Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Face2Face

So, remember a few months ago when I posted about how disappointed we were that Elton John and Billy Joel were performing in Denver when we were going to be out of town? Well, that concert ended up getting canceled and, shortly thereafter, rescheduled. Luckily this happened before Torsten decided to quit his job and we implemented the spending freeze, so we purchased tickets (though at least we were smart enough to buy the less expensive seats) back in what is now known as our Happy Go Lucky Period.

And, well, I'm so glad we did. The concert was last night and it was one of the best concerts I've ever been to. Torsten feels the same way. We are both still half deaf but it was so, so worth it. Look, here's a crappy BlackBerry for posterity/to prove we were there (though I'm not sure this photo could actually be used as evidence of anything):


I'm what you might call a casual fan of both of Elton and Billy... as in, I know and love their big hits, can probably recognize their voices if a more obscure song comes on the radio, but am not familiar with their work beyond that. So, I was a little concerned that they might play a bunch of album cuts that I had never heard, but I guess both of them are veterans enough to know what their bread and butter songs are, because I swear they played every one.

Seriously, every time they played another one I thought that surely they must have hit the limit of songs of theirs that I know and love, and then another one would happen. They started with Your Song, which made me super happy because that's one of my favorite songs, and only continued from there. I swear, the only song I can think of by either of them that wasn't played was New York State of Mind.

Elton is a total kook, which I hadn't realized. His outfits were insane, but also awesome. And Billy Joel could have a backup career as a stand-up comedian. Torsten tells me that's his thing, but I didn't know, which just made his dry one-liners extra hilarious. And, they both signed autographs on stage during their set, which I thought was super nice of them.

Plus, these two are a brilliant pairing. Their voices and styles mesh so well. AND the concert was so long! There was no opening act, and we were there for almost four hours. They played a few songs together to start, then Elton did a set on his own that lasted over an hour, and then Billy did the same thing, and then they played a long set together. The crowd was super into it, and to my own surprise, we were far from being the youngest people there.

And... bizarrely... it was romantic. I wasn't expecting that AT ALL, but there it was. It was an awesome experience to share.

Absolutely worth the price of admission, even if we had purchased the tickets post spending freeze. If they ever come back to Denver (assuming we aren't totally broke at that point), we will DEFINITELY go to see them again.

14 comments:

  1. Oh, that's so fun! I would have loved it, I'm sure. I'm such a sucker for concerts anyway, and as kooky as they are, they really are legends.

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  2. Billy Joel holds a fond place in my heart. I went to see him in concert with my family when I was 8. It was the first time I saw cross-dressers (they were sitting next to us) and the first time I smelled pot. I saw him in concert again when I was in high school (this time, with a bunch of girlfriends). I think he's one of the most talented musicians of all time - love that he makes piano rock.

    I'm not such a big fan of Elton John, though. So, I'm not sure if I'd go see both of them in concert. Glad to hear you two enjoyed your special evening out!

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  3. That is so awesome you saw them both at once concert. I saw Billy Joel in River of Dreams tour of 94' and it was one of the most awesome concerts I had ever been to. So glad you guys had tickets and an awesome time!

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  4. I just love Billy Joel and I don't care if that makes me an old person. Glad you guys had fun!

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  5. The handful of times I have been to big concerts with my husband I have always been pleasantly shocked with how memorable the night was. There is something about being in a scrum of people, singing out loud and swaying with your special guy.

    I'm so glad you guys had fun!

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  6. We saw that concert when it was here last year and LOVED it! Although I must be getting old because all I kept thinking was how loud it was in there! I think this particular location isn't the best for concerts, but they were great!

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  7. Jealous! Billy Joel is a childhood memory for sure - riding around in the old volvo and billy joel in the tape deck. I love him.

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  8. I would absolutely go to that concert!

    I listened to extraordinary amounts of Billy Joel in high school. He's classic.

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  9. Nothing beats live music. It's good for the soul. I need to research my favorite bands and go to a concert. I might even go by myself, so I can rock out and absorb the music and REALLY appreciate it!

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  10. I absolutely love both of them and would love to see them play together, even in a huge venue like that. And how cool would it be to see them together, or even on their own, in some small, quiet, unknown smoky piano bar? Some big name musicians do that every once in awhile and I think it would just be so cool.

    I can play a few of their songs on the piano, and I love how their styles are so distinct but they mesh really well together.

    What an awesome evening!

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  11. I don't even remember the last time I was at a concert.

    Secret love: I love the name "Elton." I kind of wanted to name my boy Elton, but then I was too afraid he'd be teased mercilessly his entire childhood, and coming from a person who's name was also an easy target, I would not wish that on any child.

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  12. I would love to see those two together! I'm not much of a concert goer, but there are a few that I'd love to see!

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