Elton John's record-breaking 60th sellout performance at Madison Square Garden on his 60th birthday, recorded on March 25th, 2007 and televised worldwide is the setting for his latest hit DVD, Elton 60: Live at Madison Squ... more »are Garden. This DVD comprises awe-inspiring moments captured in breathtaking high definition, complete with 5.1 surround sound and stereo mixes. A second DVD of bonus material presents 24 archival performances, from his earliest known TV performance on Swiss TV in 1970 to his BBC "In Session" show from 2006. Disc 1
The Concert:
Sixty Years On
Madman Across the water
Where to Now St. Peter?
Hercules
Ballad of a Well Known Gun
Take Me to the Pilot
High Flying Bird
Holiday Inn
Burn Down the Mission
Better Off Dead
Levon
Empty Garden
Daniel
Honky Cat
Rocket Man
I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
The Bridge
Roy Rogers
Mona Lisa's and Mad Hatters
Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
Bennie and the Jets
All the Girls Love Alice
Tiny Dancer
Something About the Way You Look Tonight
Philadelphia Freedom
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
I'm Still Standing
The Bitch is Back
Crocodile Rock
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding
Your Song Disc 2
Live, Rare & Unseen:
Your Song (Elton at 50 montage)
Border Song (Swiss TV, 1970)
Sixty Years On (BBC in Concert, 1970)
Tiny Dancer (BBC Sounds for Saturday, 1971)
Levon (BBC sounds for Saturday 1971)
Honky Cat (Royal Festival Hall, 1972)
Rocket Man (Royal Festival Hall, 1972)
Crocodile Rock (Royal Variety show, 1972)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (TOTP 1973)
Don't Go Breaking My Heart (Promo) Daniel (Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre 1976)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre 1976)
Candle in the Wind (Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre 1976)
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word (Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre 1976)
I'm Still Standing (Night & Day Concert, Wembley, 1984)
Bennie & the Jets (Night & Day Concert, Wembley, 1984)
Song For Guy (Thank You Australia Concert, 1984)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (BBBC TOTP, 2001)
Tinderbox (BBC `In Session' Outtake From Saint Luke's, 2006) Also on Disc 2
Elton's New York Stories:
Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters (Royal Festival Hall 1972)
Wouldn't Have You Any Other Way (NYC) (BBC 'In Session' St Luke's 2006)
Empty Garden (Two Rooms/OGWT 1982)
Believe (Madison Square Garden 1995)
We All Fall In Love Sometimes/Curtains (Madison Square Garden 2005)« less
Disk 1 - Skip the first hour and a half of the disk. I'm a fan and I did not recognize the song. Part 2 of disk 1 is great! They have historic live recorded songs with titles and when they happened before each song. This is one of the greatest presentations that I have ever seen on a concert song collection.
Disk 2 - Elton's 60 year old birthday party where he performs. Age has definitely taken a toll on the young crisp Elton John singing but it's still enjoyable if you are a fan. You will see many celebrities and actors/actresses in this. Part 2 of disk 2 is great just like the presentation in disk 1 where they have historic live recorded songs with titles and when they happened before each song.
A must see for Elton John fans!
Dixie K. (kona-dixy) from KAILUA KONA, HI Reviewed on 6/1/2009...
Tremendous amount of music here; really like that. I am NOT an Elton John fanatic and previously thought his songs were pretty much alike, but the 2nd listen-thru of these DVDs have given me great enjoyment and an appreciation of his talent and those who write the songs. Liked the setting of the concert and shots of the audience, but something about the camera work bugs me still - I yearn to see more of his keyboard work on camera and more time spent on shots of his backup musicians. What a hoot to view his early and more simply staged 70s and 80s performances.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Incredible Performance
Weezy | 09/08/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was there the night of March 25th 2007 and what an evening it was. I know that's cliche but of the 9 times I have seen him, this was the absolute best show I have seen yet. Not only did he play for 3 1/2 hours, but he rocked it out like only the greatest of all time can. To hear his voice now performing 60 Years On to open his 60th birthday was beautiful, and that was just the first of 33 songs! He played for the die hard fans Where to Now St Peter, Ballad of a Well Known Gun, All the Young Girls Love Alice, and many others we haven't heard live in well over 20 years at least. If you're an Elton fan, you most defiantely have to get this. You'll fall in love all over again. If you are just a casual Elton listener, this will make you really understand how wonderful he truly is, and hopefully get you to dig deeper into the archive that is Reg Dwight's music. I will never forget that night forever. It was simply amazing and now everyone will get to experience just how magical the evening was."
