With the postponed debate getting nearer and nearer I’ve decided (by request of Adam a.k.a. Elton Bootlegs) to re-upload a show that proves that 1986 was one of the best live years ever. Lille 18th of March 1986.
The quality of the recording is pretty good, though a bit muffled on spots, but it doesn’t mean anything! Elton is in superb voice and sings great versions of every song from the show. And the audience is making the whole thing much better as they’re very enthusiastic throughout the show – they sing along, clap, and have a great time. Like on my last upload I’ve included a comment of every song from the show so that you can see what I think about each song:
Highlander/Tonight:
Great version! Elton nails the song (and the last falsetto!), but to me it seems like Elton has very little roughness in his voice when singing the higher notes. Great, great version!
One Horse Town:
Great version with a new kind of phrasing from this period of the year! Elton is a bit reserved when approaching the higher notes. This might be the first signs of Elton’s voice getting struck by what we later would describe as Elton’s worst vocal performances ever! This doesn’t mean it sounds bad – a great version. If you want to hear what Elton avoids, listen to some performances before this (I can only recommend Belfast 1986, which happens to be the best version ever, which is on my channel as well).
Better Off Dead:
Again, great version of the song. Elton shows once again that 1986 was also a great year! Elton sings the song very fine!
Rocket Man:
Elton avoids the first falsetto. He probably had to see if he could hit it – the other times he sings with falsetto. All in all great vocally, and also musically – especially the brass section!
Philadelphia Freedom:
Superb version of this song. For some persons, this version ranks as one of the best from the tour – and I can confirm that this version is considered as being one of the best! In my opinion, however, I think that Elton doesn’t entirely hit spots all clean and therefore this version doesn’t reach the top for me. He does hit the most of the falsettos very fine. Fantastic version though!
Burn Down The Mission:
Another superb performance from this show! Elton nails the song and sings it very well. Also, the band is fantastique and the audience is going nuts! That makes this version rank as a top 5 version for me. Absolutely stunning!
Someone Saved My Life Tonight:
Unlike Saratoga (which was my previous show) Elton struggled through this song. Now, 5 months earlier on the year Elton is very comfortable with the song and sings it smoothly. Elton manages to hit the high notes very fine and this version beats Saratoga by mile after mile.
The Bitch Is Back:
Absolutely fantastic and fast performance. Great musically and vocally. Elton sings what he wants and hits everything and that equals a very great version. This version ranks as one of the best for me. Of all time!
Medley:
A Song For You gives me goose bumps. This is excellent! And with that audience! Oh my God, Elton – 1986 was indeed a great your for you! Also Blue Eyes and I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues is fantastic versions!
Paris:
Again, great version. The crowd again – must’ve been a surprise when Elton has chosen to dedicate a song to the capital of their country. Different intro from the album!
Restless:
Fantastic performance of a great rock n roll song. Great brass section and overall a great performance!
Bennie And The Jets:
Fine version. Nothing bad to say. Not one of my favorites though. Later on the year Elton would play some fantastic solos after the original song and have a blast only with piano (Los Angeles 1986 is prime examples of this solo!).
Sad Songs (Say So Much):
Fantastic version. Again, I must give credits to the band as they play fantastic and the brass section once again is amazing. A top 10 version for me!
Cry To Heaven:
A great version, but it’s not the best though. It’s not bad at all though, but there are versions out there that has this ‘extra’ spice included that this version doesn’t have.
This Town:
Stunning performance! Despite the tiny cut in the very beginning of the song this version ranks as one of my favorite versions of the song. Elton sings it very good and delivers an excellent and energetic edition.
Nikita:
An excellent version! Actually, sometimes it’s hard to hear Elton voice as the fans voices are louder on the tape then Elton’s. However this version ranks very high and the song is perfect for Elton to sing in the mid register!
I’m Still Standing:
Superb Superb Superb Superb Superb Superb Superb Superb Superb Superb Superb!!! One of the best versions of the song! A definite top 5 version. Elton just nails everything in this version and everything works!
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting:
High tempo and energetic performance. The crowd is having a blast and they’re really enjoying what goes through their ears. Moreover, this versions has to be one of the best as Elton sings the song perfectly and the band is superb.
Song For Guy:
Amazing! The crowd is actually singing along to the melody while clapping (amazing audience) – that is unique! Also Elton delivers a great, great performance of this song on his beloved Steinway piano (wish he’d use it once in a while today). Fantastic version!
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word:
Actually I’m not a big fan of this song, but I still want to describe my feelings about this version. It’s f*cking awesome with Elton hitting every note – also falsetto. This is definitely one of my favorite versions ever performed of this song. Magnificent!
Can I Get A Witness?
Elton opens the song by giving a short piano intro and singing/screaming I WANNA TESTIFY!!! This version is so fantastic. This is one of my all-time favorite versions. C’mon guys! A little bit LOUDER!!!
- Emil, EltonJohnGigs
After the horrificness of Providence, I have decided to go for a show which I personally love! Lille 1986! The show's mostly complete and the sound quality is great but the audience do drown the band out at some points because of their enthusiasm! Overall it's a fantastic show and another one to prove 1986 was a great year for Elton, not just musically but vocally too!
Elton is in fantastic voice like most shows from this part of the tour but this show is the first sign where Elton starting to become more conservative with his voice (I don't count Barcelona) but still is able to hit any high note he wants too!
Onto the setlist, Tonight is a great conservative version, One Horse Town is the first proper version where he uses amended phrasing but in my opinion it doesn't work here as he is unsure how to hit it so this version ranks pretty low for the tour, Better Off Dead is fantastic with nice embellishments, Rocket Man where Elton avoids the first Bb4 but hits the rest of the key notes in the song powerfully, Philadelphia Freedom which is the best 1986 version as he hits every high note in the song clean plus does excellent D5's at the end, Burn Down The Mission is a top version with Elton sounding very strong, Someone Saved My Life Tonight where Elton holds out a C5 for three whole seconds which is incredible, The Bitch Is Back which has been described as the best 1980s version, the medley which is sung very smoothly, Paris which has excellent vocals plus the instrumentation is unique and Restless which is the best version ever!
Moving onto Bennie And The Jets which is very conservative although Elton does do amusing phrasing on the third chorus, Sad Songs (Say So Much) with the instrumentation packing a good punch, Cry To Heaven where Elton doesn't exactly follow the vocal dynamics in the song, This Town which is one of the best versions, Nikita which has smooth phrasing plus a great ending, I'm Still Standing with Bb4's all over the place but I do prefer other versions, Song For Guy where the audience are so enthusiastic they actually sing along with some amusing results, Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting which is the best version post 1984 as Elton nails the vocals, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word which is a definite top 5 version of the song as Elton hits all the notes clean and Can I Get A Witness with an excellent intro plus punchy vocals from Elton! The band are also very strong tonight like usual on this tour! Enjoy this excellent show!
- Adam, Elton Bootlegs