Elton John – The Red Piano

The Red Piano is FABULOUS!!! Elton is FABULOUS! I was never really an Elton John fan, but this show made me a fan. He is quite the entertainer and I would love to see him perform again!

This is a way long overdue review since I saw this show back in the summer of 2005. Oh well, better late than never! Let’s just say this right up front, if I never saw The Red Piano, then I probably wouldn’t be a big Elton John fan today. Plus, it did help that I got to see his show for free since I watched it with my mom who got 2 comped tickets.
The show really blew my expectations away. I really walked into The Coliseum with an open mind, but was also expecting just a typical concert performance. But that all that got thrown out the window with amazing visuals and stage designs by David LaChapelle. But of course, it was all about Elton and his music.
Before the show, I didn’t think I knew much about his music. But then as I watched Elton performed each number, I found myself singing along to most of his songs! You all should’ve seen how stoked I was when he came out on stage and then banged out «Bennie and The Jets» for his first song, which was already my personal favorite. And he also performed his other popular tunes such as «I’m Still Standing», «I Believe», «Rocket Man», «That’s Why They Called It The Blues», and «Your Song».
It was a purely amazing show and even though I got to see it for free, I surely would’ve paid the $ 250 it cost for the ticket to see it again. Hopefully his new show, The Million Dollar Piano, will be just as amazing! Can’t wait to see it!

When I was 8, I walked into an arcade at Walt Disney World and Benny and The Jets was playing. I remember that as if it was yesterday
And it was 39 years ago
If you had to name the greatest albums of all time, Dark Side and Sargent Pepper would rate. In the same conversation would be Yellow Brick Road. Elton John has some of rocks greatest anthems. At The Red Piano, he plays an impressive array of his best
Staging was really cool as well, and there is not a bad seat in The Colliseum. The best part, however, was Elton himself. Despite his success, he has remained humble and true to his artistic integrity
A true master at his very best

I have not seen Elton’s new «Million Dollar Piano» show, so I’m reviewing his previous Vegas residency show which ended a couple years ago in order to endorse seeing the new one.
«The Red Piano» was an over the top entertainment experience where Elton played an endless barrage of his greatest hits while vamping around in flamboyant costumes as videos created by visual artist Dave LaChapelle played behind him, complimenting the songs (Justin Timberlake plays a young, 70’s era Elton in one video). Overall this was an only in Vegas-​style experience that melded music and visuals to create a show that fits Elton’s diva-​like personality. It was a great show and I’m sure the new «Million Dollar Piano» show at Caesars is equally worth checking out.

Elton was my first concert ever in 1994; I was 10 and my mom loved him. We had seats wayyyyy in the back, so I thought eh, I’ll splurge on my Vegas trip and get up close and personal.
Well, his big fucking red piano completely blocked my view of him. There were no video screens to even see what he was doing. Quite honestly, in the 13 years since I had seen him, the voice was just not the same. Oh yes, and the real kicker? They let the first 2 rows run up to the stage for a singalong. And I was in the 3^rd row. I mean, comeon, I paid almost $ 250 for this? Next time I’ll just throwdown for a cover charge at Hard Rock on Wednesdays that I know I’ll enjoy.

This was my 4^th time experiencing Elton John in some capacity (Once it was the Face2Face tour with Billy Joel) and I was amazed. We saw him on 4÷19÷09. I chose to attend this show for a few different reasons:
1. I LOVE Elton John
2. My husband had never seen him and was down with the concert
3. The reasonably priced tickets for Elton/​Billy @ Wrigley in Chicago are all being scalped
4. I would dropkick myself if I didn’t see him in Vegas
So, I was completely in awe as Elton came on stage. I had 1^st row 2^nd balcony so the view was super clear. He had the most amazing stage accessories and video going on. He was clearly in good spirits and a great showman. I heart Elton.

oh the power of Elton!
I drove all the way from San Francisco to Vegas because my ex boyfriend was down there working and had tickets. He learned that weekend that I was the one, I realized he wasn’t the one.
That being said, it was a FANTASTIC weekend, that my friend is the power of Elton! You can spend the weekend with the ex, get a 400 dollar speeding ticket on the way in and STILL leave smiling and humming hold me closer tiny dancer.
My cheeks hurt after the show because I smiled like a giddy school girl the entire time! So many good hits, so well done, and blow up boobs and legs on stage. SO PERFECT! SO ELTON. To top it off they even have Ravenswood wine there, the cheapest most yum wine ever. (KEEP THAT IN MIND, NORMALLY ON SALE AT TARGET FOR 6.99) another thing the boyfriend was good at.
After the show I helped my 6’5 ex bf who is now snockerd walk all the way back from Caesar’s to our motel off the strip near the Stratosphere (CLASSY) I know, and yet still smiling.
Months after when I finally picked up my dreaded bag of crap that’s been left at his house since the break up there was a surprise inside, he put a DVD of the Red Piano =) … He still not that bad or the one but maybe ELTON is!

