Elton John:One Night Only [Import]

This is how a concert should be recorded! Twenty seven hit songs are remixed with this fantastic DTS Surround Sound (one of the best live recordings yet - on par with the Bee Gees "One Night Only"). Opening with the full length version of "Funeral For A Friend", you can feel and hear the heavy bass and soaring synthesizers that start the show. It never lets up with hit after hit. Elton peppers his show with guest appearances (Billy Joel at his best), Mary J. Blige (sings perfectly, but seems nervous), Ronan Keating (wonderful and smacking of confidence), Bryan Adams (excellent), Anastacia (vibrant) and Kiki Dee (what a way to end the show - with a classic duet). One can see from the list that the emphasis is on the seventies hits and that's just fine. The light show is brilliantly spot-on and every member of the band seems like a star. The direction works extremely well, except (and this is a big complaint), there are too many cuts to audience members. It is distracting to see close ups of fans dancing and singing. I am sure the intent was to personalize the show, but it just becomes annoying. I don't watch other people when I go to a show. However, this is the only thing I can find less than perfect about Elton John's performance. It is the sound that matters and this is simply the best live recording to date. The bonus extra video of Robert Downing, Jr. singing "I Want Love" is brilliant.

Excellent! did I say excellent!! this is a must see,loved it from start to finish.This will be one of my favorites to watch again,and again!

This is he complete concert that was the basis for the CBS special "One Night Only. This is the complete 27 - song concert. The tv special and video cassette had just 12 songs. The cd had a little more with I think 17 or 18 songs. But this dvd shows the whole show. What it is is possibly Elton's best concert ever.

Elton was clearly in top form this evening. He is energetic, his keyboard playing is robust, and his voice is as powerful as it was thirty years ago. The show kicks off with Elton doing side one of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". The best of these performances is the opening "Funeral For A Friend"/"Love Lies Bleeding" (this is one of the many songs I was surprised he did) and "Bennie And The Jets". "Candle In The Wind" is also well. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" with Billy Joel is good, but I prefer if Elton had done it alone. What I really liked about this concert is in additon to doing the familliar classics like "Philadelphia Freedom", "Daniel" and "Rocket Man", he does many of the less successful and therefore less popular hits. These include "Blue Eyes", "Club At The End Of The Street" and "Sacrifice". He also shys away from the hits concept and does a blistering cover of The Beatles classic "Come Together" (in tribute to John Lennon).

The guest stars are a mixed bag. Like everybody else, I was glad to know that Elton had Kiki Dee come on to the stage to do "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with him for the first time since Live Aid in 1985. Mary. J. Blige gives a soulful flare to "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues". As I said earlier, Billy Joel was okay on "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Bryan Adams was a nice surprise on "Sad Songs (Say So Much)". On the other hand, Ronan Keaing was unncessary for "Your Song" and Anastacia could've been cut out on "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting".

Overall, a great dvd. As I said many times, this is Elton at his best. I just wish they made an accompanying documenetary. The only extra is the video for the (then) new single "I Want Love". Elton doesn't even appear in it. Instead, Robert Downey, Jr. lipsynchs to the song. But still, you must get this dvd. Also, get the "Live In Barcelona" dvd.