6. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (Elton John - Live At The Grosvenor Hotel: 11/11/1990)

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!!!

[@richardyang6667]

3:40

[@GregsynthWizard]

Last time caught on tape where he nails that!

[@daniellikesalbum3301]

Is this the last time Elton did the high note on "Help them heal"?

[@richardyang6667]

YES, he wouldn't do that in The One Tour.

[@kuba5966]

Is this a photo from the show?

[@GregsynthWizard]

Yes!

[@kuba5966]

@@GregsynthWizard What is the source of this photo?

[@GregsynthWizard]

@@kuba5966 Found it on Facebook!