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| ELTON JOHN NEWS ARCHIVE: December 2003 |
| Back in the studio in January? Monday, December 29 2003 |
According to some unconfirmed sources, Elton John will be back in the studio in January 2004 to record a new album.
It is not sure yet whether he will record in Los Angeles or Atlanta or both. There are also rumours that he will produce the album himself this time!
"I'm producing it myself, with an engineer, which I haven't done in a long time. Bernie has written all the lyrics already. I just like to go and be scared. Then whatever comes out comes out."
The CD is tentatively slated for a September release.
Furthermore, it looks like there are plans for a US West Coast tour in 2004. Elton hasn't played the bid cities out there since 1998 - so it is about time.
| Don't Shoot The Red Piano Player Friday, December 26 2003 |
By Jack Russell
With the recent announcement of the first of Elton's Las Vegas concerts coming up in February 2004, I was at once both eager and hesitant. Those of us who have been around a while know that sometimes the build-up doesn't quite live up to the promise.
Remember the thrill of knowing that Elton's new album would be due in the stores next week ... and then the sort of let-down when the album we heard didn't quite excite us the way a first listen to "Captain Fantastic" did?
Elton is always excited about his latest project, and he should be for all the hard work he's put in, but I'll admit, I never did listen to the "Aida" studio album all the way through, not even once. I preferred the illicit demo. And that's something when one listens to what Elton's early demos sounded like.
To appreciate how good Elton is in the studio, one only has to watch the "Tantrums and Tiaras" video to see how quickly and masterfully Elton creates a potential hit with Lulu. Why the engineers and the producer have to mess around with the genius is a source of serious contention amongst the fans, including even Gus Dudgeon who before his untimely death said to a group of fans that he thought "21 at 33" was Elton's last good album.
Of course, Chris Thomas started to get involved at that point which might have been lost upon the group, and I do think he was wrong if his comment included "Songs From The West Coast" or even the Thomas- produced album, "Too Low For Zero".
We're spoilt. We've had the best of this man's attention for going on 34 years now, and through band concerts, solo concerts, duet concerts and even the return of symphony concerts, nothing seems to satisfy us. He's put out so many albums I've simply lost count; I remember when I used to have all the albums organized on my bedroom wall that formed a picture in my mind which even today helps me remember which album came in what year.
Somewhere between "Aida" and "The Road to El Dorado", I lost count; it was so much easier in 1980 when the album title helped one keep track even if some double albums were counted twice. And as long as I'm mentioning "El Dorado", a much under-rated album, I was there to receive Elton's first audience "thank you" pointed at me at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco (February 2000) when Elton first played "Somewhere Out Of The Blue" for a VH1 special.
I was the guy Elton pointed to; hell, the audience was full of jaded radio industry executives and I was the guy in the plaid jacket going nuts to hear new music close and personal! Maybe other readers have had similar unbelievable concert experiences. What can possibly top this we fans might ask ourselves?
So as not to cannibalise tour revenues, the fans (that's us!) have been assured that the Las Vegas shows will be something very different. We've been told that we'll have to come to Las Vegas to see this special show called "The Red Piano". Even the name sounds intriguing if not exciting: my mind is dancing with images of tigers jumping through hoops of fire. The publicity claims: "Working with renowned photographer and director David LaChappelle, this distinctive show will blend together Elton John's incredible music and showmanship with vibrant visual imagery to create a show unlike any other Elton John has performed."
But, as a long-time fan, I've been down this road before, hoping that the next new thing will live up to the hype, or at least the build-up within my own mind. But I've been wrong too; I almost skipped a solo concert that I ended up spending most of the night by stage-edge thinking it was the most mind-blowing experience ... And yet more recently I thought we were going to witness a dramatic wardrobe change in Elton with the start of his recent tour in Fresno, California, featuring no longer the designs of Versace (now passe?) in favour of a Japanese designer ... although from the pictures I've seen, I can't quite tell where Versace ended and where the new stuff began.
I'm hoping that "The Red Piano" will be a wildly successful show. I think it makes a lot of sense for Elton to let the fans come to him for a change rather than face the gruelling demands of touring. And if this is the way the elder statesmen of rock will end their performing careers, then certainly, they must realize that they must present the very best of what they have to offer, not something that is different or unique to Las Vegas.
Yet, we've been led to believe that The Red Piano will indeed be different from the ordinary concerts we've come to love and expect. That in itself presents the risk of disappointment should the show not live up to expectations, as if any Elton concert ever failed to live up to the audience expectations.
