This month continued a run of some really nice concerts.  Last weekend I closed up shop; that means no more outside office.  If I were not away and returning (See Rock and more rock) the weekend before, I probably would have achieved closure that weekend. After completing that “work,” I treated Shelly and me to a show at My Father’s Place. Originally we had plans to meet friends “upstate” but when those plans changed I looked over the shows and selected Robert Gordon with Chris Spedding.  Spedding is an amazing session guitarist who played with Jack Bruce, Bryan Ferry and many others.  Check out this clip where Chris excels on “Guitar Jamboree,” sampling Beck, Bruce, Clapton, Harrison, Hendrix, Page, Richards and Townsend, which then runs into Gordon’s cover of Marshall Crenshaw’s great Someday Someway.  Last night was a show we held tickets for 13 months to the day – literally – Elton John’s long-running farewell tour.  His first encore, his first hit, Your Song, was our wedding song. Early in the concert, I took a brief video of Tiny Dancer and posted it to Gotham’s RockRap music listserve. Interestingly, every time I saw Elton John, Shelly was at my side. Elton played nearly three hours with no break other than the encore. His band played tight and jammed some including on Levon.  Tumbleweed Connection remains my fave LP, but he covered only Burn Down the Mission. Would have loved to hear Amoreena (which also opened Dog Day Afternoon – my basketball buddy Lee reminded me of that at lunch yesterday (at the same diner Gotham Queens meets this Thursday)).

p.s. Credit to Marisa who scored tickets the day of the show for the pic at right of Elton with long-time guitarist Davey Johnstone.

p.p.s. The setlist:

Bennie and the Jets

All the Girls Love Alice

I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues

Border Song

Tiny Dancer

Philadelphia Freedom

Indian Sunset

Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)

Take Me to the Pilot

Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word

Someone Saved My Life Tonight

Levon

Candle in the Wind

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding

Burn Down the Mission

Daniel

I Want Love

Sad Songs (Say So Much)

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

The Bitch Is Back

I'm Still Standing

Crocodile Rock

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

Encore:

Your Song

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road