7. Someone Saved My Life Tonight (Elton John - Live In Philadelphia: 9/2/1986)

Since “TheEltonBootlegs” needs cheering up, I think another upload from the 1986 tour should perk up his mood very nicely! This is the first of two Philadelphia shows from this tour leg and the recording that captured this show is excellent! Despite minor cuts in places, this recording is musically complete and is one of the best tapes to listen to from the tour leg. While the recording is amazing, the show itself is a bit of a head-scratcher. While the band are tight and generally sound good, there is a “safe” feeling about the show as if the band are conserving their energy for future shows and the members only seem to cut loose on a small number of the performances. This more low-key approach to the material not only has a very laid-back vibe to it, but it comes off as almost lackadaisical. Elton himself sounds fairly decent for the most part with his vocal shape improved from the previous couple of shows along with his stability and control being a bit more intact. It’s a shame that the band didn’t take full advantage of Elton’s improved vocals as there could’ve been so much more going on at this show. Now… time to go through this… “Tonight” is a pretty decent start to the show as Elton is able to get through the Blue Moves track without major issues. “One Horse Town” has some really coarse vocal moments, but the band sound amazing with the high-fidelity recording highlighting the power of the musicianship. “Better Off Dead” features Elton sounding really rough in places with a harsh and phlegmy edge to his tone being prominent. “Rocket Man” contains some nice individual ideas (like David Paton’s bass work), but the improvisational section is much more laid-back and low-key compared to others on the tour. “Philadelphia Freedom” is a much better performance compared to the previous two live versions as Elton is able to effectively sing the song without as many vocal issues present. “Burn Down The Mission” features some decent vocals from Elton (albeit with strain present) and the recording highlights Charlie Morgan’s prowess nicely. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” showcases Elton’s worn voice, but it remains mainly stable during the performance as he gives a really good effort on the vocal side of things. “The Bitch Is Back” is highly energetic with Elton and the band stepping on the gas and giving a strong effort overall. “Song For You” features some surprisingly cleaner singing (for the tour leg standards) with Elton’s huskier tone sounding really nice on the Leon Russell classic. “Blue Eyes” sounds quite nice with Elton able to sing with some degree of flexibility with vocal dynamics. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” has some nice vocal harmonies and Elton does a pretty good job on the vocals despite his tone sounding tired and weary. “Levon” contains a noble effort from Elton as goes for some demanding notes without fear, but other sections have conservative phrasing (the ends of the choruses) and rough spots (“wants to go to Venus”). “Paris” is a really nice performance with the band and harmonies sounding excellent. Concluding this section, “Restless” has some fantastic guitar work from Davey Johnstone with his energetic and melodic solo helping to fire up everybody else on stage. “Bennie And The Jets” isn’t a bad performance, but is quite bare-bones without as much musically going on with it as other performances from the tour leg. “Love Song” sounds pretty nice with the excellent audio quality highlighting the guitar work and rock-solid backing vocals. “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” shows off a more aggressive side from the band (that has been holding back throughout the set) and Elton pushes his voice for a more vigorous and assertive approach. “This Town” contains one of the most energetic performances of the show with Davey’s guitar work and the Onward International Horns spicing up everything. “I’m Still Standing” features Elton giving his all on the vocals (despite a couple of the chorus notes sounding harsh), but this backfires somewhat as a number of the Bb4 embellishments after the final chorus and during the outroduction section sound off. “Nikita” highlights Fred Mandel’s keyboard work, the excellent backing vocalists, and while the outroduction vocals aren’t the cleanest, Elton still gives a good effort. “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” has some guitar issues leading into the second verse, and Elton sounding ragged in spots while flubbing lyrics in the last chorus, but the liveliness of the performance is well-captured on the recording. “Candle In The Wind” highlights the wear and tear on Elton’s voice, but he’s still able to effectively deliver the classic ballad. “Daniel” has Elton doing some nice alternative phrasing to make up for his vocal issues and the band are right there to support him. Lastly, “Your Song” is dedicated to Pelle Lindbergh (who passed away 10 months earlier in a car accident) with Elton giving an emotional and inspired rendition. ENJOY!!!