Thursday, December 18, 2008

We've heard this before...I'll believe it when I see it

Elton John and Billy Joel may record together before tour

02:53 PM PT, Dec 16 2008Eltonjoel300

Elton John is looking to whip up a little something special for his upcoming Face 2 Face tour with fellow '70s piano man Billy Joel to make it more than just a greatest-hits outing. Returning to the
concert trail next spring for the first time in six years, John and Joel want to inject some new music into the mix.

"We're thinking about recording three songs together," John told Pop & Hiss on Tuesday. "Definitely not our own songs, or oldies, but we're interested in getting some people to write new songs for us. I've got Raphael Saadiq and Nile Rodgers working on something, so we're booking some time to go into the studio and record."

On their previous joint road trips in 1995, 2001-2002 and 2003, the Face 2 Face tour turned into one of the top 10 grossing tours of those years. The 2009 tour is scheduled to open March 2 in Jacksonville, Fla., and will include two Southland performances March 28 and 30 at
the Honda Center in Anaheim.

-- Randy Lewis

Photo: John and Joel in 2001. Credit: Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times