Many visitors to Philly leave town with a miniature Liberty Bell.

     Elton John and Billy Joel left with miniature chocolate pianos
from Frederick's, the swellegant restaurant at 757 S. Front.

     A road manager for Sir Elton came in a few nights back and
ordered three pianos for the rocker. Owner Fred Vidi told me he
didn't know how the manager knew about the very special dessert
concoction, which is a three-dimensional baby grand piano about five-
inches long, three-inches tall (with the top down) fashioned from
dark chocolate and filled with chocolate mousse and fresh
strawberries.

     As a special touch, "Philadelphia Freedom" was scripted in
chocolate sauce. Each piano costs $12.95 (and Fred threw in a freebie
for Elton's people to give to Billy Joel, who was dueting with Sir
Elton at the First Union Center.)

     The pianos - really special, I've had them - are the work of
pastry chef Sheila Romond.

First Union Center - Philadelphia, PA
Date: February 24th, 2002

Set-List: Your Song (Duet)
Just The Way You Are (Duet)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Duet)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (EJ)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (EJ)
Philadelphia Freedom (EJ)
I Want Love (EJ)
Rocket Man (EJ)
Take Me To The Pilot (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Don't Ask Me Why (BJ)
Summer, Highland Falls (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Captain Jack (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
New York State of Mind (BJ)
I Go To Extremes (BJ)
Only The Good Die Young (BJ)
My Life (Duet)
Here Comes The Sun (Duet)
The Bitch Is Back (Duet)
You May Be Right (Duet)
Bennie and The Jets (Duet)
Great Balls of Fire (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

First Union Center - Philadelphia, PA
Date: February 22nd, 2002

Set-List: Your Song (Duet)
Just The Way You Are (Duet)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Duet)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (EJ)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (EJ)
Philadelphia Freedom (EJ)
I Want Love (EJ)
Rocket Man (EJ)
Take Me To The Pilot (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Summer, Highland Falls (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Captain Jack (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
New York State of Mind (BJ)
I Go To Extremes (BJ)
Only The Good Die Young (BJ)
My Life (Duet)
Here Comes The Sun (Duet)
The Bitch Is Back (Duet)
You May Be Right (Duet)
Bennie and The Jets (Duet)
Great Balls of Fire (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

     Elton John and Billy Joel, who play two more sold-out shows
tomorrow and Sunday at the First Union Center, may be longer in the
tooth, but they haven't lost their playfulness. At the opening show,
Joel picked a member of the audience and said, "Look it's David
Letterman." The fellow did bear a resemblance to the late night talk
show host. After Joel was finished clowning with the fan, the sound
of broken glass emanated through the speakers. The effect, which
recalled Letterman's casual tossing of pencils and postcards through
the invisible glass behind his desk, was from the opening of
Joel's "You May Be Right."

     During the same show, John tipped his wig to Electric Factory
CEO Larry Magid. John recalled his first date in Philly back in 1970
at the old Electric Factory. John promised that the next time he
comes to town he'll play the current Electric Factory.

First Union Center - Philadelphia, PA
Date: February 19th, 2002

Set-List: Your Song (Duet)
Just The Way You Are (Duet)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Duet)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (EJ)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (EJ)
Philadelphia Freedom (EJ)
I Want Love (EJ)
Rocket Man (EJ)
Take Me To The Pilot (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Summer, Highland Falls (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Captain Jack (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
New York State of Mind (BJ)
I Go To Extremes (BJ)
Only The Good Die Young (BJ)
My Life (Duet)
Here Comes The Sun (Duet)
The Bitch Is Back (Duet)
You May Be Right (Duet)
Bennie and The Jets (Duet)
Great Balls of Fire (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

     Actions speak louder than words, especially in the music
business.

     Over the last few years, Elton John and Billy Joel have each
talked rather loudly about retiring. The former claims that his
latest album, the underrated "Songs From the West Coast," will be
his last studio release. The latter has insisted over the years that
he will forsake pop and arena tours in favor of his classical
diversions.

     It's doubtful that John will give up making music, especially
since "Songs From the West Coast" is his best work in a generation.
As for Joel, he can't keep away from the big crowds and it's evident
that he still loves spinning his sonic yarns.

     The tandem kicked off its six-night run at the First Union
Center Wednesday night. John and Joel started the show by swapping
lyrics to such tunes as "Your Song" and "Just The Way You Are,"
prior to rendering their own sets.

     What was most interesting is how loose the pair were throughout
the three and a half-hour show. Joel was particularly comfortable
but then again why shouldn't he be? The Long Islander, who has
played 34 sold-out shows in the South Philly arena complex,
according to the banner hanging in the First Union rafters (will
Comcast hang a 40 sold-out show banner when the run is completed?),
is lionized in Philly. No market, perhaps even Joel's New York
metropolitan area, has embraced him in the manner of the Delaware
Valley.

     So Joel is always at ease in the "City of Brotherly Love," but
opening night's performance was exceptional, even by his standards.
Joel and his crack band tossed in a few surprises. After noodling
around the piano for a bit, Joel tipped his hat to Philly's Soul
Survivors. He and his band rendered a reverential version of the
act's biggest hit, "Expressway to Your Heart." The group followed
with a spirited take on the Rascal's "Good Lovin'."

     Joel tossed a curve to the crowd when he strapped on a guitar.
When that happens it usually means that "A Matter of Trust" or "We
Didn't Start the Fire" is up next. Instead Joel did his best Elvis
impression and covered the King's "Don't Be Cruel."

     It was a fun way to deviate from the hits and plenty of those
were rendered. Joel pleased the capacity crowd
with "Allentown," "Don't Ask Me Why" and "Only The Good Die
Young." "Captain Jack," which Joel claims to only play in Philly,
raised the roof.

     The other face on the "Face 2 Face" tour helped make the show
more than a retrospective by offering two new tunes. The first
single from John's new album, "I Want Love," is in the Top 20 of his
canon, quite a complement considering John's work. Of course, the
fans were sated by such hits as "Crocodile Rock," "I'm Still
Standing" and, of course, "Philadelphia Freedom."

     John and Joel capped the evening by swapping lyrics to their
tunes, such as the former's "The Bitch Is Back" and the latter's apt
show-closer "Piano Man."

     As the night was slipping away and Joel was singing about how
the microphone smelled like a beer, it was clear that the twosome
pulled off a rare and difficult trick. By the time the final number
was climaxing, it was evident that John and Joel made the massive
hall seem like an intimate club. No wonder all six of EJ-BJ shows
sold out immediately.

Other Notes of Note

     The very playful Joel picked a member of the audience out of
the crowd and said, "Look it's David Letterman." The fellow did bear
a resemblance to the late night talk show host. After Joel was
finished clowning with the fan, the sound of broken glass emanated
through the speakers. The effect, which recalled Letterman's casual
tossing of pencils through the invisible glass behind his desk, was
from the opening of Joel's "You May Be Right."

     "It's good to be back in Philly," John said. "It's been three
days since I've been here." Sir Elton, who has been on a Philly love
kick, performed during half-time of the NBA All-Star Game at the
First Union Center. John also played the first two shows at the
Kimmel Center in December.

