Fan report by Si Owens.

Elton John’s infamous "Red Piano" show made its debut at London’s O2 Arena on September 5, 2007. In all honesty, it isn’t quite what it’s cracked up to be.

Maybe it’s down to the longevity of the Las Vegas run, or the hype that surrounds it, but somehow the experience just fell short of expectations. The basic premise is that this is an Elton John concert, but with a difference.

Concert goers arrive excited by the rumours of grand theatrical staging that have drifted across the Atlantic. Promises of artistic video representations, visually exuberant décor and a Pamela Anderson pole dance. All are dutifully present and, in fairness, suitably impressive in their own right.

The problem is basically that for anybody who has seen a non-Red Piano concert before, the stage extravagance does not live up to the musical content. For the most part, it doesn’t even add to it. The set-list may be an issue here. For a show that is sold on being outrageous, glamorous and extravagant, it’s a very slow set to be playing. Apart from the first two and the final four songs, it is a set of ballads, and as such the show lacks pace as a spectacle.

The main focus of these shows is said to be the large video backdrop that is the brain child of modern day Elton collaborator David La Chapelle. Whilst it is a fair bet that these videos are bound to be artistically brilliant, and that together they probably form an accomplished collection of work, the problem for me as a viewer is that I am not an artist.

For the regular, every day person out for an evening’s entertainment, the vast majority of what is shown on screen simply goes over one’s head. For the most part, it is hard to link the videos to the musical content.
A substantial number of images contain nudity, and unless I’m missing something, a naked female ballerina with a nose bleed is not an image I would naturally link to a song like "Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me" (to take one example).

On the rare occasion when the video clips are accessible to the layman, they are well worth their inclusion. The clip for "Daniel" beautifully depicts the ‘missing verse’, while the clip for "I’m Still Standing" is a great piece of nostalgia that takes a triumphant pictorial journey through Elton’s career.

Videos aside, the other main feature of the show is the props. These include such gimmicks as inflatable breasts and phallic bananas – hilarious I’m sure.

So what does that leave? Well, what is left is an hour and three quarters of Elton John and his band playing some of his best loved hits; and this is where the entrance fee is justified. Musically, it is a fine show (as will be no surprise to anybody whom has seen Elton live in the past). Elton’s live vocal continues to amaze, the band are as tight as ever and the whole thing is highlighted by the various solos, musical extensions and interludes. "Rocket Man" continues to receive its standard quota of three standing ovations, and "The Bridge" maintains its place as a modern classic. The highlight, however, is a power-house performance of "Believe". A great song, brilliantly played.

As the set came to a close at the O2, Elton sat alone at his red piano performing a solo version of "Your Song". For this song, there were no videos, no inflatables nor any glitter descending from the skies. And he held the attention of every person in the arena. I feel that there’s a point there somewhere.

It’s ironic that Elton has spent so much of his interview time bemoaning the fact that people’s attentions always seem to be about his extravagances rather than his music. Last night in London, the music was lost in the extravagance.

And the less said about Sophie Ellis Bextor the better.

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