Leon Russell performs at MSG for first time since Concert for Bangladesh, gets standing "O"

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Elton John Performs With Surprise Guests Leon Russell and Gregg Allman at Madison Square Garden
Russell makes first MSG appearance since 1971 Concert For Bangladesh

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/elton-john-performs-with-surprise-guests-leon-russell-and-gregg-allman-at-madison-square-garden-20110317



By Andy Greene
March 17, 2011 12:15 PM ET

Elton John was wrapping up a nearly 10-minute rendition of "Rocket Man" at Madison Square Garden last night when his roadies wheeled a second piano onstage and set it up with the lightning speed of a Nascar pit crew. Two nights earlier John had inducted Leon Russell into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame across the city at the Waldorf Astoria, so it wasn't a huge surprise when Russell slowly shuffled onstage and sat down behind the piano, looking like the last surviving Confederate soldier with his massive white beard and cane. It was the first time that Russell had stood on the Madison Square Garden stage since his legendary performance at George Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, and he seemed genuinely touched by the standing ovation.

Until that point the show had been a standard Elton John arena concert. As usual, he opened with the prog-rock majesty of "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" before ripping into "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting" as the largely boomer audience danced in the aisles. "Madison Square Garden is my favorite place to play," John told the audience. "It's the home of so many memories in my career, and not one bad one."

John then proceeded to play a trio of songs from his 1971 classic LP Madman Across The Water. Everybody knew "Levon" and "Tiny Dancer," but it was a bold move to break out the long, progged-out title track. Some fans squirmed in their seats as guitarist Davey Johnston expertly recreated his complex acoustic guitar parts from the album, but they were rewarded with a bombastic "Philadelphia Freedom" and a sing-along "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."

The Leon Russell portion of the show – during which the duo played eight consecutive songs from their new LP The Union – further tested the patience of casual fans. "I know you like to hear songs you know," John told the audience. "But we can't just play the same old songs forever." Upbeat tracks like "Hey Ahab" and "Monkey Suit" worked quite well in the massive space, but slower tunes like "When Love Is Dying" and "Best Part Of The Day" didn't connect like they did when John and Russell played them at the intimate Beacon Theater last year. Maybe it would have been better to throw in a couple of Russell's classic hits instead.

[Wilms]

1. Interesting tune from the recent EJ/LR album, "The Union".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXS-Ipjs7qM&feature=related