Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 14:53:46 -0500
Message-Id: <199407221953.OAA01833@chaos.bsu.edu>
From: pax@voronoi.cs.jhu.edu (John Paxton)
To: joel@chaos.bsu.edu
Reply-To: pax@voronoi.cs.jhu.edu (John Paxton)
Subject: RFK Concert!!
Sender: joel-request@chaos.bsu.edu

X-Author: pax@voronoi.cs.jhu.edu (John Paxton)
Hey everyone,

	I am just now beginning to come down from the best Billy Joel
Concert I have ever seen.  Last night, at RFK Stadium in Washington DC I had
the time of my life.  This review is also going to a few friends of mine, so
I would like to publicly thank Michael Kullen for getting me some absolutely
awe-inspiring seats.  Not only were we dead center, but also on the field!!
All this, for 45 dollars.  Definitely worth it.
	The night itself was blaringly humid.  Billy commented on this at
several instances, asking if it was hot enough (much cheering) and whether
it was like this all summer (a resounding yes).  Further climatical comments
included the humidity leading to HUGE (and believe me, they are)
mosquitoes.  The Man actually had to ask for some OFF because "I'm not
worried about getting bit, I'm just worried about one of them flying into my
mouth when I'm singing!"  The crowd cheered loudly as he sprayed OFF on his
clothes.  Possibly the only man in the western hemisphere who could get
applause for applying bug spray!  8-)

	The performers were in fine form.  Elton originally wore black
jeans, a red tank top and a white sportcoat (with matching toupee ;-) )
Billy wore this grey sportcoat over the trademark black jeans and black
sleeveless T-shirt.  Then, for his own set, he changed to a Black
sportcoat.  The lighting was sufficiently weird that on BJ's side of the
stage, it looked like the grey sportcoat was split in half between white and
black (shades of Two-Face?  Shades of Grey?)
	Comments from Elton were few and far between, save a few "Good
evening, Washington" and "This song is..." types.  Billy was his usual
talkative self.  The chatter ranged from the local area talk ("Who's from
DC? (mild applause) Maryland? (a roar) Delaware? (nada).... uhhh.... How
about Quebec? (mild cheering)") to the mildly bitter (He introduced EJ's
"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by saying that he had first run into EJ while
dating his first wife, and now that he is getting "un-married" from his
second wife, he is still a fan).  To answer a question to another thread, I
did not detect any messing with the lyrics on either John's or Joel's part
(although I was waiting for something with "We Didn't Start the Fire."

	The performance itself was incredible.  I lack words to express how
much I enjoyed myself.  The sound was very impressive, with the bass and the
drums tuned perhaps a bit too high in volume.  The bands themselves worked
together very well.  EJ's percussionist (hereby dubbed Bongo Man) was
incredible.  If anyone was at Paul Simon's concert in the park in 1991, he
was even more talented than the psycho percussionist there.  EJ's band was a
little more stripped down than Billy's.  I kept turning to one of the people
who came with me and kidding her about how Billy used real instruments, as
opposed to Elton having a synthesizer cover most of the non-standard rock
instruments.  Billy Joel's band was in great shape.  I was happy to see
Liberty fit a fine after hearing about the Philadelphia show.  Liberty was
his usual insane self.  Mark Rivera played an excellent
sax/clarinet/anything else as necessary.  Crystal Taliefero was resplendent
in spandex and lace (yum) and played and sang with abandon.  During "Only
the Good Die Young," Mark and Crystal had a minor saxophone duel,
atttempting first to outplay and then to seduce the other (Crystal won).
T-Bone was terrific in his usual quiet way.  The new guys on guitar and keys
were pretty good, too.

	If anyone was there that night and can confirm or answer any of the
questions I pose, please post.  Also, for the Giants Stadium shows, I think
we ought to post a set list for each night.  Since it is BJ's home area, I
think there will certainly be some new songs present.  I have friends going
on the 26th, so everyone be nice to them!! ;)

	Now, here's the set list (warning you for those who might not
want to read it).  I have included a few comments and notes that I found
really funny about it:

--Pax

John A. Paxton				Conscientious Objector
EFR-I BLS-CPR-I	CCPR-I				  &
More acronyms on request		Bleeding Heart Liberal
----------------========pax@cs.jhu.edu========---------------- 


Set List for 7/20/94 Billy Joel-Elton John 
at RFK Stadium, Washington, DC

Billy Joel/Elton John

Your Song
Honesty (yes, dedicated to the 'National Enquirer.')
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me

Elton John

Philadelphia Freedom
Take Me To the Pilot 
(with an awesome intro that had me thinking NY State of Mind...)
Levon
Rocket Man
Simple Life
The One
New York State of Mind 
(A brief intro saying that this is one of his favorite Billy Joel Songs.)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
(He actually left the stage for the beginning of this, as his keyboardist
did the first two minutes or so...)

Billy Joel/Elton John
I Guess That's Why They Call It Blues
(A very soulful rendition.  Billy really poured his heart out into it.)

Elton John
Can You Feel the Love Tonight?
(with video from "The Lion King."  I admit, I went to the men's room at this
point... 8-> )

Saturday Night's All Right
(Rock and roll!!! This segued into a drum solo by Bongo Man with a
speak/reply thing on "Saturday...")

PinBall Wizard
(Incredible jams with his guitaurist and drummer.)

Billy Joel
I Go To Extremes
(He only picked up the emotion of the song at the end, as he trilled in
"Yankee Doodle Dandy" during one of the quick bridges near the end of the
song)

Pressure
Ballad of Billy the Kid
(introduced as "from way back in the seventies...")

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
(with intro as above)

Scenes From an Italian Restaurant


Billy Joel/Elton John
Ode To Joy/My Life 
(with awesome harmony! They did this strange half-beat syncopation
descending cascade thing.  Does anyone who was at the show know a better
musical/technical term for this?)

Billy Joel
Goodnight Saigon
Lullabye (Good-night My Angel)
River of Dreams
We Didn't Start the Fire
Still Rock and Roll To Me
(Strange intro...the new guitarist improved on T-Bone's bassline for a
while..and Billy played with the mike stand.  I was expecting "Big Shot" and
then BJ took off the sportcoat and looked like Elvis (with a pelvis roll
during tthe song, no less!))

Only the Good Die Young
Big Shot

Encore -- Billy Joel/Elton John
You May Be Right
(Billy went all over the stage on this.  Startled Elton by jumping on top of
EJ's piano and screaming the lyrics at him!)

Benny & the Jets/Piano Duel
(Hysterical improvs off of "Benny and the Jets" leading into more and more
dissonant chords...as Billy backed off he moved into more of his own
material for improvisation...at one point I clearly heard bits of "Only the
Good Die Young.")

Hard Day's Night
Candle In the Wind
Piano Man
(with the requisite crowd singing the chorus).