19. Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (Elton John - Live In Milan: 11/15/1998)

After struggling with my sanity on San Diego 1975 and tearing my throat out listening to Brussels 1995, I have come to the final “punishment gig” from losing the rigged 1985-1986 TierMaker event. I’d like to dedicate this upload to “TSS_Killer” for not only requesting me to upload this concert, but because he deserves hugs, kisses, and a slap in the face for making me sit through this! This upload will start my 2022 and I cannot wait for the many uploads and projects planned for this year! Thanks to the work of “EltonStuff,” previous copies of this show are rendered obsolete as this version is a massive upgrade in both quality and length. Previous versions were heavily incomplete with varying degrees of sound issues. On this upload, nearly the complete show is featured and the audio quality is reasonably good! The audience is very spirited on this recording which really elevates the band into giving a better-than-normal effort for the tour leg. The musicianship sounds more inspired compared to earlier November shows and Davey in particular has a fantastic night at the office. Elton also sounds very lively on stage and he really gives a great effort on the vocals - but unfortunately, his voice isn’t in the best shape. His confidence and willingness to give his all clash with his vocal limitations and there are many instances throughout the show where he strains and misses his upper notes. Although his tone is passable in his lower and middle ranges, the vocal inflexibilities are very apparent. Now… time to get through all of these performances! “Circle Of Life” highlights just how lively the crowd is as they sing along with “The Lion King” classic and Elton sounds pretty decent on the vocal side of things. “I’m Still Standing” is one of the worst versions from this era as Elton struggles with range and intonation throughout the performance. He also completely botches the lyrics in the first chorus. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is a passable version with the crowd once again showing their enthusiasm by singing along. “Honky Cat” showcases some quality musicianship (even Jack Bruno has some really good moments on the drums) but Elton’s singing sounds really rough in places. “Hercules” has some energy behind it compared to earlier November versions and Elton does give a good effort on the vocals despite not sounding completely clean. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” doesn’t have the strongest vocals from Elton, but he otherwise puts in some creative vocal phrasings and the band seem to really feel this song on this night. “Levon” has Elton really pushing his voice hard, but manages to sing some surprising notes and Davey’s guitar work sounds fantastic on this version. “Simple Life” has fantastic guitar work, some odd drumming from Jack Bruno in places, and Elton forcing his voice with embellished lines. “The One” has Elton sounding tired, but he still gives a good effort and the guitar work sounds really nice. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” has Elton flubbing lyrics, but the backing vocals sound fantastic and the crowd participation in spots makes this version worth a listen. “I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That” has Jack Bruno stumbling on the count-in, Elton having questionable diction in places, and frequently cutting off phrases. “Daniel” is a pretty solid all-around performance from everybody. “Rocket Man” has Elton fumbling words and sounding harsh on some of his belts, but the musicianship makes up for the struggles. Concluding this section, “Live Like Horses” sounds pretty good, although the vocals can be forceful at times. “Nikita” doesn’t sound too bad (especially compared to the Ghent performance), but there still are weird vocal phrasings from Elton and a bit of a lethargic sound in general. “Crocodile Rock” has a very enthusiastic crowd bringing energy to the performance. “Your Song” sounds quite nice as Elton has smoothness to his voice that was missing on previous songs. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” sounds pretty decent from Elton - although the G4 sustain at the end sounds off. “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” has Elton sounding really drained during the main bulk of the song, but he does give the A4 sustains toward the end a good go. “Something About The Way You Look Tonight” has Elton giving his all (especially during the final chorus). “Bennie And The Jets” has some great piano work by Elton during the improvisation section. “The Bitch Is Back” features mixed bag vocals, but some great guitar work from Davey. “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” isn’t the worst version vocally from the tour leg, but there are still awkward moments during the final chorus. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” has Elton darkening his tone and forcing his voice in places. Lastly, “Great Balls Of Fire” has the energy level cranked up with the guitar work sounding splendid and Elton sings enthusiastically! ENJOY!!!