Billy Joel and Elton John

April 22, 2003
Nationwide Arena
Columbus, Ohio

Reviewed by Rick Brown

I'll admit upfront that this was one of those "Maybe I should see these guys. I've heard it's a good show" decisions. There wasn't much else going on around town. I like Elton…not so much Billy. So I got not the cheapest tickets…but certainly not the expensive ones. (5 years ago the tickets I bought WOULD have been the expensive ones!) And the evening began like this: the restaurant was packed…they were not ready for it…we stood in line 15 minutes for $6 beers…we missed the start of the concert. Whaddya gonna do?

Beers in hand we climbed the mountain to our seats. Fortunately we at least had isle seats…and we knew the usher in our section. That at least gave the situation a little personal touch. Nationwide Arena's upper bowl is better than most. You don't feel as far away as most hockey rink/basketball court facilities. I do take issue with a couple things. Like what is it about cup holders? I mean…there are mini-vans with 75 cup holders in them these days. It's as if the cup holder is the breakthrough of the 21st century. And sure enough…there they were at the end of each armrest in the upper bowl. Too bad they're more of an "elbow cup" for adults. These must be for kids too short to go on the big roller coaster.

Then there is what I call the "rafter issue" How come nobody puts CEILINGS in buildings anymore? Does it lower the cost that substantially? When I'm dining in a restaurant it isn't so bad. I am after all…looking at my food or my dinner date. But when you are sitting approximately 36 inches from the top of what looks like the inside of an airplane hangar it's difficult keeping one's mind off it…especially when you tire of looking down at your elbows which are now jammed…and stuck…in what are supposed to be cup holders.

I'm not going to dwell on the concert itself much here. Having been to hundreds of rock concerts I can tell you it was good but predictable. Besides…my damned pen ran out of ink 2/3 of the way through the show. No matter. Have you ever taken notes in the dark at the top of an airplane hanger with your elbows stuck in little kid's cup holders? The notes I did get down are indecipherable. Elton and Billy did a couple songs together (while we were in the beer line) then Elton took the stage for the first solo set. It was around this time I noticed the couple sitting next to my wife and I, put earplugs in their respective ears…at the top of the upper bowl…36 inches from the rafters…while seeing Billy Joel and Elton John. How they got their elbows free I can't say.

Anyway…outside of a couple tunes from his release of a year or so ago, Elton John played mostly his big hits. "Funeral for a Friend" segued into "Love Lies Bleeding" (of course)…"Philadelphia Freedom"…Someone Saved My Life Tonight"…"Take Me To The Pilot"…Elton still sounds great after all these years…even up in the rafters. There was an extended rendition of "Rocket Man" that…although I love the song…went on forever. But people love extravagance I suppose. It's kind of like when you've run out of guitar licks so you crank your distortion pedal up…rub your guitar on your microphone stand (using no hands of course) and the audience erupts in approval. Maybe you've yet to experience this phenomenon. It makes you wonder why you practice. Anyway…I thought "Rocket Man" was overdone. 19,999 people disagreed.

For me the highlight…as usual…was Elton's "Saturday Night's Alright for a Fight". I immediately stood and began dancing. I guess you could call it dancing. More like a joyful seizure maybe…but I soon noticed I was one of perhaps 11 people in the upper bowl groovin' to the John boy. I looked down and even on the floor only about half the people seemed really into it. At first I thought "What a bunch of old farts!" Then…as I do on almost a daily basis…I reminded myself I was the same age.

I noticed as Billy Joel took over the show, that his bands' line up isn't unlike Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. They don't rock as much obviously. But Joel does lean on his sax player for solo breaks more than most bands. And Billy was good…albeit a bit schmaltzy between numbers. His set was a bit more eclectic than Elton's. "Angry Young Man"…"In The Middle of The Night" (in which he slipped into "Hang On Sloopy"…cheesy yes…audience approval astounding…refer back to the "rubbing guitar on mic stand" observation. Then he went into "Louie, Louie" commenting it was really the same song. It is.) It was right about then, my pen died…sigh. But I did notice Joel had a crack band. And I thought about other piano players. These two are a dying breed in the genre of Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino. I can think of no other piano based pop/rock artists coming up through the ranks today. None that play grand pianos at least.

Soon Elton was back on stage. Encores included a rousing version of the Beatles' "A Hard Days Night"…another highlight. And the duet on Joel's "Piano Man"…arguably the best song he's ever written…was wonderful. I refrained from telling the couple next to us it was probably okay to take their earplugs out now…and tried to imagine them at a Ramones' show…but could not. So the show ended as predictably as it began. There were no extra songs because the crowd was going wild and no one wanted to leave…no awkward returns to the stage for yet another bow from Elton and Billy. It was a good show…a good time…but that's about all I can say about it. We popped our elbows free from their cup holder cages…descended the mountaintop and made our way to our vehicle. And on the ride home I couldn't help but notice…the arm rests were comfortable. And the cup holders were ergonomically placed.