DOUBLE SECRET UPDATE: New Deluxe Editions pushed to March 18

Beginning to wonder if these are real or just imaginary...

CD Universe is now listing the Elton John Deluxe Editions with release dates as March 18. Amazon is now showing Deluxe Editions for both but with no release dates.

UPDATE:Tower.com shows both Deluxe Editions with release dates of April 1 and April 22. The discs with April 1 release date are described as single discs but the description shows two discs. The April 22 release date shows 2CD sets.

Who the hell knows...

Setlist for current tour

According to TheRecord.com this is what Elton has been performing during his recent tour;

Local: Here's what Elton John is playing on his tour

The Canadian Press

Posted 12:57 p.m.
March 03, 2008
RECORD STAFF

Following is the basic set list of the songs Elton John has been playing on his current tour that hits the Aud in Kitchener tonight. Other tunes he has substituted into the list below include: The Bridge, The One, Burn Down the Mission and Crocodile Rock.

Your Song

Sixty Years On

The Greatest Discovery

I Need You To Turn To

Border Song

The Boy in the Red Shoes

Daniel

Honky Cat

Rocket Man

Tiny Dancer

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters

Nikita

Philadelphia Freedom

Sacrifice

Ticking

Roy Rogers

Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word

Candle in the Wind

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

Electricity

Carla/Etude

Tonight

Take Me to the Pilot

Blue Eyes

Levon

Bennie and the Jets

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

I'm Still Standing

Circle of Life

New VH1 series to feature Elton documentary

Elton John: Me, Myself and I will make its debut on VH1's new Rock Doc series;

VH1 gets into Monkey business

A documentary about music icon Elton John produced by London-based indie Monkey Kingdom is among seven new productions set to hit US cablenet VH1's schedule.

[SB decode wk 1 fri] Elton John: Me, Myself and I (1x60') originally aired on UK broadcaster ITV in September 2007. Touted as "a private insight" into the singer's life "unlike anything ever seen before in any television documentary," the one-off special features Elton John narrating the story of his life aided by rare archive material.

The documentary will air as part of VH1's Rock Doc strand on June 7. The channel has also greenlit an original Rock Doc to air on April 5.

I really like this song...

Darwin Wants Elton

Darwin determined to see Elton


March 6, 2008 - 6:44PM


Darwin is determined - Sir Elton John is coming to town.

All it will take is a few banners, 10,000 signatures and a bit of luck, says NT Tourism Minister Kon Vatskalis.

The pop legend's plans to tour regional Australia went public a few weeks ago, when his promoter Michael Chugg revealed Sir Elton was trying to include the Northern Territory and Western Australia as part of his Asian tour.

Both regions missed out on seeing the Rocket Man on his Australian tour last year.

Mr Vatskalis today called on all Territorians to do they bit in getting the entertainer to the Top End.

The government has joined forces with a local company to encourage Territorians to register online in a bid to secure a performance by Sir Elton John in Darwin in May.

Unveiling 10 three metre colour banners urging people to support the push - to be erected at several vantage points around the city - Mr Vatskalis today said it was no time for complacency.

"Sir Elton John has expressed an interest in performing in Darwin not Sydney, not Melbourne, not Brisbane - Darwin," he said.

"And we want him to know how much we want him here.

"To do that, we need a minimum of 10,000 people to get on-line and register their support for a Darwin show."

Mr Chugg said that if the shows went ahead it could prompt other artists to rethink the way they tour Australia and the places they included in their itineraries.

Another Sudbury review

Another Sudbury review...

Elton John lives up to the hype

Date Published | Mar. 3, 2008

By Patricia Mills

“Laughing like children, living like lovers, rolling like thunder, under the covers . . .” From the song, I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues

Sudburians were laughing like children, smiling like lovers and they were definitely rolling like thunder at the Sudbury Arena Sunday night when Sir Elton John, Mr. Piano Man himself, sang and played his way into the psyche and hearts of his fans.