     During the show John tipped his wig to Electric Factory CEO
Larry Magid. John recalled his first date in Philly back in 1970 at
the old Electric Factory. John promised that the next time he comes
to town he'll play the current Electric Factory.

     Due to some production changes, tickets were made available to
the remaining shows. They were grabbed up in a hurry Thursday.

     The remaining sold-out shows are tonight, Tuesday, Friday and
February 24th, 2002. They're all at 7:30pm.

     The innocent grade-schooler had his earmuffs on most of the
night and held his father's hand tight.

     He stood when his dad did, clapped and cheered when his dad did.

     But the boy in the oversized Eagles coat, who couldn't have
been more than 6, was an island of pure ignorance in an ocean of
knowledge, which spanned at least the last six decades.

     Still, the red-headed boy, with only one shoe tied and the
remnants of cotton candy on his face and soda on his shirt, looked
up at the roof of the First Union Center Wednesday night, tugged his
father's flannel and said, "Dad, the flag. Your favorite's got a
flag. Why?"

     The boy noticed that his dad's "favorite," Billy Joel, has a
banner hanging from the rafters of the First Union Center. The
banner's inscription reads "Billy Joel 34 Philadelphia sell-outs,"
which is no small feat.

     But the question remained, why?

     With Joel and Elton John in Philadelphia for six shows, the
first of which went off Wednesday night, I wanted to demonstrate
just how undeniably huge Joel and John's careers have been. They
span three generations...and more.

     Those three generations will pack the First Union Center for
six sold-out shows by Joel and John, running through next Sunday,
February 24th, 2002.

     I want to illustrate why Joel and John are so revered. Why they
can command astronomical ticket prices without any public criticism
or flack. And why they can sell out six shows in a matter of minutes
in the same city.

     Start with Joel.

     The "Piano Man" has had 33 Top 40 hits since he inked his first
record deal in 1972, 13 of which placed in the Top 10. He's received
23 Grammy nominations, winning five.

     Joel, who had a string of seven-consecutive Top 10 albums, sits
tied with The Beatles for the most multi-platinum albums in the
United States. In 1999, his overall album sales stormed passed the
100-million-copies-sold mark.

     His "Greatest Hits Volume I and Volume II," which has sold over
20 million copies worldwide, is the highest selling certified
greatest-hits album by a male solo artist.

     Joel was elected to the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

     In 10 days, at a tribute dinner in Los Angeles, the MusiCares
Foundation and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences
will honor Joel as the MusiCares "Person of the Year."

     OK, so Joel's resume is undeniably impressive, but what about
Sir Elton?

     The flamboyant, charismatic stage performer charted a Top 40
single every year from 1970-1996.

     His first #1 album in the United States, "Honky Chateau,"
started a streak of seven-consecutive #1 albums, all of which went
platinum. In fact, John has 35 gold and 24 platinum albums to his
credit.

     The "Rocket Man" has won numerous awards including Grammy
awards, Tony awards, an Oscar and was recently honored as the Radio
Music Awards 2001 Legend Award.

     John's re-release of "Candle in the Wind 1997" in honor of
Princess Diana, who died in a tragic car accident, was the best-
selling single ever, moving three million copies in the first week.

     Elton has been called as critical to the music of the '70s as
Elvis was to the '50s and The Beatles were to the '60s.

     How about this paragraph written about Elton in the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame:

     "In the three-year period from 1973 to 1976, John amassed 15
hit singles, including six that went to #1 ("Crocodile
Rock," "Bennie and The Jets," "Lucy In The Sky With
Diamonds," "Philadelphia Freedom," "Island Girl," "Don't Go Breaking
My Heart") and three that reached #2 ("Daniel," "Goodbye Yellow
Brick Road," "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me"). Those 15 singles
logged a combined 156 weeks from 1973-1976, which is to say that, on
average, an Elton John single could be found in the Top 40 every
week for three years. In other words, Elton John completely
dominated the rock world in the mid-Seventies."

First Union Center - Philadelphia, PA
Date: February 17th, 2002

Set-List: Your Song (Duet)
Just The Way You Are (Duet)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Duet)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (EJ)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (EJ)
Philadelphia Freedom (EJ)
I Want Love (EJ)
Rocket Man (EJ)
Take Me To The Pilot (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Captain Jack (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
New York State of Mind (BJ)
I Go To Extremes (BJ)
We Didn't Start The Fire (BJ)
Only The Good Die Young (BJ)
My Life (Duet)
Here Comes The Sun (Duet)
The Bitch Is Back (Duet)
You May Be Right (Duet)
Bennie and The Jets (Duet)
Great Balls of Fire (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

     It must have been family night at the First Union Center in
South Philadelphia Wednesday night: Blazing-hot hip-hop-metalists
Linkin Park played the Spectrum, while Billy Joel and Elton John
opened a six-night run at the Center.

     Which means it's possible while Junior was merrily moshing to
Linkin Park, mom and dad were across the parking lot toe-tapping and
lip-syncing to the hook-laden smash hits of the two piano men.

     It's unknown how the kids enjoyed their concert, but it can be
reported the old folks had a great time. And why not? Here were two
classic rock titans who collectively composed a sizable chunk of the
soundtrack of the 1970s and early '80s.

     Not surprisingly, the two old troupers delivered a program that
sent many of the 20,000 ticket holders home with smiles on their
faces and familiar melodies in their brains. And more fans will have
the opportunity to see the duo. Due to production changes, limited
tickets may still be available for the rest of the tour through
Ticketmaster.

     The show's opening was worth the price of admission, even for
those who coughed up $175 for the best seats.

     Joel, his black ensemble broken only by a red boutonniere, hit
the stage first. A minute later, John, decked out in a pink, lavender
and sky blue outfit, joined Joel. After a made-for-the-cameras high-
five, the twosome took their places facing each other behind grand
pianos (hence the tour's "Face 2 Face" moniker) and launched into
John's early-'70s ballad, "Your Song."

     The two stars ping-ponged the song's verses and choruses to the
delight of the assembled multitude. They followed the same crowd-
pleasing format for the subsequent two numbers, Joel's "Just the Way
You Are" and John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," which inspired
the first of many standing ovations.

     Joel exited at this point, allowing Elton and his top-notch five-
piece band, which included his original drummer, Nigel Olsson, and
longtime guitarist, Davey Johnstone, to get things under way in
earnest. They went with a flawless one-two punch of the stirring
instrumental "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and the
galloping "Love Lies Bleeding."

     From there John and company played it safe, serving up nine more
songs, most straight from the Greatest Hits albums. Two exceptions
were the Beatle-ish "I Want Love" and "This Train Doesn't Stop There
Anymore," the lead tracks from his recently released CD, "Songs From
the West Coast."

     All were crowd pleasers, including the rousing " Philadelphia
Freedom," "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," "Take Me To the Pilot"
and "I'm Still Standing." However, though faultless in execution,
Elton's set seemed dry. The combination of high-caliber musicianship
and arrangements that clung to the recorded originals left little
room for straying from the blueprints, much less reinvention.

