Elton John has just released his best album in years - "Songs
from the West Coast" (Rocket/Universal). And it's no accident
that the disc's such a pleasantly solid surprise. For starters,
Bernie Taupin, the lyricist who collaborated so closely with him on
all those classic '70s albums, is back, and so is that sly sense
of melody that made "Daniel," "Your Song," and "Someone Saved My
Life Tonight" such enduring classics. And along with Taupin, John
invited guitarist Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson - the two players
who formed the core of Elton's '70s bands - to return to
active duty, not just on the CD but also for the tour that brought
them to the FleetCenter for five sold-out nights of performance,
beginning a week ago Tuesday and finishing up this Saturday.

     The bad news is that John has once again opted to share the
spotlight with fellow piano man Billy Joel. The gimmick is simple -
you get Elton John and Billy Joel, two mainstream
heavyweights, "Face 2 Face" on one stage. What that amounted to a
week ago Tuesday was an opening segment devoted, as Joel put it,
to "mushy love ballads" in which John and Joel sat facing each other
at giant grand pianos, Elton in an outlandish hot pink get-up that
resembled pajamas turned into a formal suit, Joel in a cool and
reserved black blazer. They duetted on "Your Song," "Just the Way
You Are," and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," with Elton
letting Billy handle the lion's share of the vocals. And then,
poof, Joel and his piano were gone and Elton was left to lead his
band through a full set of oldies peppered with a couple of tracks
from the new disc. For all his flamboyance, John is an artist who -
20 years after writing a self-assertive anthem called "I'm Still
Standing" - not only knows his limitations but is comfortable with
them. So he didn't even try to hit the high notes on the chorus
of "Rocket Man," and he more or less let the songs he and Taupin
have written together speak for themselves.

     Joel, on the other hand, seemed determined to prove that age
hasn't taken anything away from him except, perhaps, a bit of hair.
He showboated to no end at the piano, and he sang "Scenes From An
Italian Restaurant" as if he were trying to impersonate Mariah
Carey. It was embarrassing and, to my ears, unbearable. So I left. A
full set of prime Elton John is what I'd come for, and a full set
of prime Elton John is what I got.

FleetCenter - Boston, MA
Date: January 31st, 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)
Ballad of the Boy In the Red Shoes (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (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)
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)

FleetCenter - Boston, MA
Date: January 29th, 2002

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)
Ballad of the Boy In the Red Shoes (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (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)
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (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)

     Billy Joel and Elton John's current "Face 2 Face" tour features
a spectacular light show, video screens, and two talented backing
bands...all of which were completely overshadowed Thursday night
(January 24th, 2002) by two chubby, balding, middle-aged guys who
know how to play the hell out of a piano and whose voices are as
powerful as ever.

     After taking the stage for the second night of their five-
night, sold-out Boston engagement - Joel dressed entirely in black
and John clad in a bright pink, rhinestone-bedecked suit - the pair
spent a total of almost 3 hours and 45 minutes cranking out hit
after hit.

     Joel and John's current co-headlining tour is the pair's fifth
such outing since the mid-'90s, and continues to be one of the
biggest draws in the concert industry, with ticket prices ranging
from $45 to $175 and sold-out, multi-night runs already lined up
throughout the Eastern Seaboard.

     From the onset, the pair strove to give the crowd its money's
worth. Seated behind massive grand pianos, the veteran singer-
songwriters demonstrated their remarkable playing abilities and
signature vocal styles. Both feats were successfully translated
through a well-mixed sound set-up that kept each star's performances
crisp, clear and in the forefront.

The duo got things started with three duets before each took a turn
delivering a full solo set. John was up first, and he delighted the
audience with an arsenal of hits that included "Someone Saved My
Life Tonight," "Philadelphia Freedom," "Take Me to the Pilot"
and "Rocket Man."

     Slipped amid the hits were "I Want Love," "This Train Don't
Stop There Anymore" and "Ballad of the Boy In the Red Shoes," three
songs from John's latest album, last year's "Songs from the West
Coast." Those were the only songs of the entire night recorded
during this millennium, and while well received, failed to elicit
the kind of audience response garnered by the more well-known fare.

     Between numbers, John walked his way around the stage, shaking
hands, signing autographs and waving his appreciation to each corner
of the full arena. He ended his solo set with a surefire crowd-
pleaser, his '70s-era hit "Crocodile Rock."

     Joel then took command of the psyched-up audience for a raucous
set of his own that began with his much-loved "Scenes From An
Italian Restaurant." For all of their similarities, the entertaining
contrast between him and his British counterpart were clearly
evident from the onset of the American's performance.

