7. Candle In The Wind (Elton John - Live At Alpine Valley: 9/9/1984)

Hello to all of you amazing subscribers! After having fun with a TierMaker episode concerning the European Express Tour, and delaying the inevitable task of going through some drug-addled shows, it is now time to get back to work on uploading some gigs! This upload comes from Elton’s gig at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy Wisconsin and this is an “EltonStuff” recording as it is a massive upgrade compared to previous versions. This copy of the show is musically complete with generally excellent audio quality which under normal circumstances is a positive, but considering the infamous nature of this show among live concert enthusiasts, it brings out many moments that make me grit my teeth and shake my head. Going off the current available recordings, this leg of the tour seemed to be fairly normal through the month of August as the shows generally were strong (especially the ones from San Francisco and Tacoma) and Elton was in good form vocally and mentally. By this early September show, Elton’s mental state has deteriorated and is a complete 180 from the earlier shows on the tour. Due to substance abuse, Elton is extremely random, reckless, stumbles on words, and doesn’t seem to know where he is during certain parts of performances. While his vocals seem to be in good shape, his deliveries of songs are hampered by his substance use. His piano playing is also affected during this show as he either plays random chords that don’t fit in the song, hits bum notes, or tries to embellish his playing and ends up missing the mark. The band members are not exactly off the hook either, as there are some notable train-wreck moments and sloppy playing in spots. With the exception of Fred Mandel (who likely was the only one sober on stage during this gig), every band member probably borrowed some of Elton’s “medicine” before going out on stage which leads to some amusing band errors during the show. Now, let’s get through these performances! “Tiny Dancer” isn’t the greatest start to the show as Elton’s intonation is a bit off during the chorus sections and his voice also gives out during the first chorus section. For whatever reason, this causes the entire band to skip the rest of the chorus and go right into the final verse. “Levon” has Elton sounding wobbly in spots with his singing, misses words in the last chorus, and doesn’t sound as focused as the earlier performances of the song. “Li’l ‘Frigerator” has the entire band skipping the second verse and chorus. “Rocket Man” has Elton sounding awkward throughout the song as he has trouble staying on the center of notes. “Daniel” has odd vocal dynamics, rushed phrasing, and some sour intonation from Elton. “Restless” has Elton randomly oversinging and adding random ad-libbed lyrics at the end of the final verse. “Candle In The Wind” has Elton forgetting the piano part at the end of the first verse, but regains his bearings by the end of the first chorus. “The Bitch Is Back” shows off Elton’s affected mental state as he goes into the chorus too early (effectively skipping the second verse and throwing off the entire band). “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” has Elton’s tone sounding amazing (sounding nearly the same as his late 70s voice), but due to his state of mind, he flubs lyrics, rushes lines, and his piano playing suffers as well. “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” has Elton cutting off words and singing recklessly. “Bennie And The Jets” features Elton having fun during the main song and he also references “Teacher I Need You” during the improvisation section. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” is an extremely short version with one of the choruses being cut out. There also are moments where Elton’s piano and Dee’s bass notes clash. Concluding this section, “Philadelphia Freedom” features Elton’s voice giving out in the choruses and singing out of tune in spots. “Blue Eyes” features odd phrasing and sour notes from Elton. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” has Elton flubbing lyrics. “Kiss The Bride” has Elton missing a line at the end of the first chorus and some of the harmonies sound off. “One More Arrow” has Elton flubbing the piano introduction, sounding rough in spots, and cutting off many lines. “Too Low For Zero” is one of the weaker live versions from the era overall, and Elton sings lines with a lot of staccato phrasing. “I’m Still Standing” has Elton flubbing the lyrics in spots. “Your Song” has Elton flubbing the piano in a few spots, but sings a decent rendition of the classic hit single. “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” has great energy and is one of the better performances of the night (despite Elton mumbling lyrics in the first verse). “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” features Elton clunking up the introduction and fumbling a line in the first verse. Finally, “Crocodile Rock” features Elton showing off his baritone voice towards the end of the performance and Davey’s guitar is cranked high in the mix which sounds great! ENJOY!!!