Thanks for sharing your review Karen. Unless he comes a little closer
to Maryland, I will be living through fan reviews this year. I am going
to see Duran Duran in May though. Joined the fan club even though I am
not as hard core for them as I am Elton. That fan club has it going on.
You know when you buy the tickets the general area you are going to
be. They sell the VIP's tickets (rows 1-4) for one price (think it was
$250) which buys you a chance for a meet and greet. All fans in that
group are welcomed by reception even if they don't get to meet and
great. Tickets are sold in tiers after that. I bought Tier 1 seats
which will put me somewhere between the 5th and 10th row in order of the
purchase. I think I read on their site that 1/10 of a venue goes to the
fan club which is kind of nice. All of those seats were sold at cost.
The cell phones seem to be out of control...I will admit that if I am at
a show that my husband is not and Elton plays a song he loves I will
call him so he can hear it. It's only happened twice in all the shows
that I have been to and I didn't do it for the whole show. Doing
business at a show and beer runs is what usually gets my panties in a
twist along with a**holes blurting out *Play your hits*. My daughter
just bought an LG phone that is like the iPhone....I think dealing with
it for the whole show would have peeved me too.
THE IslandGirl...Sharon
Karen M wrote:
> The Bakersfield newspaper has posted a review in which an interviewee
> (veteran of 34 Elton concerts) says: "He played his best concert music.
He
> played the song people love to hear."
>
> True. It was a greatest hits concert and not much more than that.
>
> I had Rocket seats in section 3, row V, too far from the stage for a
good
> view, too close to the video screens to watch those comfortably. Not the
> best located Rocket ticket I've ever had; I have no idea if that's where
> most of the Rocket seats were, but I don't think so.
>
> Started at 8:09. So said the time on the iPhone the inconsiderate
dumbass
> in front of me held up for much of the concert. More on that later.
>
> Obligtory fa****on re****t: Elton was wearing a black tail coat(ish)
garment
> with Jackson Pollack inspired embellishment on the right side and across
> the back. Couldn't get a very good look at it, being too far back and on
> the wrong side of the stage, but it was...colorful. Simple earring, just
a
> plain (for Elton) diamond stud that probably cost more than most of us
> earn in a year. Red-lensed modified wrap-around glasses. No change of
> wardrobe for the encore.
>
> Set list:
>
> FFB/LLB
> ***** is Back
> Madman Across the Water
> Tiny Dancer
> Levon
> Believe
> Take me to the Pilot
> GBYBR
> Daniel
> Rocket Man
> Honky Cat
> Holiday Inn
> All the Young Girls Love Alice
>
> Pause for Band Intros, at which point I thought "hmm, I think it's going
> to be a short night". Davey looks more like Tom Petty every time I see
> him. Picked up with:
>
> IGTWTCITB
> Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
> CITW
> Pinball Wizard
> Bennie
> Philadelphia Freedom
> I'm Still Standing
> Crocodile Rock
> SNAFF
>
> after which he left the stage. Came back seconds later (it was 10:20.
> Thanks iPhone guy!) and signed *a lot* of ticket stubs, programs, hats,
> someone's yellow LP, a drum head and I don't know what else. I don't
think
> I've seen such a long autograph sweep, and the crowd loved it. The band
> came back and they did DLTSGDOM and Your Song, left again at 10:34 by my
> low tech wristwatch.
>
> Okay, so Madman, Alice and Holiday Inn aren't "hits" in the Greatest
Hits
> category, but the rest of it was pretty standard stuff. Well done, as
> usual, but really, fairly routine stuff. He could have at least thrown
in
> Original Sin (which should have been a Greatest Hit had it been properly
> promoted, but I digress) or Circle of Life or, well, anything released
> after iPhone guy was born. The set and lighting was less distracting
than
> the last time I saw him, and the sound, other than some *bad* feedback
> (even I could see the death-glare Elton shot toward the sound guys; for
a
> second I sensed a Little Moment was eminent) in the first lines of LLB,
> was better than usual--even with the volume pumped up way too high for a
> smaller venue. I think my sternum didn't stop vibrating until I was
nearly
> home--and I had a two hour drive.
>
> The merchandise for sale was the usual overpriced t-****rts ($100 for a
> hoodie?!), a couple CDs, the Rocketman-on-a-piano bobble head.
>
> All in all, not a bad experience, just not the best, most inspiring
Elton
> John concert I've been fortunate enough to attend, and one advantage to
a
> shorter show was that the infamous freight train blocking access to the
> rear parking lot didn't arrive until most everyone had cleared out.
>
> Karen
>
>
> Special message to the iPhone guy. Yes, you, friend of Justin who you
had
> to call several times during the show & hold _up_ the phone so he could
> hear (as if -up- makes a difference at concert volume), and everyone
else
> who just wants to "capture the moment":
>
> When you hold an iPhone--any cell phone, really, but iPhones. being
> larger, are particularly obnoxious--up in the air an arm's length away
> from you, you block the view of the people in at least 2 rows behind
you.
> Yes, really, you do, especially if you're 200 feet away from the image
> you're tracking (Elton's face) which only appears to be about the size
of
> a cell-phone screen 3 feet away. Sure, we behind you have the option of
> leaning across the people seated next to us, but, being complete
> strangers, they may not appreciate the intrusion on their spaces. Of
> course, we can stand up...but now we block the views of even more people
> behind us, people who are already complaining about "those people up
> there" blocking the view with their phones, and somehow the motion of
> people behind *you* standing inspires *you* to stand up...so we're back
to
> square one. If you want to snap a few photos, fine, whatever, they're
not
> going to turn out very well if you're further back than row H or so but
go
> ahead and knock yourself out...but EVERY FREAKING SONG? And your
> girlfriend, too? Now you're just being inconsiderate. Knock if off.
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