This show is leaving Vegas soon (he has a few dates left in Feb-​09 and a few in Apr-​09). You must see it before it leaves if you are a fan of Elton!
The visuals. the effects. the music. and Elton. wow. I didn’t have the priviledge of seeing him in the 70’s, but his voice sounded so incredible even now, many years past his «prime».
It’s funny, it’s sexy, it’s risqué. leave the kids at home!

AH-​MAAAAA-​ZIIING! Came here for my anniversary. I never thought I would ever be lucky enough to see Sir Elton live but a sneaky Bee sure did surprise me.
1. Ticket stub states 7:30 pm. Arrived at 6:45. No cameras. Drinks are around $ 11 a piece. Worth it as I was hammer-​jacked after the second one. By the third I was beyond loadie odie ode and having the time of my life waiting for the lights to go down.
2. Elton and musicians walked out on stage at 7:40 pm. Really? I’ve never been to a show where it actually starts within a 15 minute window.
3. Nosebleed section and after reading some of the reviews realized that Sir Elton stuck to protocol with opening song (Bennie & The Jets) and banter type jokes.
4. Played for two hours and belted out all the hits:
Bennie
Rocket Man
Someone saved my life tonight
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Saturday Night
I Guess that’s why they call it blues
I’m still standing (I wish he would have played Mona Lisa instead of this)
Tiny Dancer
Daniel
The Bitch is back
Pinball Wizard
Candle in the wind
Your Song
and more and not necessarily in that order.
5. The videos were ok. I loved seeing guest appearances by peeps you will recognize.
There was maybe two songs I didn’t recognize.
The best part was the large guy in the gray shirt in the very front row who was having more fun than drunk ol’ me. And when Elton invited the first couple of rows on stage to dance around the piano, the gray shirted guy looked like he was about to die. Awesome!

Can i add a thousand more stars to this? Elton John is by far my favorite show. He is what performers need to be doing. He can sing, he can play and he knows how to connect to a crowd as large as we were. When he spoke it was almost like he was just speaking to you. I love the fact that he made soo many jokes and talked some trash about Celine Dion. «No wonder why the b**tch is skinny she runs across the stage all night long»
The visuals in the background were a trip. it made wish i was around during the seventies (yes i’m young!) The inflatable boob… only elton. Couldn’t see Celine doing that could ya? No. Elton John is untouchable.

I did not know I was an Elton John fan until I saw this show. I had free tickets so I went and loved the show.
Of course I knew some of his tried and true staples, but I was fairly unfamiliar with Elton John before I went to the show.
The imagery was beautiful and artistic, Elton was quite humorous and reminiscent on his walk down memory lane.
i went out and bought the DVD and am loving it over again!

My boyfriend and I flew out to Vegas the night before election day to catch this show on Caesar’s tab.
It was much better than I had anticipated. In all honesty, I think live music can get pretty boring, easily. I mean, I appreciate good music as much as the next person, but watching some person sing and play some sort of instrument gets old fast.
That’s why all the video presentations, inflatable breasts and penises, blazing neon signs and streamers flying out of nipples came in just in time to keep me interested and awake! And in addition, Elton’s hilarious renegade commentary was very amusing as well! But really, David Lachapelle did a glorious job directing the show, creating beautifully presented videos that gave the songs new meaning and prompted thoughts and emotions inside all of us. And, Elton John sounded better than ever.
Although we were in «nosebleed» seats, I think the show was still amazing, and I felt just as in tune with Elton as the people with front row seats. Too bad we couldn’t jump onstage and dance pianoside with Elton like all the people sitting in the front rows did. Oh, well… next time!!!
Truly a memorable, amusing and visually stimulating concert. Probably the best concert I’ve ever been to.

OOH Elton. you are truly amazing… and My pink boa really made me fit in!!! Well with your standards! I mean he started with «Bennie and the Jets», what more can I ask for honestly!
He had a huge screen behind him that projected videos that went with each song. He gave insight about songs and what they meant, including Daniel which he said is confusing because he took out the last line because it made him sad.
One thing I did notice was there were lots of breasts and half naked women including Pamela Anderson in the videos and huge blow up boobs and bananas at the end.
He is just so great! It was well worth the price!!! And yes if you sit in the front you do get to go on stage. but don’t get too close they don’t like that.