But one must recognize that the audience in Las Vegas will certainly be different. Only fans will travel, the rest of the audience will be gambling folk who decided to pass on comedians such as Don Rickles to see a rock show. Under the circumstances, Elton has no choice but to play "Crocodile Rock" whether he wants to or not; it's probably even in the contract.
As for me, I probably won't be there for the first show in February 2004 but will be waiting anxiously to hear how it goes. I hope Elton is giving very serious thought to this show and how it will differ from his regular concerts yet satisfy the unusual and different audience he now faces.
If the concerts are successful, I think it could be a path towards years of performances beyond his previous projections with the punishing aspects of touring out of the way. Who could seriously have imagined seeing Elton performing when he is in his 70's? Let's not shoot "The Red Piano", it just might be the dream we have hoped for. And wouldn't that be something after such a long, varied and successful career?
| Step into Christmas! Wednesday, December 24 2003 |
And here is your Xmas gift: The Hercules Web Member area is now open to the public - free of charge!
Are you ready for ... Christmas? That's what Elton seems to yell on the collage on the right. Well, we certainly are, and we hope you are too at the end of this - once again - exciting Elton John year.
We would like to take the opportunity to thanking you again for your loyalty and support over the past year - which saw the 15th anniversary of the fan club. Despite the fact that we had to stop publishing the printed fanzine, we hope that you still enjoy our services in form of this website.
Starting December 24, 2003, the Hercules Member Area is now open to the public free of charge. However, you must be a subscriber of the free Hercules eNewsletter.
You will find the current username and password to log on at the bottom of each Hercules eNewsletter. If you are not yet a subscriber of the free Hercules eNewsletter, simply enter your e-mail address in the form on the left.
So Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones and a happy New Year 2004!
Your Hercules Team
| Top Concert Grosses for 2003 Wednesday, December 24 2003 |
The top concert acts in 2003 and the money grossed from ticket sales, according to the concert industry publication Pollstar:
| Elton John performed in Barcelona on December 21, 2003 Tuesday, December 23 2003 |
Fan report by Miquel Sala Devesa. Photos by Fernando Barral.
Barcelona had to wait ten years to see another Elton John concert. Originally, the show was cancelled on 27th November, due to illness, and postponed to 21th December. The time, 21:10; the place: the magnificent Palau St. Jordi. More than 15,000 people received Elton with applaus. The concert, intimate and memorable, showed Elton only with his black Yamaha piano, but without band, for contractual reasons, and its duration was near three hours.
First of all, the gentleman apologised for the cancellation "I apologise for being so late. Finally I'm here, me and my piano, to play some songs from the past and from the present". Inmediatily, everybody had forgiven him and the show started with "Your Song".
A minimalist stage, with simple lights and two video screens, was enough for the show. The audience was ready to hear the hits collection and understood that most important were the songs and his perfectly performance: his great and strong voice.
The first highlight of the show was the inclusion of "Nikita", a song that was very important in the 80s here in Spain. "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word", recently recorded with Blue band, was another hit that brought people to encourage him with "Elton, Elton, Elton", for more than two minutes. He laughed, saludated and agreed every compliment. "Candle in the Wind" and "Sacrifice" were heard in silence and with candle lights.
He was not very comunicative, unless "this song's from the album...", until the last moments of the concert. He dedicated "Original Sin" to Andreu and Montse, two dear friends from Barcelona, and "Carla Etude" plus "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", to the "wonderful" crew he has, in his last show of the tour of this year.
For being in pre-Christmas period, he introducted "Jingle Bells" in the intro of "Take Me to the Pilot". He wishes everybody a best Christmas and holidays, and peace on earth. Then, he thanked Barcelona for being so loyalty and suportive.
One of the most impressive moment was during "Crocodile Rock", when spontaniously, people left his seat behind and moved on to near the stage because everybody was dancing and singing the song. On the "la la las" tune, the camera operate captured when someone of the audience were singing the tune with a crocodile rock hand marionette, and mixed with Elton leading the chorus.
Following is the complete set list of the Barcelona show on December 21, 2003:
| Elton John performed in Venice on December 19, 2003 Sunday, December 21 2003 |
Following is the complete set list of the Venice show on December 19, 2003:
| Golden Globe nomination Saturday, December 20 2003 |
Elton and Bernie's song "The Heart Of Every Girl," written for the new Julia Roberts movie, "Mona Lisa Smile," has been nominated for a Golden Globe award.