     That's why the turn's highlight was "Rocket Man." It started off
appearing to be another clone, but soon took several unexpected and
welcome twists and turns, rendering it far superior to the recorded
original.

     By the time John concluded his portion of the concert with an
ebullient "Crocodile Rock," he had the audience in the palm of his
hand. Joel quickly snatched it back by opening his turn with the mini-
suite, "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant."

     In all, Joel's performance was far more playful than Elton's.
That was made clear when he and his sharp six-piece band, propelled
by the awesome drumming of Liberty DeVitto, attempted back-to-back
unrehearsed covers, an all-over-the-place "Expressway To Your Heart"
and a much tighter "Good Lovin'."

     But if Joel provided the evening's most humorous moments,
including a defiant curse aimed at terrorists who threaten our
shores, he also supplied its emotional center, a for-Philadelphia-
only reading of "Captain Jack." It was a dramatic rendition of a song
whose themes of ennui and self-destruction among privileged, suburban
youth continue to resonate. It was also a heartfelt tip of the hat to
music fans of the Delaware Valley, whose obsession with the song in
1972 and '73 planted the seeds from which Joel's glittering career
grew.

     Other highlights of the 15-song segment included "Lullabye
(Goodnight, My Angel)," a predictably moving "New York State of Mind"
and an appropriately rollicking "Only The Good Die Young."

     Joel was responsible for the evening's lowest points, "The River
of Dreams" and a version of "We Didn't Start The Fire" that never got
out of second gear.

     They ended the 35-song bash as they began sharing the stage and
taking turns on each other's signature songs, "My Life," "The Bitch
Is Back," "You May Be Right," and "Bennie and the Jets." The latter
was sparked by some can-you-top-this keyboard workouts by the two.

     The encore also included two covers, a superb "Here Comes The
Sun," which proved to be the unexpected treat of the night, and a rip-
snorting "Great Balls of Fire," which brought things to a satisfying
conclusion.

     Technically, the Billy Joel/Elton John concert lasted 218
minutes or three hours and 38 minutes.

     But for the jovial, joyous and jam-packed fans at a sold-out
First Union Center Wednesday night, Joel and John's concert was not
an evening measured by time, but a night comprising moments -
countless and unforgettable moments.

     Joel and John engaged the crowd with charisma, humor and passion
and then bowled the fans over with pure talent, vocal power and a
mystifying wizardry of the piano that will not soon be forgotten.

     It helped that the two superstars each have a catalog of songs
that have withstood the test of time and are true classics, but
unlike some musicians who tend to shy away from the "old stuff,"
the "Piano Man" and the "Rocket Man" revel in their songs. And so did
the crowd.

     Joel and John, who used a modest light show, not that it
hindered the experience, are in Philly for five more "Face 2 Face"
shows tonight, Sunday and Tuesday, then a week from today (February
22nd, 2002) and the following Sunday (February 24th, 2002).

     Yesterday, it was announced that due to some last-minute
production changes, more tickets have become available. For more
information, contact the First Union Center box office.

     There was an air of excitement and a rushed feeling outside the
Big Bank Building as traffic mounted on construction-congested
streets. People furiously scurried from far-off parking lots because,
as one shovingly-mad fan said, "I ain't gonna miss one note."

     From the start of the show, it was clear that neither Joel nor
John had any remnants of the colds that were rumored to have hindered
their vocal performances early this month in Hartford, Connecticut.

     Playing together, they began the set with a triple shot of "Your
Song," "Just the Way You Are" and "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me,"
which sparked the first of many standing ovations.

     Joel exited, John's band entered and Elton began to wail on his
piano. He thundered away at "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"
and then thrilled the crowd with "Philadelphia Freedom."

     For all the people who sprinted to the bathroom during
John'snewest song, "I Want Love," from his latest album, "Songs From
the West Coast," it was a mistake. John seemed to work extra hard
with this song, which includes a pounding percussion beat.

     As versatile as Elton is, he was at his best with his
contemporary pop balled "Rocket Man." What Sir Elton did so well was
hit the big lines with force and grace and hit the biggest notes with
priceless power and precision - "And I think it's gonna be a...LONG,
LONG time."

     John reminisced with the crowd saying how his first concert in
Philadelphia was at the Electric Factory and how he wished to return
to that venue during his next trip the Philly.

     And while Elton ended his solo set with the people on their
feet, hands in the air, dancing to "Crocodile Rock," Joel kept the
fans standing the whole time, opening with a sensational rendition
of "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant."

     "Allentown" followed and the crowd erupted at the mention of the
Jersey shore and sung along with every "hey, hey, hey."

     In a mild surprise, Joel flirtatiously charmed the crowd with
humor, vulgarity, an Elvis impersonation and the playfulness of a
puppy.

     Joel twice offered the crowd song options. The fans
selected "Don't Ask Me Why" over "Vienna" and "Summer, Highland
Falls" and then chose "Captain Jack" over "Prelude/Angry Young Man."

     Joel's straightforward pull-no-punches approach to "Captain
Jack" was a breath of fresh air to the crowd, who didn't expect to
hear the comfortable classic.

     Other top-notch performances included "I Go to Extremes," "We
Didn't Start the Fire" and "Only the Good Die Young," which was a
perfect ending to his solo set.

     The encore performance was seven songs long, but again, it was
filled with standout moments like the back-and-forth glances, smiles
and shrugs of respect and enjoyment between the performers during "My
Life."

     While introducing the late George Harrison's classic "Here Comes
the Sun," Elton grew serious calling it, "a beautiful song." And with
Elton carrying "The Bitch Is Back," Billy stood on top of his piano
and hob-knobbed with the fans.

     The every-other-verse rendition of "You May Be Right" was a
treasure of a display of two musicians working on the same page. As
the dynamic duo traded scintillating piano riffs during "Bennie and
the Jets" the crowd stomped and rocked so hard it vibrated in the
seatbacks.

     After a rousing rendition of "Great Balls of Fire," which was
the 34th song of the night, the crowd, still on its feet,
demanded "Piano Man" and the piano men didn't disappoint.

     So, the boyfriends and girlfriends grabbed each other's hand,
the husbands and wives locked their arms, the masses began to sway, a
chill ran down the spine and the sing-along began:

     "Sing us a song, you're the piano man...sing us a song
tonight...well we're all in the mood for a melody...and you've got us
feeling alright."

     For four lines, 28 words, with no music playing, no help from
Joel or John, over 21,000 fans were joined in a haze of happiness and
enjoyment that was truly the moment among moments.

     Between Sunday's NBA All-Star Game and the start of a six-night
stint with "Piano Man" Billy Joel, Elton John hardly had time for a
scone break at the Ritz-Carlton, what with having to trudge to and
from the First Union Center.

     What John missed in repose, though, he got back at the pair's
first show Wednesday night in audience appreciation.

     John and Joel, those Tin Pan Alley thumpers - inspired by Delta
rock and roll, Broadway schmaltz, and urban-landscape lyrics - could
do no wrong as they barely sweated oldies for a mostly over-35
audience.

