11. Paris (Elton John - Live in Columbia 8/31/1986)

After uploading two 1979 concerts, in preparation for the upcoming 1985-1986 debate, I am uploading an underrated show from Elton John's 1985-1986 Ice on Fire/Leather Jackets Tour: live at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland on August 31, 1986! The source is a high-quality audience recording, and it is complete, except for minor cuts in a few tracks (e.g the opening note of Bennie and the Jets is at the end of Restless, and the last line of Restless is on the opening of Bennie, and the opening of Love Song is cut.) This is a great show which has been once uploaded by Gregsynthwizard, but Adam "TheEltonBootlegs" has suggested that I upload this one! Columbia 1986 is a great show, with a lot of great music from his awesome band. Considering how sick Elton was with pneumonia one day ago at Saratoga, where his illness affected his singing, some of you would think that he would sound bad on the following show. But you are wrong! Elton's voice has miraculously recovered in a day after Saratoga, and he delivers a lot of great vocals in this concert. However, in a few songs, he still sounds a little sick, especially in I'm Still Standing, with the angry birds. Now, on to the songs! On Tonight, Elton nails the falsettos, and his voice sounds very good there. One Horse Town is much better than at Saratoga, and he gets most of the notes right unlike the previous show. Better Off Dead is a great version, his voice is superb here, and there are great instrumentals as well! Rocket Man, of course, is awesome, with great instrumentation (love the brass section!), and his voice is great there, hits the high notes without falsetto. Philadelphia Freedom is a great version, he sings it well, especially the "shine a light" part! Burn Down the Mission is awesome as well, he sings the song nicely, as there are no problematic parts, and he plays the jazzy part excellently! As for Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Elton hits the falsetto on "anymore" in the first verse, and he delivers a solid vocal performance overall! The Bitch is Back is especially funny, because in the beginning, Davey and Fred's guitars don't work right, and Elton makes a funny comment, saying that Rod Stewart sabotaged the guitars (LOL!) It is still a great rendition overall, with awesome guitars and great vocals. The medley is especially a good version, with great performances of all 3 songs, note that Elton says in the beginning that Leon Russell (who wrote Song for You) was one of his major influences, and he plays the song to honor him. Levon is a decent performance, and although he sings a few random notes when he sings "Levon!", he has some good vocals in this song. Paris is a great version, his vocals go very well with the music, note the song's introduction, he says even though he plays old songs usually, he has to keep it fresh with new songs. Restless is a very energetic version, fast, stomping tempos, and Elton's "everybody's restless, yeahhh!" is amazing. Bennie and the Jets is a great improvement over Saratoga, he doesn't have the very sick sound to his voice, but he still sounds a bit like a German guy in the 3rd chorus (credits to EltonJohnGigs!) Love Song is a good version, Elton plays the guitar and delivers some very nice vocals. Sad Songs is another great performance, with the usual 1986 intro and an energetic instrumentation! This Town is awesome, it is always great live, and he does some good vocals. I'm Still Standing is good, but he Elton still hits angry birds in the song, the main trace of his sick-sounding voice from Saratoga. Nikita is an amazing version, with great vocals and music, and great female backing vocals! Saturday Night's Alright is pretty good, with a fast tempo, he also hits an angry bird in the first line of the song, but sings the song very well. Candle in the Wind is amazing, his vocals work well on the song, and as typical of '86, it has very epic piano playing! And to close the show, a great version of Your Song, which is always awesome in 1985-1986, with the brass section and great music! I am glad to share another great 1986 show with you, I hope you will enjoy it immensely!