02.14.1998 Elton John MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV

The majority of Elton John’s set focused on The One and Made in England even though he was technically on tour to promote his newest album The Big Picture. Mercifully, he ignored all but the two singles from Picture which was a terrible jumble of bad Elton John gospel. My personal favorite his contemporary albums was “The One” and I was supremely joyful that he opened the show with the familiar train whistle of “Simple Life.” He mixed in enough of his older tunes to satisfy his older crowd and prefaced “Believe” as his favorite tune.

If you are inclined to wrinkle your nose at the thought of an Elton John concert, the only advice I can offer is that his finger work is supreme. Watch his fingers fly across the piano keys is akin to me as walking through an art exhibit. There is so much to look at and take in, and it absolutely breathtaking. I wouldn’t rush to see him again, but I also wouldn’t run the other direction.

Danielle Howle and the Tantrums was a great find. Their southern rock sensibility were on display with a vibrant energy of the entire band. Howle does most of the song writing, and her lyrics are a weird mix of literal and unconventional poetic images. The band was promoting their new album “Do a Two Sable.” Which is what exactly?

02.03.1998 Indigo Girls The Joint, Las Vegas, NV
Opener: Danielle Howle and The Tantrums
I have always been a huge fan of the Indigo Girls, and had high expectations of this concert. The duo played without the benefit of the band and my friend and I struggled to enjoy stripped down versions of most of their hits. The lack of percussion took its toll and quickly the concert became monotonous, except for the Tantrums contribution on “I Don’t Wanna Know” and a blistering harmonica accompanyiment on “Chickenman.” Now, I had to attend a concert like this to fully realize how painful it was going to be. When I read their tour dates now, I always look for indications that they are touring solo so I can be sure to avoid those shows. Some of the songs do stand on their own merit, particularly the show openers “Land of Canaan” and “It’s Alright.” They have great voices, and years of playing and singing together the chemistry was evident. The show picked up momentum from “Shame on You” out into the closer “Romeo and Juliet” – a Dire Straits cover that they originally recorded in the studio as a acoustic number. The full band versions of “Blister in the Sun” and “Closer to Fine” ended the show with a scorching, high energy encore. They traded versus with Danielle Howle on the “Blister” – a tribute to the fact that Violent Femmes had played the Joint the night before. So maybe not the best show ever, but still worth the price of admission.

Setlist
Land of Canaan
It’s Alright
Don’t Give That Girl a Gun
Least Complicated
Three Hits
Get Out the Map
Dead Man’s Hill
Power of Two
I Don’t Wanna Know (with The Tantrums)
Winthrop
Cut It Out
Hammer and a Nail
Shame on You
Ghost
Chickenman
Galileo
Romeo and Juliet
Encore
Blister in the Sun (with Danielle Howle and The Tantrums)
Closer to Fine (with Danielle Howle and The Tantrums)