     John toted along stalwart guitarist Davey Johnstone and drummer
Nigel Olsson - who offered John an elegant approximation of his
classic Surrey-by-way-of-Southern-California sound. On that, John's
sensationally resonant tenor vocals rested, nestling soulfully
into "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and "I Want Love."

     Joel's nostalgia revolved around age - his lyrics conjuring
summers past, Jersey shores, and lives wasted in Allentowns literal
and figurative. Whether on the rhumba-rock of "Don't Ask Me Why" or
the Bowery-bouncing "Movin' Out," Joel's voice, too, was warm and
strong - more plaintively emotive than previously.

     The neatest thing was the equanimity they displayed, both in
lengthy individual sets and as a duo. They shared similar builds and
a hardy but effortless vocal prowess.

     Joel's Brooklyn/Dixieland vignette "Scenes From An Italian
Restaurant" was as vivid and sad as the forlorn salvation John found
in the East End in "Someone Saved My Life Tonight."

     But they seemed most meant for each other while performing
together each other's songs. Joel started John's "Your Song," John
started Joel's "Just The Way You Are" - and finished each other's
phrases in voices so weirdly similar by the end that they came off
like an old married couple who had managed to keep the old songs
fresh.

First Union Center - Philadelphia, PA
Date: February 15th, 2002

Set-List: Your Song (Duet)
Just The Way You Are (Duet)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Duet)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (EJ)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (EJ)
Philadelphia Freedom (EJ)
I Want Love (EJ)
Rocket Man (EJ)
Take Me To The Pilot (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Captain Jack (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
New York State of Mind (BJ)
I Go To Extremes (BJ)
We Didn't Start The Fire (BJ)
Only The Good Die Young (BJ)
My Life (Duet)
Here Comes The Sun (Duet)
The Bitch Is Back (Duet)
You May Be Right (Duet)
Bennie and The Jets (Duet)
Great Balls of Fire (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)
 

First Union Center - Philadelphia, PA
Date: February 13th, 2002

Set-List: Your Song (Duet)
Just The Way You Are (Duet)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Duet)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (EJ)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (EJ)
Philadelphia Freedom (EJ)
I Want Love (EJ)
Rocket Man (EJ)
Take Me To The Pilot (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Don't Ask Me Why (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Captain Jack (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
Expressway To Your Heart (BJ)
Good Lovin' (BJ)
New York State of Mind (BJ)
I Go To Extremes (BJ)
Don't Be Cruel (BJ)
We Didn't Start The Fire (BJ)
Only The Good Die Young (BJ)
My Life (Duet)
Here Comes The Sun (Duet)
The Bitch Is Back (Duet)
You May Be Right (Duet)
Bennie and The Jets (Duet)
Great Balls of Fire (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

With buzzing years, I survived the Elton John/Billy Joel concert in
Philadelphia. Here;s the briefest of reviews for you. I didn;t bring a tape
recorder in due to being thrown out of a concert for being caught last time
(the first time in 20 years by the way). But I do have other tapes if anyone
wants to trade stuff.

The sound was good....with the vocals being up higher than the instruments.
At least for the join performances and the Elton John parts. Elton's voice
was great......does the guy age at all? I don;tthink so.....his vocal
performance was superb. Billy Joels voice started very strong but flatered
toward the middle of the concert and came back again. I had heard someplace
that he wasn't going to tour anymore because of the voice strain, but they
are playinga  total of six shows in Philadelphia, so either what I heard was
wrong or he changed his mind.

The two traded verses in the joint songs which was really a treat....they are
made to sing each others' songs it seems and there seemed to be a genuine
comradery on the stage, with the two hugging several times.

Elton didn;t do much talking between songs and Billy Joel did, but some of it
was mindless talk. Joel's performance was much different that
Elton's.....doing a number of songs that weren't BJ songs...including Good
Lovin (the Rascals' song)....

Elton stopped to touch upstretched hands (as did BJ) between some songs but
Elton was also signing autographs. Elton had a great performance and
Philadelphia Freedom had the group rockin' . But Philly is a Billy Joel Town
(I read somewhere that half of Philly believes that Billy is from Philly).
People stood up for most of the Billy Joel songs ...Elton had people up and
down.

All in all, the sound of EJ's parts and the joint parts were superb. They do
a great show.

Elton's the one who got the crowd at Philadelphia's First Union
Center on 2/13 up out of their seats, warming them for a hammed-up
Billy. Our favorite British pianist also received many genuine,
standing ovations.

Despite what Chuck Darrow of the Courier-Post (South Jersey's largest
newspaper) said in the only article I've been able to find about last
night's concert so far, Elton's renditions of his familiar songs were
*not* carbon copies of the original recordings.  There was new piano
ornamentation in "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" which made
the number more majestic than ever.  "Rocket Man" had more of that
stardusted, angelic sound segueing into the funk stomp he's been
making the song into lately.  "Take Me to the Pilot" had yet another
intro I'd never heard before, and he's been creating new intros for
it for the last 10 years!  It was a tightly woven, introspective
segment that I could have listened to all night!  "Levon" was as
exciting as always. If I'm fortunate enought to be standing when
Elton plays that, I go absolutely bananas at the end.  Sometimes, I
think I might hurl myself several rows ahead! But last night, I
couldn't really stand without blocking some people's views. Rocking
in my seat doesn't have the same emotional impact for me as acting
the part of a whirling dervish.

Anyway, the version of "I Want Love" Elton did last night, fluid and
strong, was among the best I've heard him do (and you know he's been
doing that all over the place!).

For most of the show, he wore a quasi-floral pattern suit of pink,
lavender and blue, with hot-pink/black shoes, and dark sunglasses.
For the first encore, he wore a light-green/yellow
Versace-maze-patterned jacket, dark pants with light-green/yellow
stripe down the sides and light greenish sunglasses. Then, for the
final encore, he wore that leathery motorcycle-ish outfit people have
been talking about.  He looked fabulous! If he'd been riding a
motorcycle, he could have stood in very convincingly as a member of
the gang! (incidentally, when he emerged in that outfit, he made
motorcycle riding motions to Billy-- an especially funny gesture
given Billy's past affinity for motorcycles)

As for some fun moments between Elton and Billy:
--During "Your Song," when Billy sang the lines "and yours are the
sweetest eyes," Elton humorously snatched off his sunglasses and
looked at Billy mischievously.
--At the start of "My Life," which begins the first encore, Billy
started playing--very sloppily-- a bit of "Burn Down the Mission."
I'm not sure whether Elton looked flattered or horrified. If a video
surfaces, I'll have to study it!
--As "The Bitch is Back" began, Billy started crawling on top of the
pianos toward Elton, who then made a "sign of the cross" with his two
index fingers (i.e., "Back, Billy! Back!").  This was followed by a
mock swashbuckling match, after which they  settled down to play the
song.
--As Billy started playing "You May Be Right," Elton did a
synchronized dance routine involving a bit of waving arms with Mark
Rivera, Billy's saxophonist/guitarist.  It was quite fun to watch.
Then Elton walked around to the right side of Billy's piano, faced
Billy and gave him a "tough" look while sort of stomping and bumping
his body to the beat.
--Between songs, Billy called Elton over and had him looking at the
crowd behind the stage. After a few seconds, Billy asked the
audience, "See that Motrin sign? See that girl in white just below
it? [she got very excited, then crestfallen, when he continued] Just
below her is a guy-- I swear, he's David Letterman!"  Well, it was
funny in a stupid sort of way.  They put the spotlight on the guy in
question, who did look a little like David Letterman, but if I were
he, I wouldn't have wanted the entire arena staring at me. At least
not for that reason.

