For months I anxiously awaited this concert. I religiously listened to Billy Joel and Elton John music every day for months. I was so excited that I could barely even stand it. Although I was disappointed by the postponement that occurred in November, the longer waiting period just helped me to get even more excited. I geared myself up by watching music videos on youtube, and became more and more ecstatic day by day. Finally, after four months of waiting, the day came.
All day I could feel this ball of excitement festering inside of me, ready to explode at any moment. After waiting all day the night finally came, my friend Shandra and her parents, John and Jen, came and picked me up to go to the concert. We stopped and grabbed some food at the Gateway, and then we made our way to the Energy Solutions Arena.
We climbed up to our seats up in the very high part of the arena. Although seemingly far away from the stage, I did not care on bit. I was just so excited to be in the same building as my idol, Billy Joel. The man whose music filled my whole day from the moment I wake up to the moment I went to bed at night. The man whose music I could never get out of my head, and whose videos I couldn't stop watching. The man who had almost taken over my life for the past months with his musical genius.
After a trip to go get a t-shirt and program,
Shan and I went to our seats, where we (especially me) would most anxiously await for the show to begin. Suddenly music began, and then began the sold out concert "that took me from 'Scenes of an Italian Restaurant' to beyond the yellow brick road." With no opening act, my two favorite men began a show that became the best three and a half hours of my life.
Together they began to sing and play, a perfect team bringing my favorite songs to life. They opened with Elton John's song "Your Song." All I could do was sit there with my mouth open in complete awe. Hardly believing that my dream was finally coming true. It was only in the next song that the reality hit me when they sang my absolute favorite song, "Just the Way You Are" by none other than the marvelous Billy Joel. The two of them together, singing my favorite song of all time; tears began to well up in my eyes and I started to shed tears of complete joy and happiness.
After a few songs Billy left the stage, and Elton took over for his solo part of the show. He played all of my favorites, "Levon," "Tiny Dancer," "Daniel," and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." But of all the songs he sang and played that night, "Rocket Man" was truly the most sensational! His piano playing was remarkable! His fingers just danced across the keys, he played almost with a sort of aggression but it was graceful at the same time. When he played "Rocket Man" you could feel the music pulsating through the room. You could literally feel the music pulsing through you body. It was as if the music and I had become one. Throughout the entire song my body was covered with goosebumps.
Once Elton was done, it was time for Billy's portion of the show. My hero came out on the stage to his piano. he then attacked the piano keys with a reckless abandon, playing "Angry Young Man." Never in my life have I seen someone play the piano as fast as he did when playing this song. He then preceded to play two of my favorites, "Movin' Out," and "Scenes from and Italian Restaurant." After this his piano sank down into the stage and then came one of the best parts of the concert, He strapped on a guitar and played "We Didn't Start the Fire," and whirled the microphone in the air while singing "It's Still Rock an Roll to Me." It was an AMAZING performance!!! The rest of the set included "River of Dreams," "Don't Ask Me Why," "Zanzibar," and "Only the Good Die Young."
Then Billy and Sir Elton teamed together once again for a fantastic encore. The whole time playing off each other while playing "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues," (one of my very favorites!) "Uptown Girl," and "Bennie and the Jets" (which I actually know the words to, believe it or not, thats how avid a fan I am!)
Then came the ending of the concert, the two men's bands left the stage and they finished by playing two last songs. They played a beautiful rendition of "Candle in the Wind," which gave me chills and honestly choked me up a bit. But it was the last song that really got to me. Last but most definitely not least, they played "Piano Man." The two most talented musicians of the century playing one of the most beloved songs of all time, together. It was here that I began to get very emotional. The tears flowed from my eyes as my two musical idols played together for the last song. The entire stadium was singing along, and I tearfully sang along, "Sing us a song, you're the piano man. Sing us a song tonight. We're all in the mood for a melody and you got us feeling alright."
And oh boy I was feeling much more than alright. I was overwhelmed with complete joy. I know that it may seem kind of silly that I get so excited and emotional over a concert, but the music of Billy Joel and Elton John is timeless and their talent is extraordinary and legendary. The two of them have taken piano to the next level, they revolutionized music, and formed an unequaled combination of pure talent. Their songs will live on forever and I was lucky enough to be able to spend a moment in time listening to them, together, meshing their talents and creating a show that celebrates the best of music. "Billy Joel captains you through his musical river of dreams, Elton John expertly guides you down his melodic yellow brick road, and together, Elton, Billy, and you, will celebrate their songs. Your Songs. Our songs."
After they finished I sat there clapping incessantly, still trying to comprehend the truly amazing show I had just witnessed. Now, seven months later I am still in complete awe of that show. Their talent never ceases to amaze me, and I do not believe that I will ever grow tired of listening to them.
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