The song has been nominated in the category "Original Song". Other nominees in that category are:
"Into the West," "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" --- music/lyrics, Howard Shore, Fran Walsh, Annie Lennox
"Man of the Hour," "Big Fish" --- music/lyrics, Eddie Vedder
"Time Enough for Tears," "In America" --- music/lyrics, Bono, Gavin Friday, Maurice Seezer
"You Will Be My Ain True Love," "Cold Mountain" --- music/lyrics, Sting
The awards will be presented on January 25, 2004. See www.thegoldenglobes.com for more details.
| Elton Plans 'World Idol' Appearance Saturday, December 20 2003 |
Elton John will perform on the January 1, 2004 results episode of the "World Idol" show in which winners of 11 international "Idol" series will vie for global supremacy.
The competition will air Christmas Day (December 25, 2003) and New Year's Day around the world. Fox, home to "American Idol," will air the specials in the U.S.
"I am sure he is an idol and inspiration to many of those contestants participating in the show," executive producer Richard Holloway said. "His appearance underlines the magnitude of 'World Idol' and will be a major highlight to what promises to be an unmissable final show."
| Elton John and band performed in Milan on December 16, 2003 Thursday, December 18 2003 |
Fan report by Alberto Orlandini.
On December 16, 2003 I've been to Milan (Assago) to see Elton and his band live with a friend (singer of my band). The venue was Filaforum. I had a chemistry exam in the morning and I had planned to go there with my car, but just while I was driving to the highway to Milan my car decided to go on strike (probably it's a problem of battery or sparking plugs), so we had to leave the car on the edge of the road and hitchhike to the nearest railway station.
We arrived at the venue when there was already a lot of queue, but in the end we managed to get a good place quite near the stage on the lateral ring, that is good if you consider that the parterre in front of the stage was reserved only for VIPs and Elton's fan club members (115 Euros), while all the ones of the queue (40 Euros) could only take place in the lateral rings.
The concert was great, probably the best concert I ever attended, even better than Queen concerts (and keep in mind that Queen are my favourite band!). The sound was wonderful and better than any CD played on a hi-fi system! And Elton was great.
I especially liked "Funeral For A Friend", which was a lovely striking intro. "Rocket Man" was extended with a great piano impromptu and the delay on Elton's voices.
But my favourite moment of the whole show was the intro to "Take Me To The Pilot". It was a wonderful unique piano impromptu, like a sort of classic, then ragtime, then blues, and then again classic sonata.
He is a genius, he can make you feel a lot of feelings and emotions with his piano. "Sacrifice" was played by Elton alone and was wonderful. "Philadelphia Freedom" was played by Elton on his true miked grandpiano, but the sound was somehow processed because it didn't sound like a grandpiano.
The only bad thing was during the end of "Love Lies Bleeding", when there was a sort of black out of the amplifications which lasted two or three seconds.
Elton kept on drinking at the end of every song. He had a black jacket which was very smart. Sun glasses and short hair made him look younger. He changed his clothes after "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me", and he entered on stage with a black overall. Before sitting at the piano he took the bunches of flowers of the fan club members and signed some of their records.
When there was a silent moment I shouted "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters", but he wouldn't do that song. Then he sat at the piano for a special rendition of "Your Song", and then he left the stage.
The tracklist was like the one of Hamburg. He started at 21:00 and he finished at 23:30.
As to gear and crew, he played a true miked Yamaha black grandpiano. Davey Johnstone at the guitars, electric mandolin on "Ballad of The Boy In The Red Shoes", and vocals. Bob Birch at the bass and vocals. Guy Babylon at the keyboards. Nigel Olsson at drums and voice. John Mahon at percussions and voice. All the band sang, and some songs had wonderful vocal harmonies, especially the new ones ("This Train Don't Stop Here Anymore", "Ballad of The Boy In The Red Shoes", "The Wasteland", which sounded much much better live than on the album!) but also the old ones.
So we had some problems and accidents, but in the end we managed to see the guy live and the night will be unforgettable. Great sound. Great songs. Great impromptu. Great band. Great Elton!
Following is the complete set list of the Mila show on December 16, 2003:
| Woodside wedding Monday, December 15 2003 |
Jazz singer Diana Krall and Elvis Costello married December 6, 2003 in a ceremony at Elton John's mansion in Surrey, England, Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper reported.
"The wedding was a private event with close friends and family in attendance," Shore Fire Media said in a statement.
About 150 guests, including Paul McCartney and Canada's consul general to New York, Pamela Wallin, were sworn to secrecy, the newspaper reported. Krall grew up outside Vancouver, British Columbia.
