Rating: Summary: ONE NIGHT ONLY DVD ON PAR WITH SPRINGSEEN IN NYC Review: IGNORE THE VHS REVIEW of the VHS version. THE DVD is SPECTACULAR! 28 songs, plus the I WANT LOVE video. It's as good a concert as i could hope for - the editing, the letterboxing, the song selection (but for a few weird choices) is fantastic. out of the 28 songs, 23 of them are fantastic versions of songs we love. SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONITE is outstanding. it's over 2 1/2 hours long. Elton is at top form. DON"T GO BREAKING MY HEART will make u cry. This is simply a must have for any elton fan. It's on par with the recent SPRINGSTEEN IN NYC dvd in the sense that it's a definitive collection of favorite songs shot superbly. trust me - but this immediately - you will become as obsessed with it as i am.
Rating: Summary: Elton at his best Review: Elton John has played Madison Square Garden more than any other artist in history and he clearly loves the venue; and the venue loves him. This is a great DVD -- sound and picture are exemplary. Comments about the length of the VHS do not pertain -- this is virtually the whole concert, although clearly not from just "One Night Only." (There two nights of shows.) The highlights of both nights are well represented, most notably, "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding,""Candle in the Wind,""Someone Saved my Life Tonight,""Rocket Man," and "Come Together," and the performances are powerful and vibrant. Two rarely played songs, "Club at the End of the Street" and "Little Jeannie" are remarkably fresh. Elton's piano prowess is clear as is the tightness of his veteran band, and the guests, especially Billy Joel and Mary J. Blige, are clearly paying homage to one of their mentors. This DVD is a must-have!!!
Rating: Summary: Elton shines through in widescreen and DTS Review: I was a little bit worried when I ordered this DVD, due to the lack of information about what audio and picture format the disc would have. Just relax, all of you Elton and DVD fanatics out there. The picture is widescreen 16:9 and you can chose from three different sound tracks - 2 Ch Stereo, DD 5.1 and DTS 5.1. The photocomposition is very nicely done, no MTV-clips here, though the sharpness in the picture could have been better. The DTS audio track is a very fine one, Elton's vocal very much in the center, the band + backing vocals concentrated in the front speakers but with a nice surround feel and the audience and occasionally some of the instruments in the rear speakers.So finally there is an Elton DVD concert of the quality you can demand from an artist of his caliber. And you get the complete concert, 27 songs, compared to the CD that had 15 or 17 songs depending on version. And I honestly think that there are many of those extra songs on the DVD that are better than many of those which ended up on the CD compilation. I guess the criteria for the CD was the hit-factor of the songs. Highlights for me is Bennie and the Jets (soulful vocal), Tiny Dancer (nice vocals in the chorus), Daniel (beautiful stripped down arrangement), Little Jeannie and Club at the end of the street (two gems never heard live before, Elton is "hungry" in these songs), Blue Eyes (terrific rendition of a terrific song), Sorry seems to be the hardest word (superb as always), I guess that's why They call it the Blues (with a fantastic Mary J Blige), Saturday Night's alright for fighting (with an outstanding Anastacia) and Come together (as a tribute to the late John Lennon). I could go on and on... There are also songs we have heard better and more lively versions of in other concerts; Goodbye Yellow Brick Road with Billy Joel doesn't do it for me, Elton's solo version on the CD is much superior. Candle in the Wind and Don't let the Sun go down on Me both sound a little bit tired and without real inspiration. But all together, this DVD is a real joy for all of us who knows that Elton is a true musical genious. Elton in top form + a good band + an enthusiastic audience + widescreen + DTS 5.1 --- I mean, how can you ever go wrong whith a combination like this?
Rating: Summary: Superb Review: NOTE: Ignore complaints about the short duration of the VHS version. The DVD contains 27 songs and runs over 2+1/2 hours. It is also widescreen. Any EJ fan will love this DVD.
Rating: Summary: One Night Is Not Enough Review: Elton John's newest video, One Night Only, is a must for any Elton John fan. It far surpasses the network special which was infested with commercials and bad editing. The solo performances, as well as duets with Billy Joel, Kiki Dee, Bryan Adams, etc. are, as usual, well done. The energetic audience and Elton's usual banter are a definite plus. Elton is backed by original band members Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson as well as his newer bandmaters. The set takes us down memory lane with songs from his self titled album, Elton John, to a few from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and others. I do miss not having any of his most recent recordings included, but, since Elton has not visited my hometown in a couple of years it's nice to see him again, even if it is on video.
