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ELTON JOHN
Charlotte 2014 [no label, 2CD]
Live at the PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, NC; June 14, 2014. Very good IEM/Audience Matrix.
Depending on where you stand, Elton John’s last great album was… Blue Moves (1976)? Rock Of The Westies (1975)? Captain Fantastic (1975)? Or Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)? If you are hard nosed and critical, you’d say Elton John has been coasting since then.
Anyway, for old time’s sake, here’s a very recent show. Don’t shoot him, he’s not only a piano player, he’s become the ultimate showman.
Théoden Janes of charlotteobserver.com wrote:
At 67, his walk looks more like a shuffle now, and his voice isn’t quite as heavenly as it was 30 years ago (it also had to overcome a muddy sound mix). Still, those vocal cords remain full, robust, often arresting, particularly when his seven-piece band receded on songs like “Candle in the Wind” and “Rocket Man.”
After nearly every song, John would leap to his feet - often acting like he’d just performed a magic trick, spreading his arms and raising his eyebrows as if to say, “Ta-da!” Or he’d drop his chin, gaze over the rims of his blue sunglasses and flash a crooked smile. Or he’d pump his fists and mouth, “Oh yeah!,” crinkling his face like a professional wrestler.
During a rollicking rendition of “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting,” he surprised everyone: shooting to his feet, climbing onto the grand piano, sitting atop it for a moment, making the “Ta-da!” expression, then hopping off and resuming his key-mashing. The crowd went berserk.
Thanks to Univonc for sharing the show at Dime.
Univonc noted:
Great night for Elton. He is a master on multiple levels. He decided to play Charlotte as a last-minute show prior to his gig in Bonarroo. The acoustics for PNC is horrific. A stand alone audience would be embarrassing. Trust me on the matrix being the better option. The IEM’s were decent and, at times, may have static. Does not to interfere with the recording, but can be noticeable. Most have been eliminated, healed or minimized. Should not be distracting. Also, during “Crocodile Rock” Elton (out loud to audience) asked the light guy to turn down the lights because they were “Fucking Blinding me” and he in the next verse called the light guy an “Asshole”.
As someone quipped, “the bitch is indeed back”. Or he’s still standing. Your call.
Sources:
IEM:
Source 1: Davey Johnstone
Source 2: 2 cellos
Source 3 (mono): John Mahon
Audience:
Dual DPA 4061 merged into mini XLR>Core Sound V2 A/D converter>Coax out to Microtrack II Digital Recorder
Recording Lineage:
Audience time aligned with IEM’s using Adobe Audition CC
Tracks edited, mixed, and cut using Adobe Audition CC
Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (224 kbps). As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released on CD.
Please Do Not Hammer The Links. Due to the size of some of the files, please be very patient when downloading the tracks. It could be that the server was very busy. The tracks should still be around. Please try again later. Kindly email us at mybigo@bigozine.com if you encounter persistent problems downloading the files.
Disc 1
Track 101. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding 11:24 (19.1MB)
Track 102. Bennie And The Jets 6:18 (10.6MB)
Track 103. Candle In The Wind 3:53 (6.5MB)
Track 104. Grey Seal 5:02 (8.5MB)
Track 105. Levon 9:04 (15.2MB)
Track 106. Tiny Dancer 7:28 (12.5MB)
Track 107. Believe 4:32 (7.6MB)
Track 108. Philadelphia Freedom 5:20 (9.0MB)
Track 109. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 3:50 (6.4MB)
Track 110. Roy Rogers 4:43 (7.9MB)
Track 111. Rocket Man (Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word Teaser) 8:40 (14.6MB)
Track 112. Hey Ahab 5:27 (9.2MB)
76 mins
Disc 2
Track 201. I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues 5:40 (9.5MB)
Track 202. The One 6:27 (10.8MB)
Track 203. Oceans Away 4:53 (8.2MB)
Track 204. Someone Saved My Life Tonight 7:30 (12.6MB)
Track 205. Sad Songs (Say So Much) 5:00 (8.4MB)
Track 206. All The Girls Love Alice 5:16 (8.8MB)
Track 207. Home Again 5:28 (9.2MB)
Track 208. Band Introductions 2:32 (4.3MB)
Track 209. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me 6:00 (10.1MB)
Track 210. I’m Still Standing 3:21 (5.6MB)
Track 211. The Bitch is Back 4:13 (7.1MB)
Track 212. Your Sister Can’t Twist (But She Can Rock And Roll) 3:05 (5.2MB)
Track 213. Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting 6:23 (10.7MB)
Track 214. Your Song 5:00 (8.4MB)
Track 215. Crocodile Rock 5:04 (8.5MB)
76 mins
For those still keeping score, Elton John released The Diving Board, his 31st studio album, on September 13, 2013. Click here
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