Elton John's Captain & The Kid Tour in Montreal

I had great seats on the floor only a few rows from the back, the only problem was that Elton's stage was too low to see properly. Luckily I had the aisle seat so I could peak out in the aisle or dance.

Elton does not have an opening act and does a 2 & ½ hour show with 24 set songlist. I remember Elton jumping all over the piano and stage when I saw him in 91-92. Elton didn't interact with the audience that much. He is still the most amazing piano player & musician but last nights performance was a lot more subdued. It had a great set list despite not hearing such favourites as "Made In England", "Club At The End Of The Street" Or "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" As usual Elton pretty much ignores his 80's & 90's catalogue. I was happy he included the 80's gem "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" but was surprised when he was straining his voice and couldn't hit the notes. I had heard rumours that he was losing his voice. He had trouble with another song "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" a great fan favourite track from the "Honky Château" album. Interesting that on the songs from the new album he sounded great. A friend of mine mentioned that he should have better organised his set list. He did a lot of slow stuff in the middle and all the fast stuff at the end. As a huge fan of the new album I loved the middle where he showcased 4 songs from the new album, "Postcards From Richard Nixon" & "Tinderbox" was for me the highlights of the show. Some surprise songs where "I Want Love" from his 2001 critically acclaimed album "Songs From The West Coast" and "Believe" from "Made In England" which sounded heavenly and beautifully orchestrated. The rest of the show was filled with his 70's hit era.

Elton's musicians consisted of 2 original players from his 70's band Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone. The only change in set list from the London Ontario show was that he omitted the new song "The Blues Never Fade Away" and replaced it with "Daniel". The stupid Bell Center wouldn't let anybody rush up the middle aisle to the stage. What's the point of having floor seats if you can't do that *annoyed*, how I miss the old days.


Setlist

Funeral for a Friend
Love Lies Bleeding
Bennie and the Jets
Philadelphia Freedom
Believe
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
Take Me To The Pilot
I Want Love
Postcards From Richard Nixon
Tinderbox
The Bridge
The Captain and the Kid
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word
Rocket Man
Daniel
Levon
Crocodile Rock
The Bitch is Back
Saturday Night's All Right (For Fighting)

Encore
Candle in the Wind
Your Song