There were a couple of instances that could have been interpreted as
mutual jibes.  Elton remarked during his set that people have said he
doesn't talk much between songs.  He explained that that's because he
only talks when he really has something to say.  Then he continued
that he'd been talking to local promoter Larry Magid backstage. Magid
was the one who booked him into the first Electric Factory in Philly
back in '70.  Elton announced to the crowd that he wanted to come
back and play the current Electric Factory. Well, well! That should
be interesting!

As for Billy, apparently in response to his co-star mentioning his
new album earlier, Billy said during his set that he, too, has a new
album out, even though he doesn't sing on it or play on it.

Other contrasts surfaced.  After "Guess That's Why," Elton slapped a
lot of hands before autographing a bunch of things-- from programs to
ticket stubs.  Billy didn't sign any autographs during his set,
although he did slap hands.
Later, just after Elton emerged for the final encore in his biker
outfit, he started signing more autographs, while Billy continued to
slap hands.  Suddenly, Elton waved Billy over to sign a picture a fan
was holding up showing both headliners together!  Billy signed the
one autograph, but only at Elton's urging.
After "Piano Man," and once the show was technically over, Elton
approached some fans at stage right and signed more autographs.
Billy noticed that Elton was still onstage and returned for more
applause.  Of course, once Elton did leave the stage, Billy pretended
to leave, then returned with a "wild-and-crazy-guy" stance to the
cheers he obviously coveted.  Back when I saw them on opening night
in '94, Elton left the stage after the show was over, not realizing,
apparently, that Billy had stayed behind to receive the crowd's
continued applause. Billy very much acted like the whole evening had
been his and the applause was also his for the taking.
Now, the situation is more equitable.  We get to see more even-handed
one-upmanship.

Elizabeth J. Rosenthal
Author, "His Song:  The Musical Journey Of Elton John"
A publication of Billboard Books
In stores now!
Check www.ejhissong.com for more info

     In other concert news, Billy Joel drummer Liberty Devitto was
so pleased with his service Tuesday night at Morton's of Chicago in
Hartford that he offered his servers, Dinah Ladz and Natalie Falko,
free tickets to Friday night's concert.

     Billy Joel and Elton John are looking forward to six sold-out
shows at the First Union Center in Philadelphia starting Wednesday
night.

     Subsequent shows are Friday, February 17th, 19th, 22nd, and
24th, 2002. Nowhere else on the duo's "Face 2 Face" Tour will they
play that many concerts, although Boston came close with five shows.

     Two questions are on everyone's mind - why here and why now?
But isn't it obvious? Joel got his first break nationally when
Philadelphia radio station WMMR-FM jumped on his debut album "Cold
Spring Harbor." The rest of the country waited until 1973's "Piano
Man" album to get behind him.

     John also got a quick start here with a showcase performance at
the Electric Factory, touring behind his American debut "Elton
John." Since those early-1970s days, both stars have kept their core
audience intact and both have acquired new fans along the way. John
even went so far as to chart one Top 40 hit every year from 1970
through 2000 - a record that may forever go unbroken and one that
has kept him in the public eye.

     As for why now, that's easy. Both artists have been extremely
active - recording albums, performing for charity and stretching
themselves musically in the last year or so. Joel released his first
semi-classical album, "Fantasies & Delusions," last year and watched
it go straight to #1 on the classical chart, even though pianist
Richard Joo performed the material. The New York native also
participated in the benefit concert "America: A Tribute to Heroes,"
performing "New York State of Mind" for his hometown crowd.

     John issued his first mostly instrumental soundtrack album "The
Muse" in 1999, writing and performing all of the music himself. In
2000, John composed his first Broadway show music with Tim Rice,
offering a pop version of Verdi's classic opera "Aida." The show
opened on Broadway last March, but that still wasn't enough. Sir
Elton followed up his smash "Lion King" film music with another
soundtrack score - "El Dorado" - and released a concert disc, "One
Night Only," that gathered 17 of his big hits.

     John continued his charity work - raising more than $20 million>
for AIDS causes in just seven years - and held a huge fund-raiser
last month in Los Angeles, the night before he came to Philadelphia
to christen the new Kimmel Center. In January he received the first-
ever "Hero Award" by the UK Coalition of People Living with HIV and
AIDS. His single, "I Want Love," is nominated for two BRIT Awards
(England's top music honor) - Best British Male Solo Artist and Best
British Video.

     Let's face it. These are two hard working guys.

     According to Ike Richman, public relations director for the
First Union Complex, Joel holds the First Union Center's record for
most sold-out shows with 35 appearances. "He has the record for the
seven-year history of the building," Richman said. "The Grateful
Dead have the record for the Spectrum - 53 - but they toured all the
time. Joel only tours occasionally, and sometimes he doesn't even
have an album to promote. He's playing six shows this time with
Elton, but his last time he played seven shows and the time before
that he played six shows. It is a true testament to his ability as
an artist."

     Joel's last album may have come two years ago - "2000 Years:
The Millennium Concert" - but he performed on Tony Bennett's 2001
album and is nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration. In
June, he was given the Johnny Mercer Award for song composition at
the Songwriters Hall of Fame. The songwriter also contributed one of
his classical pieces to the "Music of Hope" CD last February, with
the London Symphony Orchestra committing it to disc.

     This past November, Joel appeared on the A&E cable TV station
with the special "In His Own Words" that was filmed at the
University of Pennsylvania's Irvine Auditorium. And with Joel
claiming to have retired from pop music for a while, in October his
Sony Music label released a two-CD collection, "The Essential Billy
Joel," which should put a period on this part of his career.

     John, on the other hand, continues to churn out albums at an
amazing rate, with "Songs From The West Coast" issued late last
year. The album hasn't sold well - first week sales were an anemic
83,000 - and John isn't getting the airplay he used to. He still is
promoting it as best he can though, with an appearance today at the
NBA All-Star Game. He will perform "Philadelphia Freedom" during the
player introductions and "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore"
and "I'm Still Standing" during half-time.

     The "Face 2 Face" Tour will continue through the spring, with
Joel and John hitting places such as Madison Square Garden in mid-
March. From there, John goes it alone, heading to England, Europe
and Australia with his band.

     For the record, Joel and John first appeared together at
Veterans Stadium, playing three shows there in 1994. "I remember it
like it was yesterday," Richman said. "People still talk about it to
this day."

     So the question remains, if they could sell 180,000 seats back
then, could they have sold out more shows in Philadelphia this
month?

     "I think so," Richman said. "But we do have other commitments
for the venue and they have other commitments in other cities."

