7. Bennie And The Jets (Elton John - Live At The Grosvenor Hotel: 11/11/1990)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.พ. 2025
- All right you wunderbar subscribers, I have a real treat for you all. Even though I acquired this concert a few years ago, It wasn’t uploaded due to other commitments. It is now time to bring this concert to life on my channel and to talk about it. This upload contains 9 tracks from Elton’s performance at the Grosvenor Hotel in London and while this upload doesn’t have all the songs on it (there are set-lists posted on the internet featuring more songs), something is better than nothing and at least the quality is excellent!
This is Elton’s first public performance after his rehabilitation and he sounds absolutely brilliant on this show. His voice shows absolutely no signs of the wear and tear that was evident during the last couple of years (from the rampart drug use, constant touring, and misusing his voice) and he is basically a reborn soul on this recording (as a musician, vocalist, and person). His voice basically sounds like a blend of his mid 80s prime live voice combined with the voice of his best late 80s shows (think Miami 1988, Dusseldorf 1989, etc). His falsetto is also alive and well at this show and it sounds so amazing. Ray Cooper also performs with Elton and his percussion playing is fantastic throughout the show. On a side note, Elton is playing his white Steinway at this show. Now… time to discuss these performances!
“Daniel” sounds amazing with Elton’s soft tone making an appearance and he sounds like a mature version of his 1984 self in spots. This is possibly one of the greatest solo versions of the song that has been documented on audio. “Tonight” is a shocking performance as Elton sings the song better than most of the conservative versions from the 1985-1986 World Tour. He still nails the classic falsetto notes in the chorus sections and at the ending (which sounds absolutely brilliant). This is easily Elton’s best post-surgery version of the song and ranks among his best post-surgery performances of all-time. “Philadelphia Freedom” is very energetic with Elton giving a gutsy performance and he really shows off his falsetto in spots. He also plays around with his voice and goes between his lower/baritone range and his higher range without difficulty. “Rocket Man” has Elton powerfully belting out the song using mostly his middle range, but he also goes for a few falsetto notes in the chorus sections. Ray’s percussion is also a highlight and really compliments this performance very well. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” is the last known version where Elton goes for falsetto notes in the chorus sections and his tone sounds really nice on this version. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” is one of the best post-surgery versions as Elton’s revived voice shows a great resonance that isn’t heard on most versions from 1989 and the Atlantic City versions. He shows great vocal control and his upper range is still very strong. “Bennie And The Jets” is a fun version with Elton showing off his different vocal styles, phrases, and dynamics. His piano playing is extremely playful and you can tell he’s having a good time on this performance. Like other songs on this set, Ray’s percussion is very well played and suits this arrangement extremely well. “Candle In The Wind” sounds better than most versions from late 1986 - early 1990 as Elton’s voice is very powerful and clean throughout all of his ranges. He also nails the ending cleanly without a hint of the rasp and growl that was apparent throughout most versions from the noted timeframe. Finally, “Your Song” ranks among the best post-surgery versions as Elton sounds excellent and does tasteful embellishments without losing clarity in his tone. He also does a very unique ending to the song which sounds quite nice!
ENJOY!!!
This is like the end of a movie. Elton’s out of rehab and things are brightening up as he has a quaint comeback performance to prove to the world that he’s not done with it yet
Great post!
@@GregsynthWizard I love this rendition of it so much!
My favorite rendition of it has to be Columbia 1986 (cuz that’s where I live, and it was on my birthday) but this one also holds a special place in my heart because it feels like Elton is finally free of his toil and trouble. It sounds relieving
@@ish9506 Columbia 1986 is a pretty decent show in general. I've got an upgrade of that one on the way!
Like in Rocketman where I'm Still Standing plays
I love the playing during the second half!
Ohhh ohhh ohhhh ohhh ho so spaced out 😮 Love 💕 that part. Let’s not forget that “mean” piano playing 2/3’s the way thru ! 💗💗
Love this version!
Some really unique phrasing’s in this version
Elton was really having fun on this performance!
It's nice to hear his amped up white Steinway piano again even though retired it in 1986. He also played a Yamaha grand piano on MTV Unplugged to stay true to it's title and again in 1991 for the Rock For The Rainforest concert where he sounded even fresher. It's a shame that Steinway never gave a shit about Elton playing their piano's. He made the right decision switching to Yamaha as they have been nothing but supportive.
He played a black Steinway model D on unplugged not a Yamaha
@@brandonsvlog8533 He may have done when he did a charity show in Monaco 1984.
@@jaggass he played a black Steinway model D there too
@@brandonsvlog8533 I liked the sound of non amped and he didn't need it at that show as it was just him and a small venue. On show's he used Helpinstill pick ups which gave it that Brite sound and with it being amped no feedback from his monitors and had no bleed from other instruments but you probably knew that anyway.
I love Ray Cooper's percussion work in this version.
Same here!
I just love Cooper’s percussion on it’s own :)
To my ears, I could’ve sworn this is taken from 1987!
Maybe it’s just hearing that Steinway again...
The Steinway is amazing!
So interesting to hear him back on the Steinway. I know it started to give him problems but I wish he kept it as it was such a nice sounding (and looking) piano and personally I think it suited him very well. Saying that though it would have been interesting if he did what he's doing with his Yamahas currently to the Steinway and layered the MKS-20 over it. I also do wonder what happened to the Steinway and where it went after Elton was done with it. Would be nice if it went to a museum or something.
I've read that Elton had complaints about Steinway's support and customer service. I assume that he donated the Steinway somewhere.
I believe it is still in storage in London, but that might just be a rumour. He carried on playing the Steinway until 1993 so he must have been fairly happy with it, although we know he reportedly said it was too "muddy". The sound here couldn't be less muddy and the relative tonality in it still sounds like a real piano, despite the delay/chorus/leslie effects....unlike the Yamaha/Roland/Yamaha Motif mix he used now which just sounds like a 1980s digital piano.
You can hear in the solo to this song, there is a fairly crap electric piano module under the Steinway sound.
@@homeone4054 I miss his Steinway piano in general. It may not be everybody's favorite Elton piano, but I loved it.
@@GregsynthWizard it’s my absolute favorite! How love how stunning it looks in its white finish. Matched him perfectly during those years. I wish there was a way to ask someone where it is etc.
@@homeone4054 Elton famously said that Steinway didn't give a shit about him playing their piano's so after he went to Yamaha in 1993 they've supported him ever since.
B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets
Oh, yes!
How come he recovered some of his ranges in 1990 and after 1990, he never went back into his higher range?
His tessitura (sweet spots for range/comfort zone) was lower later on, so instead of trying to always sing at the maximum ceiling for his range, he opted for more conservative phrasing. There are moments throughout the 90s/early 2000s where he sometimes gets extremely daring and goes for original melodies that were quite high (see stuff from the Big Picture tours, the Ray Cooper stuff from 1993-1995, Meal Ticket from Cleveland 2001, etc).
@@GregsynthWizard Very well said. And aging changes your voice. With or without the surgery, Elton would have to be more conservative with the vocals sometime.
@@Carbrothers Yep, you're right with that!
How to sort of get the 1982 tempo. 1.25x
Hahaha!