Sir Elton has spent a fortune on this show mind - best sound engineer - best lighting crew - four special guests not to mention the pyros
Brilliant show. He's an institution. I think I knew all but 1 song and the chorus to all of them at least. An unbelievable back catalogue and a top performance, especially his piano work. I thought the guests were all good and the show was spectacular. Fair play, he's a proper legend.
It was a decent show to be fair, but how he has done so well with so little real talent still remains a mystery to me. Maybe Bernie Taupin is the Tiny Answer.
I've every respect for all artists, we can't all have the same tastes. But I agree with you about Elton John, plus he's a poor vocalist imo. He's basically always copied existing music, then stole Liberace's wardobe and most of his act. The songs sound profound, because of the crashing chords of the grand piano which also gives them a bit of gravitas. But, despite a few classics, some of the lyrics are catchy but idiotic. Watching people at Glastonbury, with misty eyes, singing about tiny dancers and fighting on Saturday nights was hilarious To be fair he's a great little pianist.
I agree we all have different tastes when it comes to music, strangely enough I was a big fan of Lady Samantha when it came out but for me its been downhill all the way with Elton from then, I just cant understand how he has done so well with so little talent. He has a strong voice and that's about it for me. On the festival itself I doubt if I would have watched it at all this year if it hadn't been for this thread , but the TV coverage has been vast but lacking in any real quality, and this more than anything sums it up for me, roll on next year.
Dennis Pennis. "Elton John is a musical genius....playing piano at 2, writing lyrics at 3, and by 4 o clock, he'd have another crappy song".
Watching Elton John now on iPlayer and the one thing I've noticed is the young uns singing along to the songs I grew up with. With all the diversions acts that's around now (and I admit I haven't a clue who's popular these days) the young ones always seem to gravitate back to acts from "bygone days". My step daughters the same, growing up I had to put up with some seriously crap music when she was living at home, now she listens to Smooth radio!
Well I quite enjoyed auld Elton. Watched some of it and the rest was background noise. He probably deserved a decent send off and to be fair the crowd looked massive. Glastonbury was once alternative but is proper mainstream now. It'll probably only get worse given the bland acts nowadays.
As Glastonbury prices go up you'll have more people who want Diana Ross, Adele and Elton John. It's becoming middle of the road music for middle class people to a degree. Even the likes of Guns & Roses are the kind of 'wild men' you'd introduce to your gran. If it's not careful it'll become a parody of itself ... ...no surprise that one of the best received acts was that nicely turned out Mr Astley and his quiff
You're right....I'm 70 and grew up with these legend artists and bands. Glastonbury has to be careful it doesn't fall into a trap of headlineing(sp?) ageing big names who can't do it any more. Diana Ross is a prime example....her vocals at shows earlier this year were terrible. There's a big difference between those who can still do it and those who need 2 or 3 backing vocals singing their notes to give them support...or,even worse,shouting rather than singing. Axl Rose didn't sound so great,although I loved the Pretenders and Cat Stevens. I thought Elton just about made it between shouting and singing....although I admit,I'm not a big fan. He did my two favourite sings early....Bennie and the Jets and I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues....sent me happy to bye-byes!
It's not though. There is a whole world of new artists that played very high up the bill across all stages. It's just that the older people don't know who they are and what impact they have in the music industry. The fact that the stages were packed with younger fans for these artists show that it's just fine. It always has a blend. Probably the most adaptable festival in the world.
Good post mate. I've always loved the music from my time in the 60's. Looking back,my parents and those older didn't get what we were listening to then...I suppose what we've learned from that is to be open to what the modern generation is listening to.
That's quite a sweeping statement mate and wrong in my case, I look forward to watching new acts and going to gigs. I'm going to the Connect Festival, Edinburgh in August. My problem is that there's too much attention on the likes of Diana Ross, G&R, Dolly Parton, McCartney, Kylie, etc, who are just repeating what they've done year after year. That some can barely sing live doesn't help when that's why they're there. This year's headliners were uninspiring and decades past their best, to be fair Elton John put on a good show thanks to excellent musicians and sound quality. There seems to be an obsession with the size of the crowd and that's part of the problem for me ... ... the headliners obviously get all the media attention but they shouldn't be nostalgia acts imo.