     Richman said the shows will run almost four hours, with Joel
and John performing together and separately with their respective
bands. At the duo's January 22nd, 2002 concert, they played 38
songs, starting onstage together, playing one set each and ending
the show together. It is a greatest hits show for both artists, but
John is offering four songs from his new album and nothing from his
recent releases. A couple of oldies covers should turn up on the
playlist, too.

Hartford Civic Center - Hartford, CT
Date: February 9th, 2002

Set-List: Your Song (Duet)
Just The Way You Are (Duet)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Duet)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (EJ)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (EJ)
Philadelphia Freedom (EJ)
I Want Love (EJ)
Rocket Man (EJ)
Take Me To The Pilot (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
New York State of Mind (BJ)
I Go To Extremes (BJ)
We Didn't Start The Fire (BJ)
Only The Good Die Young (BJ)
My Life (Duet)
Here Comes The Sun (Duet)
The Bitch Is Back (Duet)
You May Be Right (Duet)
Bennie and The Jets (Duet)
Great Balls of Fire (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

     Throughout this concert week, Billy Joel and Elton John have
been getting out of Dodge City as soon as their legs could carry
them - Joel flying home to New York, John jetting home to Atlanta.

     No offense to our rising star of a city, but these rock stars
are moving like shooting stars. There's a police escort from the
airport to the Hartford Civic Center, then each to his respective
dressing room, stage and home again.

     After Wednesday night's performance they stuck around briefly
on stage so Hartford Civic Center general manager Marty Brooks could
present them with a specially designed gift. Brooks came up with the
idea while watching the concert, and worked with John Green of Lux,
Bond & Green to create it.

     It is a rectangular black base topped by two miniature black
marble baby grand pianos facing each other as they do in concert.
John's name is on the left piano, Joel's is on the right. It
commemorates one of the highest grossing concerts in Connecticut
history - more than $7 million.

     "Both were extremely touched and taken by the uniqueness of the
gift," Brooks said.

Hartford Civic Center - Hartford, CT
Date: February 8th, 2002

Set-List: Your Song (Duet)
Just The Way You Are (Duet)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Duet)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (EJ)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (EJ)
Philadelphia Freedom (EJ)
I Want Love (EJ)
Rocket Man (EJ)
Take Me To The Pilot (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Summer, Highland Falls (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
And So It Goes (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
New York State of Mind (BJ)
I Go To Extremes (BJ)
We Didn't Start The Fire (BJ)
Only The Good Die Young (BJ)
My Life (Duet)
Here Comes The Sun (Duet)
The Bitch Is Back (Duet)
You May Be Right (Duet)
Bennie and The Jets (Duet)
Great Balls of Fire (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

     Rare is a concert that lasts 3½ hours and leaves a capacity
crowd cheering for more.

     I'm sure Billy Joel and Elton John could have played all night
had they wanted to. But they have three more nights (tonight, Friday
and Saturday) at the Hartford Civic Center, thousands more fans to
entertain — emphasis on entertain — they way the "Piano Men"
did Monday night.

     What was apparent, both in the three songs they played together
at the start of the show and the eight together at the end, was the
mutual admiration society.

     On their third "Face 2 Face" tour, Joel and John naturally
traded lines in each other's tunes, and let's face it: With their
talent, this was child's play. Joel opened the show with the first
verse of John's "Your Song," and John did the same with "Just The Way
You Are." No big deal, but the compatibility of the two songwriting
giants was evident from the start.

     Sir Elton, showing a muted flamboyancy, played first with his
band (including longtime drummer Nigel Olsson and guitarist Davey
Johnstone) for nearly an hour and a half. While his opener, "Funeral
For A Friend"/"Love Lies Bleeding," seemed as if by rote, the rest
didn't. He used both ends of his repertoire, from early songs such
as "Take Me To The Pilot" and "Levon" to "I Want Love" and "This
Train Don't Stop There Anymore," from his latest album, "Songs From
the West Coast." And in between were spirited versions
of "Philadelphia Freedom," "I'm Still Standing" and the set-
ending "Crocodile Rock." He had to make a few vocal concessions to
his 54 years, but not many.

     After a rapid changeover, Joel's hour-and-10-minute set got the
louder response. With a band that included his longtime drummer,
Liberty DeVitto, he opened on a high note with "Scenes From An
Italian Restaurant." At 52, with his paunch growing and his closely
cropped hair and goatee going white, he's starting to look a little
like Burl Ives. But while it's not Christmas anymore and there wasn't
any holly, he did make jolly with the jokes.

     Before "Allentown," he cracked, "Let's face it: For these ticket
prices (up to $176.50), we should be cleaning windows." After citing
how people have been reluctant to go places since the September
attacks, he continued, "By paying these exorbitant prices, you're
doing your patriotic duty...so I can send my daughter to Yale."

     And he fed off the cheers, the set ending with a jumping "Only
The Good Die Young." Another highlight was a snippet from last year's
classical album, "Fantasies & Delusions," leading into a
powerful "Prelude/Angry Young Man." His one curveball was that he
played "New York State of Mind" - which, of course, has reaped much
attention since September - in a somewhat subdued, perfunctory tone.

     By the time the stars, and their bands, reunited for the home
stretch, the audience was at relative fever pitch. They reeled off
six songs ("My Life," George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun," "The
Bitch Is Back," "You May Be Right," "Bennie and the Jets" and Jerry
Lee Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire") that would have been a great ending.

     But they then slowed down to end the show Here, though, it
wasn't a sin. Each man saved his best for last — John's "Candle
In The Wind" and Joel's "Piano Man," with the crowd swaying and
singing to the latter like a 15,000-seat pub.

     And the duo entertained the audience the way Joel did when he
was writing that tune 30 years ago and playing for the tip jar.
Forget the fame and the money — that song, more than anything,
brought home the evening.

Hartford Civic Center - Hartford, CT
Date: February 6th, 2002

Set-List: Your Song (Duet)
Just The Way You Are (Duet)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Duet)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (EJ)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (EJ)
Philadelphia Freedom (EJ)
I Want Love (EJ)
Rocket Man (EJ)
Take Me To The Pilot (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Don't Ask Me Why (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
New York State of Mind (BJ)
I Go To Extremes (BJ)
We Didn't Start The Fire (BJ)
Only The Good Die Young (BJ)
My Life (Duet)
Here Comes The Sun (Duet)
The Bitch Is Back (Duet)
You May Be Right (Duet)
Bennie and The Jets (Duet)
Great Balls of Fire (Duet)
Candle In The Wind (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

     The best parts of Elton John and Billy Joel's "Face 2 Face"
tour, which played the first of four record-breaking nights at the
Hartford Civic Center Monday, are when the two are face to face.

     Either of the revered pop stars could fill the arena for
consecutive dates, but playing together gives the show more
dimension. They began the marathon show together with a pair of their
best-known ballads, with each taking the first verse of the song the
other made a standard - Joel beginning John's "Your Song" and John
starting "Just The Way You Are."

     Face to face, they could smile and grimace back and forth to one
another from behind their two grand pianos, like two joshing
coworkers at their cubicles.

