Guest Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 Just curious if anyone went to see Elton at the Impact Arena. I was hesitating right up until the eve of the concert but just couldn't bring myself to pay the equivalent of a hundred quid for a ticket. Two reasons. Firstly, I saw him in the early 80's with Ray Cooper and the concert was brilliant, and secondly Elton has turned into a bit of a sad old queer really who ponces around his mansion dressed in Versace's Spring collection for the benefit of Hello magazine readers. I love Elton's 70's stuff I really do. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is one of the finest albums of all time but I just couldn't see him doing 'Benny and the Jets' for a Bangkok audience who would be screaming for 'that lovely song from the Lion King'. Too Low for Zero was actually the last Elton John record I bought and probably think it was his last decent offering. So......did anyone go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racha Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 Hi Phil, A mate of mine who is a musician went, and he told me Elton John sang solo with no back up band. He had seen him before and said Elton was looking old and tired,He also mentioned that he did a lot of his old classics like Benny and the Jets etc..''He was still ok but not like the old days a shame to see'' he said If no one else can give you any better info i will get my mate to give you an accurate update and what songs he sang if your really that interested.... Racha, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 Hi Phil Couldnt agree with your description of Elton more. Im afraid that he has just become a bit of a sad old queer! I have always been one of his greatest fans and he has produced some brilliant timeless hits but his latest stuff is simply depressing and mediocre. I worry that something nasty is lurking in the EJ closset that will one day hit the headlines especially after he had all those young lads dressed as cub scouts on his show. I sincerely hope this is not the case as he really is one of my all time music heroes. Funniest thing was the planned EJ concert in Hong Kong for the handover. To keep complaints about the noise from residents down, they proposed that everyone in the audience took a walkman and listened to the music on their headphones which would be relayed via a local radion station. There would be no sound in the stadium at all. Secondly they proposed that everyone in the audiance wear one white glove to reduce the sound of the applause. Needless to say Elton thought it was an absolute joke and refussed to perform. I went to see Phil Collins in HK and that was a joke too. All polite sitting and clapping until twenty mins before the end when a crowd of Brits exploded with frustration and got on their seats and danced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 Agree with your views on olde Elton. At the moment on British tv,he's in an advert for the Royal Mail,it starts off with him going on about all the "wonderful" things that you can buy on the internet,but then the problem of delivery,eureka,thats where RM comes in.The advert ends with all these happy posties swamping him in packages and parcels. I used to be a postman,start at 5am finish 12pm six days a week,all for a poxy £220-250 a week,really annoys me to know he'll have got a small fortune just for a minutes advert.Ah well,thats life. Regards Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racha Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 From the Bangkok Post today, The crocodile rocks Elton John's `Journey Through Time' was certainly that, though the audience was not much impressed ALONGKORN PARIVUDHIPHONGS Superstar Elton John emerged to the strains of Written in the Stars, a hit number from his latest musical collaboration Aida, to loud, welcoming applause from his Bangkok fans. He waved his hand in greeting and smiled. The opening was simple, beautiful in a way, and the same could be said for the rest of his performance in Bangkok on Tuesday night at the Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani. Yet like the meteorite show earlier this week, the experience with Elton John was fun, and yet there were yawns too, even among his most avid fans. The show was packed with 25 songs, most of which were similar in melody and lyric, and during the two-and-a-half-hour, non-stop performance, only Elton John and his highly-insured piano were there to entertain the expectant audience _ no back-up singers, no backing band, no costume changes, no stage spectacles. Nothing wrong with that: he delivered a powerful, top quality show. His masterful piano skills are second to none. The sound system was impeccable. Yet something was missing: a connection with his audience, an element of fun. Known for his wild and crazy stage behaviour, Elton John, now 54, was downright tame. Most of the time, the king of pop music sat on his piano bench, introducing each song briefly, seemingly mesmerised by the music. He stood occasionally, bowing to the audience, making the affair seem more like a piano recital than a rock concert. The words ``thanks for coming out to the concert tonight'' formed the bulk of his communication with the audience. His concert _ ``A Journey Through Time'' _ was a passive experience for the audience, due to the lack of communication with the singer. About 10,000 or more showed up, from big-name politicians to local entertainers, from older fans to expatriates and teenagers. They sat, they listened _ and then gradually began walking out as the evening went by. The musical ambience was monotonous _ the show was dominated by slow beats, and only occasionally seasoned with a fast track. The lack of a theme and a well-organised song sequence resulted in a yo-yo, up-and-down mood. For concert-goers, especially those who paid