The 39-year-old jazz singer and Costello, 49, live in New York and have a home on Vancouver Island.
The marriage is a first for Krall. Costello's previous two marriages ended in divorce.
| Elton John and band performed in Hamburg on December 13, 2003 Sunday, December 14 2003 |
Fan report and photo by Juliane Kessing.
Finally my calendar shows me the 13th of December! That means, my girlfriend Kathrin and me could go to Hamburg to see Elton with his band live in the Colorline Arena (big Arena, similar to the Madison Square garden, because you could sit all around, but not so big).
We went to Hamburg early in the morning (90 min. to drive) to see the "Körperwelten" exhibition, which was very interesting. After having dinner and going shopping we decided that in was time to drive to the arena.
When we arrived at 6 pm the hall was almost empty, also there were only a few “hard core” fans around the stage. We went back to the main entry to see what´s new at the merchandise shop. Only the Tourbook and 2 or 3 T-shirts where new, but the mug had the old design, the “Bubblehead-Elton” was the same and the prices increased so much in the last years, that I decided to buy nothing! € 115 for a Hockey shirt with EJ letters in the fron just is too much.
Also the ticket prices increased a lot: € 120,00 for the 1st section and more the € 80,00 for the 2nd category. But the money was it worth to see EJ again (almost the 40th time).
Back to the stage 20 min. to 7 pm we met some other “Reg Heads”. You can go to any Elton show in the world, but you will always find some fans you already know and see every time again. This is very nice, like big old family of crazy Elton fans!
5 min. to 7 pm it was time to go back to our seats. Elton starts a few minutes past 7 pm with "Funeral for a Friend". Great Song to open the concert! He was good looking in his black suit with his red blouse and sunglasses. The suit had his own air condition in the axle area, so that his red blouse gleamed through it. The hair was still the same as some weeks / month ago. Davey and Guy also wear their hair shorter now (Guy looks much younger with the short hair).
When Elton started "The Ballad of the Boy in the Red Shoes” Davey had a red guitar to play on. Most of the band members wore similar jeans pants (with some painting on it). Even Bob Birch, he seemed to be ill, because he was sitting on a chair for the whole show.
Kathrin and me sat in the front of the 2nd section and became very, very angry, when people arrived to late for the show and were running like stupid idiots to find their seats. There was an older couple arriving much too late and taking their seats just behind us.
Next song was "Philadelphia Freedom" (which starts with a great intro of course) and Kathrin and me stood up for maybe one minute at least to rock. Back on our seats the man, who was to late, grabed my shoulder and threatened me. I told him he should not be so late for the show and asked him if he can tell a Funeral from a rock concert. He threatened me again, but I didn´t care. A few songs later he and his wife went to other seats, more in the front.
Anyway, Elton was in a great mood! During “I Want Love” they played the video with Robert Downey jr. in the background. As they noticed, that Eltons word were not synchron with the video, they blend it out for a while and start again with the refrain. Now it was okay.
When Elton finished “All the Young Girls Love Alice” we ran to the stage to get a better view on Elton and his band. He continued with "The Bitch is Back" and some faster songs. This caused that now the whole audience (the arena was completely full) stood up to party with Elton!
"Pinball Wizard" also started again with the fantastic Intro and Elton finished the show in a black sporting suit with "Don´t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and “Your Song”.
After the show we met other fans to have a little “small talk” and to discuss the show and Elton. So all I can say, is thank you Elton for this fantastic evening!
Following is the complete set list of the Hamburg show on December 13, 2003:
| John Mayer, Elton John, others to toast Sting at tribute event Friday, December 12 2003 |
Dave Matthews, Elton John, k.d. lang and Elvis Costello are among the performers who will pay tribute to Sting during next year's MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony.
Other artists on the bill include John Mayer, Tony Bennett, Black Eyed Peas, Dido, Diana Krall and Rufus Wainwright.
Organized by The Recording Academy, the annual event takes place on February 6, 2004, and is part of the build up to the Recording Academy's 46th Annual GRAMMY® Awards ceremony. The Academy chose Sting as the 2004 MusiCares Person of the Year based on "his accomplishments as a musician, humanitarian and environmental activist," according to a press release.
In addition to live performances, the Person of the Year event will also include a silent auction featuring collectibles such as music and sports memorabilia.