     "Don't have much money," Joel sang in John's "Your Song," and
rolled his eyes - they'd be grossing more than $7 million from the
four-night Hartford stop alone.

     The promises of "forever" in "Just The Way You Are," drew raised
bemused eyebrows from John - Joel wrote it for the first of his ex-
wives. Such was the tone in the show where Joel started to sing a
John song seeming just right for the city - "Don't Go Breakin' My
Hartford," and then stopped.

     At a time when being a pop star means looking good first, it
wasn't pretty out there. Both are stout men in their 50s who seem to
strain when they climb on top of their pianos for "The Bitch Is
Back." Hairpiece technology has helped John look as youthful as his
songs sound; Joel has gone naturally bald but his gray goatee
suggests a Burl Ives turn.

     But a mostly older audience truly appreciated what they were
doing - though the crowd was more divided than you would expect.

     Perhaps it was an East Coast bias that made Joel the favorite
Monday, with many lustily singing along to his old songs, from his
opening "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant" and "Allentown" to "We
Didn't Start The Fire" (the only song accompanied by electric guitar
rather than piano) and "Only The Good Die Young."

     Joel hasn't written a new pop song in nine years and only played
a bit of a classical prelude from a new project as an intro
to "Prelude/Angry Young Man." But, like John, his playing and singing
have stayed on a high level, though both men seemed to be fighting
colds.

     John's set had not only enduring songs like "Levon" and "Rocket
Man," it also had the only current material of the night - singles
from his "Songs From The West Coast" album that fit well the tenor of
his classics.

     The audience may have still been Super Bowl tired, but the
energy revived when the two joined forces again, for each other's top
songs and a couple of covers - George Harrison's "Here Comes The Sun"
in tribute and "Great Balls of Fire" by Jerry Lee Lewis, whose rock
and roll piano style may have influenced both.

     But at the end of the 3½-hour marathon, it was the crowd who
swayed and sang most of the choruses of the final song, "Piano Man."

Hartford Civic Center - Hartford, CT
Date: February 4th, 2002

Set-List: Your Song (Duet)
Just The Way You Are (Duet)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me (Duet)
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding (EJ)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight (EJ)
Philadelphia Freedom (EJ)
I Want Love (EJ)
Rocket Man (EJ)
Take Me To The Pilot (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Don't Ask Me Why (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
New York State of Mind (BJ)
I Go To Extremes (BJ)
We Didn't Start The Fire (BJ)
Only The Good Die Young (BJ)
My Life (Duet)
Here Comes The Sun (Duet)
The Bitch Is Back (Duet)
You May Be Right (Duet)
Bennie and The Jets (Duet)
Great Balls of Fire (Duet)
Candle In The Wind (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

A week after the event I am finally getting around to reviewing the
February 4th Face to Face show in Hartford.

It was excellent, duh!!!!   As Yankee Doodle Dandy played on the PA
Billy appeared from the (audience) right side of the stage first to a
huge round of applause.  With the change of music to signify Elton's
appearance the applause increased considerably.  Hartford was glad to
see Billy and really glad to see Elton.

Elton was wearing a blackish/greenish paisley suit.  Billy had his
usual black outfit, although he had a green handkerchief in his
breast pocket (Elton must have put it there).  Both men were in good
spirits, although Billy was obviously still suffering from some kind
of cold.  Billy was drinking continually, and often sprayed something
into his mouth, sometimes even mid-song.

Overall I would say that Elton's sound was far better than Billy's.
Even though Clive was not behind the board the sound was crystal
clear.  On the other hand, Billy's sounded like mush most of the
time.  Don't get me wrong, it was not that Billy and his band sounded
bad, they were just not a crisp and clear as Elton's band.

The set list was pretty standard as was the banter back and forth.
What I missed this time was Elton singing a Billy song and Billy
singing an Elton song.  Also, they did not make a one song
reappearance mid way though the other's set like last time I saw them
at the New Jersey Meadowlands (maybe 1994?).

It was interesting to see how Billy handled adversity.  Unlike Elton,
who I have seen storm off stage because he got feedback, Billy just
laughed at the feedback which happened maybe three times.

At one point, during Scenes From An Italian Restaurant, Billy's
microphone tipped over and would not stay up.  He tried a few times
to sing with his head bowed and cocked to the side attempting to
reach the mic.  He also tried playing with just his right hand and
holding the mic up with his left.  Finally, he looked behind him and
nodded to a technician to come fix the problem.  As the guy was
working on the repair Billy kept right on singing at one point
replacing the expected words with "I hate it when this happens."
Once the techi was gone the song continued on as if the problem had
never happened.

While Elton keeps his chating to a minimum, Billy loves to chat and
engage in banter with the audience.  He often does impressions.  At
one point he put on a Ted Kennedy accent and said he was going to
perform an obscure song but said, "when we do and obscure song we see
you people all get up to take a wiz.  So if we give you a choice of
which song we are going to play there is a better chance you will
stay."  He then offered to play Vienna, from The Stranger, Don't Ask
Me Why from Glass Houses or Summer Higland Falls from Turnstiles.
Don't Ask Me Why won on this night.

At the end of the Band portion of the show everyone left and then
Billy and Elton came back.  The video guys were so good that we could
see Billy put on his harmonica holder, pause and then look across at
Elton and ask "Candle In The Wind?"  Elton appeared to say, "What?"
Billy again said "Candle In The Wind?"  Elton then shrugged his
shoulders and said, "It's up to you."   Billy nodded and said "sure."
So I guess we got a bonus song this night.

As always I am amazed by the people who sit around me.  As Funeral
For A Friend began the guy behind me yells to his friend, three seats
away, "I can't believe he is going to play this.  I have been waiting
thirty f***ing years for him to play this live!"  During Rocket Man
he kept yelling "WHAT ARE YOU?" EVERY TIME Elton was going to saying,
"I'm a Rocket Man."  As Candle in the Wind began he proclaimed, "HOLY
S***!  I thought he said he wouldn't do this song again."  The best
line though, was his date who after the intro to Take Me To The Pilot
said, "He isn't a bad piano player."

The only down part of the show was finding a dozen or so women in the
mens room.    Granted the lines to the ladies room were about fifty
yeards long.  The mere presence of the ladies in the bathroom was not
a major problem, although it did result in many guys griping about
not ebing able to perform because of stage fright.  The problem was
that they were all smoking making the mens room seem like a girls
bathroom in High School.

So much for my thoughts.

     It's a strange thing for Billy Joel, as he goes out for the
sold-out multinight runs of the "Face 2 Face" tour with Elton John.

     "I look at myself in the mirror before I go out and
say, 'You're going to go out and do a rock-star thing? You don't
look anything like what you're supposed to look like.'"

     "I've aged like everybody else my age," he says over the phone
from Long Island, nursing a cold on a one-day break between Boston
shows, before a four-night run at the Hartford Civic Center that
starts Monday and continues Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

     "I'm 52 years-old. My hair has thinned out. And I've thickened
out in my body," he says.

     "Then I walk out, and the crowd starts screaming, and I
think: 'Well, something's going on here.' So I don't question it too
much."

