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So, announced earlier through a brief post that went up while we were still at the U.S. Airways Center, Billy Joel and Elton John are coming to town on March 26. It’s the latest iteration of a tour Billboard labeled the most successful pairing of all time, and should be a fun night of music.
Really, though, this press conference deserves a little more attention than we gave it earlier. Live Nation pulled out all the stops: a gorilla dressed as Elton John, a speech by a guy who I thought was Mr. Bean (but was later revealed to be Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon), free pizza and shepard’s pie, hot dancer girls, and a performance by dueling pianists from my favorite Mill Ave. establishment, The Big Bang. It was quite a show, especially when I gave the Big Bang guys $1 and a napkin with “River of Dreams” written on it, which they duly played, impressing me. Seriously, how often could they possibly get requests for that song?
The concert sounds like it might be almost as good. From the press release:
“Billy and Elton open the concert with a series of duets, playing twin pianos and trading vocals. Each artist then performs a set with his own band. A grand finale brings the two superstars and their supporting musicians back together for a closing encore. This includes some of both Billy and Elton’s greatest hits along with an unpredictable selection of rock and roll classics.”
We’ll be there. With Mr. Bean… er, Mr. Mayor. –Martin Cizmar