What a performance! What a night!

clip

Elton John started off the evening with Your Song, and I immediately thought of Ralph Grabowski, the winner of the Sudbury24 Elton John contest, who won the contest based on his interpretation of Your Song.

“He must be going out of his mind,” I thought, looking around the arena trying to find his seat.

Grabowski is a huge Elton John fan and he was nearly speechless the day he was presented with tickets to the event. I WAS speechless listening to Elton singing the song in person. It was amazing.

His piano skills were the shock factor in this concert. On a CD, or the radio, or even on television during a concert performance, it is very hard to grasp the incredible skill, talent and undeniable passion that emanates from those short, well-manicured famous fingers. It was totally mesmerizing watching his hands dance over the keys in renditions of his famous songs that we have never heard before.

The three-way cameras that recorded his every move, made it easy for us all to “see” the music as it was being played. Elton John didn’t just belt out his songs; he delivered them in a way that we have never, ever heard before.

And it moved us all.

As I looked around me, I couldn’t help but notice the number of people moved to tears by some of his songs. Candle in the Wind did it for me. Whenever I hear that song, I think of all the women in this world whose light was distinguished before their times, including Princess Diana.

Elton’s version of Rocket Man brought us to our feet a record five times throughout the song. As the intensity and variation escalated, the audience went wild.

He looked fine, too, in his black shiny tailcoat, with his red satin shirt and black pants, with the red stripe down the leg. He wore red shoes, another Elton vintage, and he had a diamond stud in his ear. Elton’s hair was spiked and blonde, and around his neck hung a necklace, that we were sure, was made of diamonds.

He didn’t “look” like the sixty-something performer that he actually is. And although his voice may not have reached the high notes, no one really noticed or really cared. The fact that he played for two- and a half-hours without a break, told us that we were witnessing the depth and strength of a world-class performer who we may never see again.

view more photosThe people of Sudbury are to be applauded, too. Although our venue was small, compared to most of Elton John’s audiences, the thunder in the arena was real when he was applauded. The warmth for Elton was real, and the respect for this amazing entertainer was real. My hands are swollen today from clapping, my throat sore from yelling, and my joints a little stiff, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing about last night.

Elton John said he was coming back to Sudbury, and the next time, he’s bringing his band. I can’t wait!!!!

Grabowski “put into words” what many of us felt, on Sunday night.

He sent this email after the concert.

“THANK YOU .... SUDBURY24!!!!

I just got home from the concert ..... AMAZING .... the seats where FANTASTIC .... Elton John is a real showman. This is by far the best concert I have EVER been too . I am very PROUD of the people of Sudbury who turned out tonight ... and they yelled and screamed and cheered and gave Elton the welcome he deserves . Most performers would not even consider Sudbury, but he CAME ..... AND HE CONQUERED. He showed us the side of himself that we all love and that’s why we are fans.

Once again, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU. ... RALPH.”

Patricia Mills is the Publisher of Laurentian Magazines and a former reporter with Northern Life.

(Finally) Elton plays Sudbury!

Is the crying and whining about tickets finally go to end now that Elton has played Sudbury? Lets hope so!

Elton John thrills appreciative fans

Posted By Bob Vaillancourt
Updated 10 mins ago

Elton John has been a composer, songwriter and performer for decades. During those years, he has mastered the art of staging a performance that wows audiences wherever he plays.

He did just that at Sudbury Community Arena on Sunday night, with more than 6,000 fans hanging on his every note - from his opening number, the classic ballad "Your Song," to a stylized version of one his most popular songs, "Rocket Man."

Since it was announced earlier this year, Sudbury's Elton John appearance has been the most anticipated concert in the city's history.

"It was awesome," said Dean and Jennifer Lanteigne.

People started gathering as early as 5 p.m. for the 8 p.m. concert, with the area in front of the arena becoming a veritable party scene featuring fans wearing their own versions of Elton John attire.