Rating: Summary: The Third Time's The Charm Review: First, this concert was aired on broadcast TV. Then, an abbreviated version of the concert was released on VHS. Finally, "Elton John: One Night Only - The Greatest Hits" was released on DVD. The two condensed versions made the concert feel like a "Duets" tour, given the number of duets compared to the number of solo songs. The DVD version, which contains 27 songs, truly feels like a "Greatest Hits" concert, with the occasional guest vocalist joining in here and there. Since the concert was performed in Madison Square Garden, Elton dedicated one of the songs to his dear, departed friend John Lennon. This is the only concert performance I've ever seen of Elton doing the Beatles' classic "Come Together." Elton is in top form throughout the entire show. The concert ends on an emotional high point, his duet with Kiki Dee on the #1 song "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." The song plays to the end and then the picture fades to black, without the end credits crawling along to ruin the mood. You have to click on an option to see the end credits, as Elton's "Song For Guy" plays in the background. As if that wasn't enough, the DVD has the bonus video of "I Want Love" featuring Robert Downey, Jr. Finally, a full-length concert worthy of Elton John's talents is available on DVD. I highly recommend it to all Elton John fans and to all fans of great music.
Rating: Summary: Great Concert Review: I love this concert! The picture quality is tops and they even offer the "DDS" Sound. this makes it a perfect combonation along with all of his greates hits that play one after the other start to finish! If you enjoy Elton then go for this one. I dont believe you could be disapointed I am VERY HAPPY WITH IT! Bill M
Rating: Summary: Hits, Hits and More Hits! Review: This will be my shortest review I've ever writen for Amazon. ANYONE WHO LIKES ELTON JOHN WILL BE DELIGHTED!!!
Unlike the CD version, you're going to get every song that was recorded that night. Elton has so many hits over the years, they probably could have done even more, but the audience (and the DVD buyers) will be completely satisfied. Hit the play button and enjoy!
Rating: Summary: Elton's Best Live DVD Ever Review: This is he complete concert that was the basis for the CBS special "One Night Only. This is the complete 27 - song concert. The tv special and video cassette had just 12 songs. The cd had a little more with I think 17 or 18 songs. But this dvd shows the whole show. What it is is possibly Elton's best concert ever. Elton was clearly in top form this evening. He is energetic, his keyboard playing is robust, and his voice is as powerful as it was thirty years ago. The show kicks off with Elton doing side one of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". The best of these performances is the opening "Funeral For A Friend"/"Love Lies Bleeding" (this is one of the many songs I was surprised he did) and "Bennie And The Jets". "Candle In The Wind" is also well. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" with Billy Joel is good, but I prefer if Elton had done it alone. What I really liked about this concert is in additon to doing the familliar classics like "Philadelphia Freedom", "Daniel" and "Rocket Man", he does many of the less successful and therefore less popular hits. These include "Blue Eyes", "Club At The End Of The Street" and "Sacrifice". He also shys away from the hits concept and does a blistering cover of The Beatles classic "Come Together" (in tribute to John Lennon). The guest stars are a mixed bag. Like everybody else, I was glad to know that Elton had Kiki Dee come on to the stage to do "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with him for the first time since Live Aid in 1985. Mary. J. Blige gives a soulful flare to "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues". As I said earlier, Billy Joel was okay on "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". Bryan Adams was a nice surprise on "Sad Songs (Say So Much)". On the other hand, Ronan Keaing was unncessary for "Your Song" and Anastacia could've been cut out on "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting". Overall, a great dvd. As I said many times, this is Elton at his best. I just wish they made an accompanying documenetary. The only extra is the video for the (then) new single "I Want Love". Elton doesn't even appear in it. Instead, Robert Downey, Jr. lipsynchs to the song. But still, you must get this dvd. Also, get the "Live In Barcelona" dvd.
Rating: Summary: Good for Elton John devotees, just okay for others Review: Elton John can't sing the old songs as he once did, so he cranks up the lights and the glitz and the volume. Rather uneven with a series of duets interspersed. Production quality was just okay. One reason to watch this DVD, though, is the brilliant "I Want Love" video. Good gift for a devoted fan, but except for the extra video I'd say this one can be skipped.
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