Billy and Elton - Face to Face Carl J. Woodin The following is a review and set list from the Billy Joel and Elton John Summer of 1994 concert held on Saturday, 7/9, at Philadelphia's Veteran's Stadium. This was the second show on the tour, and the concert where Billy's great drummer, Liberty DeVitto, was taken to the hospital. This review was originally posted on the Internet mailing list and Usenet group, and on America On-Line. The first impression you get when you enter the stadium is how beautiful the stage is. It is a large oval with piano keys painted in the front. There are two black grand pianos facing each other. Billy's piano (Steinway) is stage left and Elton's (Yamaha) is stage right. Also on stage right is a large American flag and Billy's name. Stage left has a large Union Jack and Elton's name. There are two large video screens on each side of the stage. They are initially draped but revealed at dusk. The sound is amazing, especially for a stadium show. Brian Ruggles and his crew did an excellent job. The levels were good without being too loud. The mixing of instruments and voices was well done. I believe there were two soundboards, one for each performer and his respective band. The lighting was also very well done by Steve Cohen and his crew. The blend of colors was impressive, especially during Elton's Funeral for a Friend. One interesting note - both performers used teleprompters for the lyrics. I think Elton needs new glasses, however, because he stumbled on lyrics for a number of songs, including NY State of Mind, My Life, and Hard Day's Night. The one disappointment of the evening occurred when Billy's drummer, and in my opinion the greatest drummer since Buddy Rich, had to leave the stage. This occurred early during Billy's set. Elton's drummer, Charlie Morgan, was able to fill in, and he did a remarkable job! Liberty DeVitto was suffering from a food allergy. Although he was taken to a local hospital, where he spent the night, he was fine and returned for the next show on Tuesday, 7/12. On with the set list (a fairly vanilla, abbreviated greatest hits list for both performers): At 8:00 sharp, Billy Joel appears on stage while Yankee Doodle Dandy is playing. Next, Elton takes the stage. The two of them perform the following: Your Song Honesty (with Elton's band and Billy's Mark Rivera, Crystal Taliefero, and T-Bone Wolk doing back-up vocals) Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me At this point, Billy and T-Bone leave the stage. Elton's set begins: Philadelphia Freedom (a rocking local favorite that Elton wrote for Billy Jean King's defunct World Team Tennis entry) At this point, Crystal and Mark leave the stage. Take Me to the Pilot Levon Rocket Man (a rocking, rousing rendition) With the stadium now sufficiently dark, the video screens are revealed. Simple Life The One NY State of Mind (a nice, soulful rendition) Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (my personal EJ favorite) - This was a great rendition. Billy Joel enters for a duet of I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues Billy exits and Elton introduces his band, which he forgot to do on Friday night. Elton now sings his hit from the Lion King, while the video screens show clips from the Disney hit. Pinball Wizard Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting (Featuring an intense percussion solo by Ray Cooper) Elton and his band leave the stage at 9:35 and a 20 minute intermission begins. At 9:55, Billy and his band take the stage while Rhapsody in Blue is playing (I miss Mexican Connection). Billy's set: I Go to Extremes Pressure (Billy on piano, David Rosenthal on keyboards) Ballad of Billy the Kid (Crystal on harmonica) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Scenes from an Italian Restaurant It was at this point in the show that Liberty became ill and Charlie took over on drums. A steady rain (my wife said it was only a drizzle) had kicked in at this point. Billy and the band were sufficiently protected from the elements. Billy said to the crowd, "Is it raining out there?...Do you give a shit?" Lullabye (dedicated to his daughter, Alexa Ray) - this, I have been told was an "audible". The original set list had No Man's Land. My Life (a duet with Elton John) Allentown (another local favorite) River of Dreams We Didn't Start the Fire Still Rock and Roll to Me Only the Good Die Young With the time now 11:05, Elton and his band join Billy and the his band for the following: Bitch is Back You May Be Right Benny and the Jets (featuring an extended piano interlude) A Hard Day's Night Lucille Great Balls of Fire The final song, performed only by Billy and Elton, is Piano Man (I am personally sick of this song). The concert ended at 11:40.