Nice to see you again, my faithful Elton John fans and loyal subscribers! I have a great, historic show for all of you enjoy: Live at Wembley Arena on November 3, 1977, the infamous "retirement concert"! Ollie "Elton Stuff" uploaded the show with footage here, but I am uploading it sound only on my channel! The quality is very good, and it is complete, except that Meal Ticket is heavily cut in the beginning so it starts in the middle of the 2nd chorus. This is an awesome show nobody should miss, not only because of the reason above, it has some surprises which are every fan's dream!
In this show, Elton is backed by Davey Johnstone's short-lived band China, as well as James Newton Howard on keys and Ray Cooper on percussion, and three backing singers (including songwriting partner Gary Osborne and Kiki Dee.) Elton's voice is in great shape, and he delivers great vocal and instrumental performances as usual, typical of the 1970s. It is a great show overall, but vocally, it pales in comparison to Rainbow. Anyway, on with the show description!
To start off the show, Elton starts the show solo with Better Off Dead, which is a great version with some great vocals and piano playing. Next up is Daniel, which is one of the best live versions, amazing piano and great vocals, though he flubs the lyrics slightly in the last chorus (he says "tears" instead of "clouds"), and it is followed by a great solo version of Roy Rogers, which is just amazing. Next is a special song which is the only time he has sung it live: The Goal Digger's Song, befitting this show since the show was held on behalf of the Goal Diggers football charity group. It is a fun little song, despite being "mundane" as Elton describes it. A great version of St Peter comes next, which is followed by an even better performance of Shine On Through, the first live version and the first song with Gary Osborne lyrics to be performed live. Tonight comes up next, and it is a good version, but not as good as Rainbow since Elton doesn't use falsetto as much here, but his piano playing makes up for it! China starts to join in on Grapevine, which is just as good as Rainbow, and better than Marvin Gaye's version, the music is just great and Elton's vocals are awesome. Island Girl then follows, the music and vocals are fun and great as always. The mood becomes somber with a nice version of Candle, which Elton dedicates to Graham Taylor in the audience. The first ever live version of One Horse Town then follows, and it is very good for a first time, but not as good as the 1985-86 versions. An energetic version of Bennie comes up next, and just as the audience is getting excited, Elton drops a bomb as he is getting ready to perform Sorry Seems: he (fittingly) apologizes to his audience, saying that this is his last live show due to the stress of touring. The song is performed nicely, which fits the now-somber tone of the show due to Elton's announcement.
The mood lightens with Philadelphia Freedom, which is another spirited live version with great music and vocals, one of his best 70s versions. Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding is next, and it is probably the best 70s version ever, with epic music and vocals, making it even better than the album version. James Newton Howard's keyboard make this version worth it! Next up is Rocket Man, amazing as always, with great vocals as always and great music. Meal Ticket comes next but unfortunately we don't hear most of it due to it being cut, but it is a great, spirited version. After some wild cheering, Elton lightens the mood with a very moving version of Your Song. Elton then introduces China and the rest of the band and backing singers, and Kiki Dee then joins him on Don't Go Breaking My Heart, the best 70s live version! To finish the show, Elton has a surprise: Stevie Wonder as a guest pianist on Bite Your Lip, which, thanks to Stevie, is a great version with amazing music and vocals! So concludes a legendary concert in EJ's career.
Please stay tuned for more concerts from me in the future, and I hope you will enjoy this show!