After standing in line for more than 24 hours to successfully acquire tickets, Gloria Harju then began a search for her Elton John Concert wardrobe.

She started with a broad-rimmed hat complete with feather boa trim and from there completed the outfit with a pair of oversized dark sunglasses.

"I wanted to find a sequin jacket," she said, but met with no success.

She said she became a fan at age 16 and has followed John's career since. "I grew up with that music."

It was the second opportunity she has had to see John live. Her first concert was a few years ago in Washington.

At that concert, a band accompanied John. For the Sudbury show, John chose to take to the stage with just his piano.

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But that was enough to get Sudbury fans out of their seats for virtually every number he played.

At times, it seemed the light coming from cellphone video screens and digital cameras would overpower the strobe and floodlights set up for the concert.

Also taking in their second Elton John concert were Paul and Eileen Leishman of Orillia. Their first was in 1995 when Elton John and Billy Joel performed together on stage. "They were amazing," said Paul Leishman.

But every Elton John concert brings its own sense of excitement, said Lisa Rabski.

"There is just a feeling. He emits that on stage. Everybody feels it. It's just that sense of wow."

There was no question those lucky enough to scoop up tickets for the concert - the 6,000-plus tickets sold out in 45 minutes - knew they were at "an event."

Inside, beer sellers were doing a brisk business up until the claps and applause signalled that Sir Elton John was making his way to the stage.

With a bow to the audience, and dressed in a red shirt, a sequined long-tailed jacket and black trousers with red stripes on the side, John, the prolific musician, sat down at the piano and began playing a string of hits for the next two-and-a-half hours.

The power of the music was so intense that one could feel the floor of the 50-year-old Sudbury arena vibrate at times.

Occasionally, John would comment on the song he was about to play, but on several occasions he would simply stand, acknowledge the audience and move on to his next number.

It seemed to be just what his fans wanted as they roared their approval for every number.

Throughout the crowd you could see neon-glow glasses. On the arena floor, fans were waving neon-glow sticks in the air to the beat of the music.

Fans were taking away more than just memories from the event.

Jennifer Revel's souvenir booth was selling everything from $20 Elton John CDs, to $35 T-shirts and $100 fleece hoodies.

But her biggest sale of the night was a $400 Elton John leather jacket that one fan bought to remember the night the Rocket Man rocked the Nickel City.

editorial@thesudburystar.com

However i guess some people can never let go;

Apology is in order - Editorial

The city "would like to bring closure" to the controversy over councillors' access to tickets for the Elton John concert, said Chief Administrator Mark Mieto in a release.

Fair enough. But some issues must be resolved, first.

In the release, Mieto says the city was notified of advance promotional tickets for media outlets, which is standard practice. This appears to be an attempt to explain how he knew The Star had purchased tickets from the promoter. But he offered to show a Sudbury Star reporter receipts of tickets purchased on private credit cards. One purchase was made through a local private business. How did Mieto get these receipts? This is a serious privacy matter that must be explained.

And Mieto still hasn't explained why he warned The Star the concert was in danger due to negative publicity when it clearly wasn't, why he implied that tickets were improperly obtained by The Star when even a cursory examination of the facts shows otherwise, or why he told The Star his job would be in danger if word of an off-the-record meeting with The Star got out, when that later proved not to be the case. Mieto and Mayor John Rodriguez have since admitted the mayor knew about the meeting in advance.

As the city's top bureaucrat, Mieto must be a trusted adviser to - and servant of - council and the public. He has yet to make a public apology for his actions. He should do so.

What do you think? Visit the Sudbury Star's website at www.thesudburystar.com and add your voice to the discussion. Or send us your opinion in a Letter to the Editor at 33 MacKenzie St., Sudbury, P3C 4Y1, or fax it to 674-6834 or e-mail it to letters@thesudburystar.com