     In fact, the "Face 2 Face" tour has become one of the most
popular - and long-running - special-event tours in rock.

     When the duo's tour was first organized in 1994, "I wasn't sure
how long it would go," Joel says. "The agreement we had was: Let's
see how this feels and see how far we want to go; let's see how much
we want to work together. And it worked out well."

     That's an understatement for a tour that sold-out five nights
at Giants Stadium.

     "Doing it in stadiums was really absurd," he said. "I mean,
stadiums are great for football, but I think what was missing for us
was the better sounds of coliseums or arenas - as good as they can
sound.

     "I mean, I know they're still huge places. Our idea was to
eventually try to do it in 'more intimate' settings," he says with a
chuckle. "But compared to a stadium, it is more intimate."

     The appeal of the tour, in which the two stars sing separately
with their own bands for a dozen songs and then join forces for
nearly a dozen more, hasn't diminished.

     After earning $57.2 million in 31 shows last year - placing
fifth among the year's biggest tours, ahead of Madonna - the 2002
tour has had to put on extra shows in each market, five in Boston
last week, seven in Philadelphia, the four sellouts in Hartford.

     Four sellouts ties a Civic Center record set twice before by
Joel, an obvious Hartford favorite. "And I don't even sell
insurance!" he says.

     The show has changed through the years, this time including a
salute to George Harrison and a trio of new songs from John's latest
album, "Songs From the West Coast."

     Joel, who hasn't released a pop album in nine years (the last
was the #1 "River of Dreams," with the video filmed in a Glastonbury
tobacco barn), alters his set by pulling out more obscure songs from
the past.

     "Sometime we'll give the audience a choice," he says. "We pick
some obscure songs, and depending on the audience reaction, that's
the song we'll do."

     "We did this last night in Boston. I think one song
was 'Vienna' from 'The Stranger' album; another was 'Summer,
Highland Falls' from 'Turnstiles,' and 'Don't Ask Me Why'
from 'Glass Houses.' ("Don't Ask Me Why" won.)

     "I don't think the show should be all hits," says Joel, who has
racked up 33 Top 40 hits, "even though the majority of the audience
does want to be familiar with what you're playing. I think if you
just play hit, hit, hit, you're not really representing yourself -
you're not really representing the body of your work.

     "I'm not all just about Top 40 hits," he says. "I think a lot
of our reputation goes back years and years and years of having what
they called album cuts. Songs like 'Scenes From An Italian
Restaurant' and even 'New York State of Mind' have not been singles.

     "But then again, you can't do too many of them, because then
you see people starting to go to the bathroom. So it's a balance."

     "New York State of Mind" is taking on a life of its own,
becoming like "Just the Way You Are" before it, an accepted standard.

     "It seems to have had longevity," Joel says. "At this point, it
does resonate, doesn't it? In light of events in New York, it took
on a whole other life as well."

     Joel sang it, with an FDNY hat on his piano, for the "America:
A Tribute to Heroes" telethon and again at "The Concert for New York
City," where he also played the obscure, strangely appropriate sci-
fi song "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)." That
song, from his 1976 "Turnstiles," has become part of his current
live show as well.

     Later this month, "New York State of Mind" is up for a Grammy,
from Joel's duet with Tony Bennett on the latter's "Playin' With My
Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues."

     "That came out of left field," Joel says of the nomination. The
six-time Grammy winner appreciates the recognition. "The fact that
Tony wanted to do it and a number of other really great singers have
wanted to do this song means a lot to me," Joel says. "It's like one
of my kids went off and became successful."

     His daughter - Alexa Ray, now 16 - is planning her own career
as a singer-songwriter.

     "I want her to take her time," the proud papa says, "because
one of the worst things you can do is come out, viewed as a pop teen
recording artist, and then never be able to be taken seriously again
when she got older.

     "So I'm trying to hold her back. I'm saying, 'Look, just keep
writing. Write, write, write; get a lot of experience in the
recording studio and in singing and working with other musicians;
and when you get to be college age and get to be in that Alicia Keys
phase, that's a good time to come out.'"

     Keys, at 21, is perhaps the best example of a contemporary pop-
based pianist, songwriter and singer.

     "She's really, really young, and she's quite poised for her
age," Joel says of Keys. "She's got a great voice, and she's
terrific at how she arranges her stuff, too. She's put together a
very good band; her sound is good."

     But, Joel adds, "I think she has a lot to live up to in terms
of how she's been critically received. Her first album is being seen
as this masterwork, and it's not there yet. She's got a lot of
potential; she's got a ton of talent. But I hope she has an
opportunity to grow."

     "I was fortunate," he adds sardonically, "in that critics made
sure I didn't peak too early."

     Of other contemporary acts, Joel says, "I like Train; I think
they're good. I like Ben Folds."

     Generally, he says "It's hard for me to keep track. I don't
follow things like I used to. I'm a kind of dial spinner in the car,
and my daughter will point out things she thinks are good. And that
gets me to listen.

     "A lot of times, I'm listening to someone on the radio, and I
have no idea. I say, 'Well, who's this?' And my daughter will
say, 'Well, that's Nelly Furtado.' And I say, 'Well, I thought a
frittata was an Italian dish.' And she says, 'Oh, no, no, she's
really, really big.'

     "Then I'll say, 'Who's this?' And she goes, 'That's Pink.'

     "I don't know who's what anymore. But there's stuff that I
like, and there's stuff I don't like. Just like always."

     Although more than 19,000 fans were in the mood for a melody,
Billy Joel wasn't and canceled last night's FleetCenter concert with
Elton John, according to FleetCenter President Richard Krezwick.
Joel notified FleetCenter officials that he was sick yesterday
morning and requested the performance be postponed, Krezwick said.
The show, the last in a series of five sold-out concerts, has been
rescheduled for April 3rd, 2002 at 7:30pm. The original tickets will
be valid for the rescheduled concert, he said.

     Billy Joel and Elton John postponed tonight's joint concert at
the FleetCenter until April 3rd, 2002 because of an undisclosed
illness to Joel, a FleetCenter official said.

     The show was supposed to have been the last of five critically
acclaimed, sold-out performances that the keyboard wizards had been
performing in the Hub since last month. The concerts have been the
highest grossing multi-night run in the history of Boston arenas,
FleetCenter spokesman Jim Delaney said.

     Saturday night's nearly 20,000 disappointed fans still will be
able to see the superstars perform together soon because all tickets
will be honored on April 3rd, 2002, the Wednesday night makeup date.
Delaney said information about ticket refunds will be posted on the
FleetCenter web-site as soon as it becomes available.

     Some concertgoers attending last Thursday's show noted that
Joel gave an abbreviated performance that night, an indication he
wasn't feeling well.

     Though the FleetCenter tried to get word out about the
postponement in the morning, some ticketholders didn't hear about it
until later.

     "I found out while I was working," said Jim Coviello of
Wakefield. "My daughter called to tell me she heard about the
show...on the radio.

     "Needless to say, I was disappointed. But I'm also glad they
didn't end up putting on a concert where one of them was less than
100 percent."