Legends in Concert

In December I found out that two rock legends would be performing together in Phoenix this month. Knowing my wife is a huge fan, I bought a pair of tickets for us to see Elton John and Billy Joel "Face 2 Face."

A good friend of ours agreed to watch the baby so we could go and enjoy ourselves. Thanks Stacy! We had a nice Italian dinner and then headed downtown for the concert.

For those of you not familiar with the tour the premise is that both men perform together and then they each do their own set before finishing the night on stage together again. There are two pianos at the front of the stage facing each other and two full bands.

The show started with Elton and Billy coming out with both bands and playing a few songs. Billy and his band then left and Elton played with his band for about an hour. Then Elton exited and Billy came back with his band. They also played about an hour. Finally Elton and his band joined them back on stage for a few more songs. The show ended with Elton and Billy doing the last two songs unaccompanied. They closed with "Candle in the Wind" and "Piano Man."

What a fantastic show! I must say that I enjoyed Billy's set more than Elton's. Elton just sat at the piano and played and had very little audience interaction. Billy was high energy and had a lot of interaction with the audience. His piano rotated in a circle, he got up and ran around, he pick up a guitar and played and he even threw the mic stand around the stage. Don't get me wrong; Elton is a great artist, but he does his own thing and if you don't like it, well, he's doing it anyway. Billy, however is a great entertainer and it was clear that his goal was to keep the audience on it's feet.

The highlight of the show, however, was when both men performed together. Their styles complement each other very well and they played off of each other beautifully. They played songs from both of their repertoires and they took turns singing on every song.

This show is a must see for any music lover. These men are truly rock legends.