8. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (Elton John - Live In Charleston: 10/17/1997)

In dedication to “ncf1” (for his comments on my videos) and “TSS_Killer” (for his unabashed love for this era of Elton John shows), I think uploading this show from the Big Picture Tour is the best course of action! In the past, this show was plagued with quality issues and was generally an unpleasant listening experience. Thanks to “EltonStuff,” the old copies of this show can be thrown out as this version of the show has reasonably good audio quality and is almost complete. This is a fascinating show to listen to as the atmosphere is full of energy (the enthusiastic audience definitely helps out) which seems to propel Elton and the band to push themselves to further heights. The band as a whole perform with a bit more of an edge compared to earlier shows on the tour and the members cut loose more on the performances (mostly during solo sections and added fills/riffs are also present throughout the night). Elton sounds fantastic throughout the night as he also turns up his intensity on the piano and vocal performances. He adds various embellishments and flourishes to songs while delivering the vocals with a more overdriven and direct approach that has some characteristics of his live vocals from the previous decade. With Elton cutting loose on the performances, listening to this show should be a very fun experience! Now, time to talk about everything… “Simple Life” has a couple of odd Charlie Morgan moments (missing a fill early on and the fill going into the final chorus getting skipped), but the energy is there and Elton sounds strong. “The One” is a more focused performance musically and Elton really shows off some overdriven power during the chorus sections. “Grey Seal” has some fantastic Charlie Morgan drumming and Elton provides exquisite vocals. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” has strong falsetto bits and the musicianship is powerful throughout the classic hit single. “Honky Cat” is a very lively version with Elton and company feeding off of the crowd atmosphere and the falsetto sounds lovely on the “bottle of wine” line. “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” is a strong version with Elton’s embellishments and resonant belting sounding strong. “Tiny Dancer” has Elton sounding eerily similar to his 80s self early on (albeit with a richer voice) and he sings the song smoothly with a very nice tone. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” has spirited embellishments inserted throughout and the ending vocals have some nice falsetto being showcased. “If The River Can Bend” has an excellent piano solo and Elton delivers the song with great power. “I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That” has Charlie Morgan’s bass drums not audible at the start (which quickly gets fixed), but the performance boasts some great Elton singing and a fiery piano solo. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” has a minor lyric stumble early on, but the rest of the performance is fantastic with Elton’s voice sounding splendid and Charlie Morgan drumming up a storm. “The Last Song” has Elton modifying a lyric (“no longer hurting me”) and he delivers the emotional ballad with a ton of passion. “Daniel” has a very smooth vocal delivery with great dynamics and Elton’s mid range shines on this version of the song. Concluding this section, “Love’s Got A Lot To Answer For” is an elite version with Elton nailing the vocals and the final chorus contains an amazing delivery. “Take Me To The Pilot” is full of blistering energy from everybody on stage and the piano playing is spectacular. “Something About The Way You Look Tonight” sounds incredible at this show with Elton singing with complete conviction and showing no fear when going for higher embellishments. “Made In England” sounds very nice with the band sounding powerful throughout. “Believe” is sung very aggressively and Elton adds powerful flourishes to his performance. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” is very focused when compared to earlier shows and Elton sings very convincingly. “Philadelphia Freedom” is full of unique phrasing and Elton throws his voice around in various directions to see what happens (so random). “Levon” highlights the prowess of the band and Elton sings with a ton of energy (although the chorus falsetto attempts aren’t the greatest). “Bennie And The Jets” has Elton singing with gusto and the piano work is first class. “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” has lively piano playing and Elton messing around with the phrasing (the final chorus reflects this the most). “We All Fall In Love Sometimes” features Elton gliding through the song with a nice tone and displaying great falsetto notes. “Curtains” is full of passion and the band sound like a juggernaut on this performance. “The Bitch Is Back” has Elton singing with the energy of prime live versions and the band sound fantastic throughout. “Sand And Water” features robust singing from Elton and great harmony work in the choruses. Lastly, “Your Song” features prime live phrasing in places which sounds great! ENJOY!!!