarily that I like them more or less. I just felt that I should leave something to the listener.

There are 2 bonus tracks on the deluxe version of the CD/DVD. "Mandalay Again", and "My Kind of Hell".

I have only seen pieces of the Cameron Crowe documentary that is on the DVD in the deluxe version. Well worth it in my opinion. Even though I haven't seen it in it's entirety yet, it promises to show a fascinating insight into Elton working in the studio and working on a collaborative effort. Things we have rarely seen about Elton before.

Even after you are able to watch the live show at the Beacon Theater, I'm sorry to say that you will not have had the same experience that around 3000 of us just had. Hearing these songs live with a 15 piece band, the TV cameras rolling, and the incredible energy of both the audience and the performers is something that can only be experienced. Seeing it on DVD is never the same as being there. I just hope that the broadcast captured the fun and party-like atmosphere in this small but beautiful theater.

A note about the band... they were, as Elton put it, "The crème de la crème". They learned a total of 60 songs in around 4 days! All 14 of the new songs, Leon's entire set, Elton's entire set, plus the songs that will be performed at the "Speaking Clock Revue". No small feat, but these musicians truly are the best.

After playing through The Union, it was time for Elton's set. I couldn't wait to hear what he'd play. I was hoping for the best, but feared the worst. I got a lot of the former and a little bit of the latter. First, let me say that it was REALLY interesting to watch Elton play with a completely different band. Especially when using a 4-piece horn section, slide guitar, mandolin, and a double bass! You could just see how much fun he was having. He very wisely started his set with several old, some unknown (except by fans, of course), and classic songs. Leading off with "Burn Down The Mission". Nice to hear it stripped down without the HUGE band/orchestra sound. Well, 15 pieces is a pretty big band, but you know what I mean. A great choice to start off with. He continued with Levon, Tiny Dancer and Ballad of a Well-Known Gun (YES!!!). Tiny Dancer, Take Me to The Pilot, and later, Your Song were also in his set. His setlist was as follows:

Burn Down the Mission
Levon
Tiny Dancer
Ballad of A Well Known Gun
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
Your Song
Take Me to the Pilot
Sad Songs Say So Much
The Bitch is Back

For some reason, as you can see by the setlist, he felt compelled to throw in "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues", "Sad Songs", and "The Bitch Is Back". Frankly, "Amoreena", "Can I Put You On", "No Shoe Strings On Louise", "Come Down In Time", and "Where's the Shoorah" would have been far more appropriate. The audience was obviously made up of hard-core fans. Not only did the older, relatively unknown songs go better with the new material on The Union, but the ones he did play were thrilling for all of us to hear. He could have just kept on playing oldies... both known and unknown, and still brought the house down.

When the last notes of "The Bitch Is Back" had been played, Elton took his bows, walking across the stage, waving to the balconies, and left the stage. The band also began to leave the stage, when everyone suddenly turned around and came back onto the stage with Elton escorting Leon. Elton said that they had not rehearsed an encore, so they would have to play a song that they had already played! They played "Hey Ahab" a second time. A great choice, since it had gotten everyone up and dancing the first time. The second time around was even better. The backup singers really let loose, and you could see that Elton was having the time of his life. Since the audience had already heard the song once, the entire theater was on it's feet and dancing.

Toward the end of the show, Elton thanked everyone for having had the patience to listen to 14 new songs. The round of applause he received was, at least for me, for having had the privilege of being there to listen to them. I've had the entire CD for over a week now, though it was just released today, the day of the concert. Most people had never heard ANY of the songs before. It took tremendous self-restraint for me NOT to listen to the CD until after the concert. I really wanted to listen to the show with a completely fresh ear. Having now been to the show, and then listening to the CD afterwards, I'm truly glad I had the self-control not to listen to it beforehand. These songs are just dying to be played live. The love that went into writing them and working on them is crystal clear when hearing them live. Maybe it was the crowd, maybe it was the small theater, maybe it was the incredible band, or maybe it was two singer/songwriters who are mutual fans and friends performing with such joy. All I can say is that the songs all sounded very different live, and in my opinion, far, far better. Even so, The Union will be on my iPod for "a LONG, long time".

Live from New York, it's Brian Gold!!!
10/19/10