Incredible Bargain
pig_inspace | Montana | 10/03/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When you throw in all of the bonus features, this totals about 4 hours worth of live performances. 90% Elton's hits are here in some form, many of them more than once. It also comes with a small booklet that contains about 20 pages of killer photos. In this day and age of aging rock stars cashing in on cheaply made and poorly executed "products", this one is a goldmine."
Elton's Best Madison Square Garden Concert
John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 02/18/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Elton may sound a bit more ragged as a singer these days, but this excellent DVD demonstrates why he and his partner, lyricist Bernie Taupin, must be regarded as one of the great songwriting duos in popular music. This commemorative DVD celebrates not only his 60th birthday, but also his 60th live concert at one of his favorite venues, New York City's Madison Square Garden. Drawing primarily from his early 1970s catalog, Elton and his current band - which includes long-time band mates guitarist Davey Johnstone and drummer Nigel Olsson - gave the audience a truly memorable show, which also featured cellist Martin Tillman and a New York City youth chorus. Among the highlights include memorable performances of such early Elton John classics as "Where to Now Saint Peter?", "Hercules" and "High Flying Bird", as well as more recent hits such as "Empty Garden" - his memorable tribute to John Lennon - "Sad Songs (Say So Much)", "Something About The Way You Look Tonight", and last, but not least, "The Bridge", from his latest album, "The Captain and The Kid". The bonus DVD includes live performances spanning four decades, including many with his original band, featuring the late Dee Murray on bass, along with Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson. Without a doubt, this is an absolute must for fellow diehard Elton John fans."
THIS IS THE ONE!!
D. MCGUE | Mililani, Hawaii | 10/13/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love Elton John. The DVDs I own are: "Rocket Man Number Ones", "One Night Only -- The Great Hits" and to "To Russia with Elton". Without question, this is BY FAR his best DVD. I cannot recommend it more strongly!"
Finally, the Elton John DVD worth owning! A Landmark.
J. HILL | Michigan USA | 11/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Past DVD releases from EJ have been frustratingly poor quality, and there wasn't much to choose from at that. The 4-disc box set included a decent performance in the youth choir set, but that exception, we've been handed terrible audio quality, incomplete setlists, etc.
This DVD makes up for all of that, and finally delivers the EJ concert that new and old fans can appreciate as the best of him in this phase of his career. It's every bit as landmark as his classic performance with the Sydney symphony twenty years ago.
As a longtime fan, the inclusion of less commercial hits such as High Flying Bird, Where To Now St. Peter, Ballad of a Well Known Gun, and a few others, is something special, especially since some of these have not been performed with the current band before, but the interpretations and performances are excellent.
The sheer number of songs performed (3 1/2 hours!) in the concert is remarkable. The hits are (mostly) all included-- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Candle In The Wind are the two that come to mind as as most likely to be missed by casual fans.
Elton's piano playing and the band fills are not the same old bits you might have heard if you attended any one of his concerts in the last ten years or so-- they have really made an effort to make this performance unique, and reasserted the band's and EJ's cohesiveness in the process. It's what you would expect from them at this stage in their evolution with no sense of jadedness. Amazing given the almost insane number of performances they have been churning out in recent years!
I am always amazed at the number of little interpretations within the details of some of the most repeated favorites. Elton's constant re-working and tweaking of the Rocket Man solo, for example, and if you've heard Your Song a thousand times live, I think you might hear it performed just a little bit different almost every time, including this concert's send-off finale. All of this makes the whole show compelling even for fans who have seen live him dozens of times before.
There are also some fantastic extras included. In all, over 5 hours of quality music and performances!
So, if you have been disappointed in prior DVD releases from EJ, or if you are fan looking for something new from him, this DVD is a sure favorite. It is easily the most definitive and entertaining release of any kind from him since his life and career were reformed in the early 1990's."