Proceeds from the event will benefit MusiCares' Financial Assistance Program. The Recording Academy founded MusiCares in 1989. The organization "provides a foundation of critical assistance for music people in times of need, while treating each case with integrity and confidentiality," according to a press release. The organization also "focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly impact the health and welfare of the music community."
More information is available at GRAMMY.com. The 46th Annual GRAMMY Awards take place February 8, 2004, and will air on CBS.
| Elton John and band performed in London on December 5, 2003 Friday, December 12 2003 |
Fan report by Juhan.
The best title for the concert of December 5, 2003 was a magic night. My travel from Spain to United Kingdon was brilliant, and I had very good position in the Wembley Arena.
My Spanish Elton fan friends and me are so thankful that we experienced this special day together.
Elton surprised with a special dedication of "I´m still standing" to designer Joshi Yamamoto! And of course playing the song aiwaited by the fans: "Are Your Ready For Love?".
I would also like to highlight the force with which Elton played the piano, and the magic version of "Rocket Man".
In conclusion, again other brilliant concert, with desires that the next one arrives!
Following is the complete set list of the London show on December 5, 2003:
| New tour dates for 2004 Thursday, December 11 2003 |
Elton keeps on adding new dates to his 2004 tour schedule on an almost daily basis.
Make sure to check the Tour News Page regularly in order not to miss any date in your area.
Please understand that we cannot send out a Hercules eNewsletter for each and every date.
| Elton John and band performed in Manchester on December 7, 2003 Monday, December 8 2003 |
Fan report by viking_fan@fsmail.net.
Well, he was just in one of those moods. And when Elton's in one of those moods you can see it straight away and you know it's gonna be a memorable event. From the opening notes of "Funeral For A Friend", Elton was gonna rock tonight, come hell or high water. And my oh my, did he rock?!!!!
It was one of those gigs when you could feel the chemistry between the band members, and the mutual affection between peformer and audience. In Elton's own words....."This is the best venue in the UK, but only by a hundred milllion miles!!".
The guys couldn't contain their smiles tonight, and in the boyancy of the occassion they even got up to some rather amusing jiggery-pokery (for example, Elton's cue to the band to start "Crocodile Rock" by doing the "lollipop" pop of the cheek with the finger, and Davey's interference with a camaraman's sensitive area with the end of his guitar!!).
He gave us an incredible 26 songs tonight, with "Sacrifice" and "I'm Still Standing" returning to the set. Every song was recieved with gratitude and adoration from the spell-bound crowd, and why wouldn't they be? "Rocket Man", a song which has experienced many incarnations over the last four or five years, was mesmerising. "All The Girls Love Alice" burst itself into your soul, such was the conviction with which it was performed. "Ballad Of The Boy In The Red Shoes" was divine, and the solo versions of "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" and "Sacrifice" never fail to deliver.
Elton proved he still holds his unique ability to make a song sound even better live than on disc with faultless renditions of "Come Down In Time" and "Philadelphia Freedom", whilst a surprise highlight was "Are You Ready For Love" (a song I've never been keen on, but which was simply brilliant live tonight). The 30 minute out and out hard rocking section towards the end hit you like an Alex Ferguson half-time team talk.
To top it all, I got my "Captain Fantastic" vinyl signed by Elton, met David Mills in the bar (plays prop forward for my home-town Rugby League team Widnes Vikings) and tonight I've secured Rocket fan club tickets for July 3rd orchestra gig! It's a better day than a bloody birthday!!
The blues of it all, the funk of it all, the rock and roll of it all. This was a roller-coaster event, a two and half hour musical journey, and I wouldn't miss and Elton gig for a million quid. What a rush!!
Following is the complete set list of the Manchester show on December 7, 2003:
| Elton John and band performed in Rotterdam on December 3, 2003 Friday, December 5 2003 |
Following is the complete set list of the Rotterdam show on December 3, 2003:
Photo by Arjen Buikstra.
| Elton John and band performed in Paris on December 2, 2003 Wednesday, December 3 2003 |
Following is the complete set list of the Paris show on December 2, 2003:
| Auction benefiting the Elton John Aids Foundation Wednesday, December 3 2003 |
German television station RTL is auctioning off a vase from Elton's private collection. The item was signed by Elton during the TV special "Absolut Elton John" which aired on November 29, 2003.
RTL had won this item during the recent Sotheby's auction of Elton John goods in London in October 2003.
If you want to bid on this special item, see http://members.ebay.de/aboutme/rtl-auktionen for more details (page is in German). RTL will donate all royalties from this auction to the Elton John Aids Foundation.
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