for the most expensive tickets (7,000 baht _ the highest price for any concert ever held here), the show was lacking in exciting, entertaining moments. The concert began right on time at 8:30pm with Your Song from his debut album Empty Sky (1970). Recently popularised again in the movie Moulin Rouge, the song earned loud applause. The happy mood continued through Greatest Discovery and Someone Saved My Life Tonight. But the feeling faded during the golden oldies Daniel and Mona Lisa. After introducing the song, and stating which album it came from, Sir Elton John sang and played, giving the impression that he might have been preoccupied with his upcoming concert in Singapore _ the last of his Asian tour _ and was in a hurry to get his business in Bangkok over and done with. The upbeat music in another hit, Honky Cat, jazzed things up a bit. Some in the audience began to move, rocking back and forth with the superstar. The mood soared again when Rocket Man began. The small stage was electrified by thousands of tiny lights, as if the singer were in outer space. But then Tiny Dancer and Philadelphia Freedom slowed things down again. Despite the impeccable performance, many began to yawn. It became apparent that this was not truly the concert it was expected to be, rather more like a quality show at a five-star hotel that the audience could enjoy and yet feel free to leave whenever they were ready to do so. Audience members began to walk out, ironically, as he performed I Want Love, the first single from his latest album Songs From the West Coast, a return to his musical roots with collaborator Bernie Taupin which has been very well received on the charts. The walk-out didn't seem to bother the superstar. As if he knew those folks were going to miss the best bits, he went on with his hits Sacrifice and Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word. Some of the would-be departees returned to their seats. It was halfway through the concert when he sang Blues and Original Sin, both from the 1980s. The lack of conversation and the slow beat of his old hits failed to keep the audience glued to their expensive seats, and more and more walked out _ the scene was rather like a shopping mall. This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore followed, and the singer seemed lost in this meditation on growing old and no longer being so enticed by affairs of the heart. His ad lib at the end of the song added a much-needed emotional element to the show. It was accompanied by the instrumental numbers Carla and Etude from the album The Fox. Both displayed his brilliant, masterful piano skills, but failed to keep the audience in their seats. The playful, jazzy sound of Take Me to the Pilot woke things up, as did I'm Still Standing, which got some folks on their feet. The night heated up toward the end of the show with Crocodile Rock. The audience was having so much fun they rocked and sang along. The superstar also invited audience participation to help sing the refrain ("Na ... na na na na naaa ..."). This earned him the loudest applause of the evening, and he got up on his bench and offered a few bows. The mood shifted again with Don't Let the Sun Go Down, and Circle of Life, from the Disney toon flick, The Lion King. The songs are Elton John classics though his delivery of them was rather uninspiring. After Benny and the Jets, which got things moving again, the long and winding night finally ended with Candle in the Wind. In his black track suit, he crooned the version originally written for Marilyn Monroe _ he has vowed to never perform the Princess Diana version, the biggest selling single of all time, again. If only the singer had cut about 10 songs from the long list and did a bit more chatting with the audience, which Thai folks enjoy, and offered a wee bit of improvisation, he might have fared better with Thai audiences. Alas, the superstar has become a star too far away to reach. Racha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 quote: Originally posted by mikem: I bet Elton drove the lady-boys crazy. (And vice versa) Well, my lesbian travel agent told me she had a great time in her 1000B seat and said that she had a better view than her friend in her 7000B seat who had a not so great view of Elton's back for the whole show. Ranger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 quote: Originally posted by mikem: I bet Elton drove the lady-boys crazy. (And vice versa) That's the annoying thing: we all do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 quote: Originally posted by Ranger: Well, my lesbian travel agent told me she had a great time in her 1000B seat and said that she had a better view than her friend in her 7000B seat who had a not so great view of Elton's back for the whole show. Ranger 7000 bahts? Usually in BKK, for that kinda dough, you get to do a lot more with a back than just staring at it! Of course, it's not Elton's.... LOL maak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 It was purely and simply a piano recital. I wound up having to get 3000B tickets,(the most I have ever paid for a concert) one for me, one for the missus and all I keep thinking is, what could I have done with 6000B? 2 penthouse models in Rachada, 6 st incl bf from cowboy or nana, almost 5 girls from nataree, 20st with 300B girls from the street. 30st with massage girls in PP, 15 all night in PP All I got was a sore butt from sitting for 2 1/2 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 22, 2001 Report Share Posted November 22, 2001 Thanks for posting up the review Racha. I have to say that if I picked my top five Elton songs, I would have heard him do them all so I was pretty impressed with the playlist. I'm a bit annoyed about the Thais walking out half-way through the concert. Don't really know why but I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.