Yes, totally over the top, but what would one expect from Sir Elton in sin city? As a fan ‘from a distance’ (for lack of better way to describe the fact that I’ve always appreciated his music but never owned any), I forgot how prolific the man is. Try and sit on stage left so you are facing Elton. He possesses great talent and is a treat to experience. I had the opportunity to see the 200^th show — we were given boas on our way in to celebrate.
I will agree — the production going on around Elton and the bad is a bit overwhelming, but we chalked it up to the Vegas factor. Some of the imagery is quite disturbing, but some is just over the top funny. The cameos are good. Who knew Pam Anderson really isn’t that talented on the pole?
Note to parents: When you see signs indicating there is adult content/​intended for mature audiences, particularly in LAS VEGAS, that might be a not so subtle hint to leave the kids at home. SERIOUSLY! Being granted the title of Sir can’t take the raunch factor out of the man.

This was waay beyond my expectations! I was thinking Elton John would be over-​the-​top fabulous, but I didn’t expect this production. Vegas, EJ and David Lachappelle all in the same show and you have madness!
The Rocket Man video w/​Justin Timberlake (who you can’t hardly recognize!) was amazing. And Pam Anderson during ‘Bitch’ perfection. I wish I had swung a bit more to get seats up in the first 2 rows since they got to go up on stage around the red piano to dance to Saturday Night’s Alright. Ending with Your Song I thought was a bit of a downer although my favorite song. But you want to end on a high note right? All in all this was totally worth the money and really showed me what Vegas shows are all about. And not only that, but it was just a dream come true to see him on stage live. Never would I have though I’d get to see that. Thanks Mom for forcing me to listen to your old EJ records when I was younger! What I blast I’m having now!

This is the MOST disappointing show I’ve seen on the strip thus far.
Understand that I am not an EJ fan, but my wishful thinking was that the show would serve as entertainment value.
If we are paying over $ 250/​tix I expect more of a performance:
NOT blow up dolls.
NOT flashing neon signs.
NOT streaming video depicting your song.
NOT celebrities on video depicting your song.
NOT just a band and a piano.
I WANT action, dancers, I want my money’s worth, I want, I WANT!!!
I WANT a SHOW not a CONCERT w/​streaming VIDEO.
YEAH I’m a high maintenance brat.
BTW, for the children of the 80s, there was no LION KING. Boo!!!

I’m not a huge Elton John fan so I can’t give the show as high a rating as everyone else here. The show was good, but I was a little disappointed in the lack of movement from the band… the show is really all of the visualizations going on, on stage and on the screen. Some of it made me want to drugs, some of it made me wonder if I was already on drugs, and some of it made me just confused. All in all, I had a good time, though.

I loved the visuals of David LaChapelle and of course the music is quintessential Elton John. The show was big, glitzy, and fun. I walked out of the theater feeling inspired and amazed that we humans are so easily amused. The props seemed so simple. Big blowup inanimate objects, neon lights and balloons. It just never gets old– if it’s done right.
I laughed and I felt a little heartache too. If a show can make you happy, sad and inspire you… it’s good!

Sir Elton is anything about subtle. Or at least that certainly goes for the videos David LaChapelle created to accompany some of the songs. If you’re going with your grandma, be prepared for some awkward moments (unless she’s a real hip lady), as some parts seem to be straight out of a 70s porno.
The videos can be distracting, not just because of all the naked people, but because of the random celeb cameos… Justin Timberlake? Pee Wee Herman? That guy from «Gossip Girl»? As a bonus, afterwards you’ll get to listen to all the uptight Midwestern tourists complain about the gratuitous nudity! Apparently they didn’t realize they were in Vegas…
But the best numbers were the ones where it’s just the band, or just him. He’s still an awesome performer and he doesn’t need blow-​up boob balloons all over the stage to make it a great show… that’s just icing on the cake.
If you really want to blow some dough and have an amazing experience, sit in the first three rows and you will get to go onstage and gather ’round Elton’s red piano during the finale. Everyone was going crazy cuz there was this cute kid breakdancing off to the side… and after the song he announced that that kid was actually Cruz Beckham, which, alas, in my opinion made it so much less cool.

Fucking. AWESOME.
Seriously, a good time. Elton + Vegas is everything you would imagine it would be. My friend and I were dancing in our upgraded VIP seats (because the old farts behind us «couldn’t see» when we stood even though the seats are auditorium style raised).
Worth every penny and then some. David LaChapelle’s videos capture the soul of Elton’s music and match it with a level of showiness and entertainment that is uniquely Vegas but still totally emotional and true.