Merry Christmas to all you sunscribers out there. And also, happy 1st birthday little Zachary. Alright. Here's my Christmas present for all of you. Chicago, 12th of November 1999. A usual great solo show from Elton with a lot of impressions. I have earlier been praising this era for Elton's creativity and his amazing voice. And show won't disappoint any of you who prefer Elton solo.
The first impression in this is the very good quality. I think it's an audience recording, but has quality as a soundboard recording. That is good because then we get to hear the brilliance of Elton's piano playing in a very good quality. This brilliance is shown on especially Burn Down The Mission with the awesome extension (I find MSG 1999 better than this version) and Bennie And The Jets (again, MSG 1999 is better in my opinion). Also, just like MSG 1999 Elton delivers a fantastic version of Philadelphia Freedom. It is clear during this, and also during other songs like Elton's Song, Burn Down The Mission etc. with high notes, that Elton is still able to hit the high notes without a horrible voice. That is what I like about this era. A clean and powerful + amazing creativity on the piano = Oh My God!
Another gem is Harmony. I still can't get over how much I appreciate that Elton brough this with him on the tour. He delivers a wonderful version and also Elton's Song which is played for the first time since the early 80's is fantastic and Elton nails it. That song has not been played since. Listen to Honky Cat - he owns on the piano and it's one of the best versions. Another noticeable thing is the audience. The audience is very enthusiastic, dedicated, and responsive and claps every time Elton mentions a name of an album. Another remarkable performance is The One. That version is one of my favorite versions ever and it's a pleasure listening to it! At last, the intro to Take Me To The Pilot is wonderful.
I hope you'll enjoy your present!
- Enjoy!