”Where was Paul McCartney? Where was Elton John?”
The New York Post was seeking answers after that city hosted the final night of Billy Joel‘s Madison Square Garden residency on 25 July. Paul has joined Billy onstage in the past, and Elton did so many times, as they toured together. In fact, on 24 July, WPDH radio celebrated the 30th anniversary of an ”epic” Face to Face outing at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Actually, this was night #2: There were five such concerts here, grossing about $15 million and attracting close to 300,000 fans.
At his last MSG show, Billy’s special guests included Axl Rose, but some critics thought him a ”strange” choice.
Axl, who inducted Elton into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, knew he had to become a performer when he first heard Bennie and the Jets.
A younger Bennie and the Jets admirer is Archie, whose parents are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In the 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex said it was her child’s favourite song.
Bernie Taupin has explained that the titular character of Bennie and the Jets was a fictional woman leading a fictional band. As for ”Candy and Ronnie,” Far Out magazine thinks there’s a good chance they were based on real people. These would be the transgender actress Candy Darling, who worked with Andy Warhol, and the Ronettes singer Ronnie Spector.
Earlier this year, ”Bennie” made Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It only ranked at #371, but the magazine said Elton was at his ”most playfully funky.”
Other John/Taupin compositions making the list were Your Song (#202), Rocket Man (#149), and Tiny Dancer (in 47th place).
Another old favourite, The Bitch is Back, wasn’t cited. But it contains a relevant line, ”Stone-cold sober, as a matter of fact, ” seeing that Elton is celebrating an impressive 34th year of sobriety. He posted a picture of an Alcoholics Anonymous coin with the phrase ”To thine own self be true.”
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Elton and Jake Shears‘ Tammy Faye musical, coming this fall to New York’s Broadway, also made an announcement. . . . Michael Cerveris is the newest member of the cast. The two-time Tony award winner is to play Reverend Jerry Falwell. During its UK engagement, Falwell was portrayed by Zubin Varla, who received an Olivier award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.
The Elton/Shaina Taub musical, The Devil Wears Prada, is in previews at the Theatre Royal Plymouth in Devon, England, through 17 August. Also running through the 17th is a fashion display in the venue’s foyer. Most were created by Arts University Plymouth students, and were unveiled by The Devil Wears Prada‘s choreographer/director Jerry Mitchell and actress Amy Di Bartolomeo. The aim, according to a press release, was to come up with looks which would warrant ”two nods” from Miranda Priestly (played by Vanessa Williams).
People might be shaking their heads, though, at how quickly auction offerings wind up being sold again. Elton’s lime-green ensemble from the Rocket Man Resale on eBay is now part of Gotta Have Rock and Roll‘s Pop Culture auction.
Also available is a crew member’s blue vest, worn during last year’s Glastonbury engagement, along with a stage used setlist, signed by Elton, with selections ranging from Are You Ready For Love to Your Song.
If you’d like to hear Elton’s music and happen to be in West Hollywood, California, Tom Cridland is doing a tribute show tonight at the Troubadour. This club, as you know, is where Elton first played America–in August 1970.
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