14. Blue Eyes (Elton John - Live In Tucson: 8/18/1984)

Since a subscriber named “DanielLikesAlbum” has been sending me countless messages practically begging me to upload this show from the Breaking Hearts Tour, I thought that I would do so! This concert is the second show on the tour leg and it is a very interesting listen to say the least. Compared to the relativity low-key performances on the previous night, this concert is filled with moments that range from surprising, to amazing, and to cataclysmic. I cannot wait to see the comments discussing the performances. While this recording has decent-enough quality, there is some noticeable tape warble/pitch fluctuation that is especially featured on the first few songs of the show. While it isn’t enough to completely ruin the listening experience, it sure is an annoyance. The recording also has some cuts, misses the band introduction, and fades out after “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.” I wish that a clean copy of the show circulates, but for now - this is what we have. At this show, the band sound more spirited in their playing compared to Tempe and some of the performances can match efforts from the previous tour leg. On the other hand, there are some inconsistent/off moments from everybody that definitely impact certain performances and will be discussed in the performance paragraphs. As for Elton’s side of things, he sounds very strong at this show and seems to put in a lot more of an effort into his performances compared with the previous show. On some songs, he channels his European Express form and turns up the overdrive to very high levels. While still not quite at peak form for the era, he does show signs of getting close and there are some gems from him at this show! Now… time to go through the performances! “Tiny Dancer” has cuts and isn’t the best version as Elton sounds very coarse compared to most other versions from the year. Thankfully, the roughness lessens by the time the final verse comes around. “Levon” has perhaps the definite live vocal delivery from Elton as he really pushes his voice to great heights. He also alters between his natural tone and a very gritty tone which works well for the song. “Li’l ‘Frigerator” is one of the best-ever live versions as Elton nails the vocals with great power and grit along with some fantastic guitar work from both Davey and Fred. “Rocket Man” re-introduces the improvisation section that was missing at Tempe and it’s an experimental take on the song with some fantastic musicianship along with strong Elton vocals. “Daniel” is much more aggressively performed (and sung) compared to the Tempe version. “Restless” once again has the third verse lyric goof from Elton, but the performance is otherwise quite nice with everybody sounding solid. “Candle In The Wind” sounds much better compared with last night’s performance with everybody sounding in sync and Elton delivers the song similar to his European Express performances. “The Bitch Is Back” is a highlight of the evening with everybody seemingly turning up the intensity and delivering the song like a European Express version. Elton in particular sounds outstanding during the performance. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” sounds very good in general with Elton sounding strong. “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” has Elton putting on the overdrive voice throughout and he experiments with some random phrasing changes. “Bennie And The Jets” is a more spirited version compared with last night’s performance (in the overall musicianship, vocals, and improvisation section) and “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” is pretty solid overall. “Philadelphia Freedom” has Elton’s voice giving out in the first chorus and generally has a rougher tone on some notes. Some of the backing vocals are also sour-sounding in spots. “Blue Eyes” is an improvement as everything sounds nice. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” has some off backing vocals, but Elton delivers a good rendition of the song. “Kiss The Bride” has a unique count-in from Elton and he flubs the lyrics in the second verse. “One More Arrow” has Elton sounding rough in spots and some of Nigel’s drumming doesn’t sound as good as other versions. “Too Low For Zero” has Elton stumbling over a few words, but otherwise delivers an excellent rendition of the song. “I’m Still Standing” has Elton having some trouble in the second chorus, but the performance features a ton of energy. “Your Song” has some unique vocal lines (closer to 70s live versions) and is generally a better performance compared Tempe. Finally, Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” features Elton aggressively singing the song and the band putting in an excellent performance with the crowd surely helping out the atmosphere! ENJOY!!!