     Whereas John's more ballad-oriented set elicited standing
ovations between songs, Joel's up-tempo performance kept the crowd
on its feet almost non-stop. Subtle differences were noticeable as
well. While the eccentric John had between songs sipped from a can
of soda that rested in an ornate, four-legged ice bucket kept
nearby, Joel opted for several disposable plastic party cups set
atop his piano. And while John had kept the between-song chatter to
a minimum, Joel hammed it up, much to the delight of his fans.

     "Thank you, Boston," he said during his first talk break, and
then took a stab at affecting a Boston accent. "After the show, I
hope you can remember where you pahked ya cahs."

     He also joked about the poor job he did earlier in the day
while cutting his own hair, which was cropped so short it was barely
visible. "It's not like I can't afford to pay somebody to cut it,"
he quipped. "But, let's face it: it's not about having less hair;
it's about getting more head."

     Joel, who has not released a new album of pop material since
1993, took a moment to plug his latest release, "Fantasies &
Delusions" - a collection of his own classical compositions
performed by pianist Richard Joo - but assured the mainstream crowd
that his set would be devoid of such material. "I think we'll pretty
much stick with the old shit," he said, eliciting cheers.

     And that's just what he did, barraging the audience with a
litany of hits that included "Allentown," "Movin' Out (Anthony's
Song)," "Prelude/Angry Young Man" and "I Go To Extremes." The latter
number saw the pumped-up performer kick away his piano stool as he
hammered away on the keys.

     Joel, a native New Yorker, preceded his classic "New York State
of Mind" by thanking Boston for supporting New York City in the wake
of September 11th, 2001.

     "I'd also like to thank you for showing up," he said, then
joked, "I mean, it's one thing to pay those outrageous ticket
prices - we really appreciate that; my kid's gonna go to Harvard -
but a lot of people have agoraphobia these days... So thanks for
coming out."

     He then praised his co-headliner, as well, saying that he
was "proud to be working with an Englishman. That's another country
that stepped up to the plate [after September 11th, 2001]."

     The night's most bizarre and simultaneously most hysterical
moment also came during Joel's set, when the stout performer
strapped on a guitar, headed to the front of the stage and said that
his longtime guitar roadie - a man he introduced as "Chainsaw" -
would join the band for a tribute to Australian rock group AC/DC,
whom Joel lamented has now been twice overlooked for induction into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

     "Chainsaw" - dressed in a black T-shirt and black jeans, and
weighing in at somewhere in the vicinity of 250 pounds, if not more -
proceeded to storm around the stage and belt out AC/DC's "Highway
to Hell," backed by Joel's band and Joel himself, who chugged
through some power chords on his electric guitar. The audience went
wild.

     Joel's set ended with the frolicking '80s-era hit "Only The
Good Die Young," after which both he and John - who was now dressed
in an aquamarine suit and matching shoes - returned to the stage for
a number of duets.

     The half-dozen shared tunes included Joel's "My Life" and "You
May Be Right," John's "The Bitch Is Back" and "Bennie and the Jets,"
and cover versions of the late George Harrison's "Here Comes the
Sun" and Jerry Lee Lewis' thunderous piano classic, "Great Balls of
Fire."

     The duo's pair of encore numbers were slower-paced, but Joel's
apropos "Piano Man" - during which the two jubilant stars stopped
the performance to listen to the capacity crowd belt out the chorus -
was a fitting finale.

     It's 1am on a Wednesday when "Piano Man" Billy Joel shuffled
into the Bristol Lounge at the fab Four Seasons, still jiggy from
his FleetCenter gig with Elton John.

     An hour later, the pop superstar was sitting at the piano,
belting out tunes and throwing a free concert for "The Longest Time"
for the only people left in the bar - Billy's band, the bartender
and two very happy patrons!

     "It was excellent. One of the most fun nights I've ever had,"
said Scott Pelletier, a chef at the White Star Tavern. Pelletier was
lucky enough to be in the Bristol having a nightcap with his
fiancee, "Uptown Girl" Hillary Russell, when Joel decided to get in
a little late-night piano practice.

     "There were probably only 10 people at the bar when he came
in," said Pelletier, who was at the fab Four for a dinner prepared
by celeb chef Charlie Trotter. "He sat down and had a couple glasses
of red wine. And then when everyone left - except us, because we
weren't going anywhere! - he sat down at the piano and started to
play."

     Pelletier said Joel, who had just performed a rockin,' sold-out
show with Sir Elton that went on for nearly four hours, played
mostly classical and new stuff in the bar for another two hours.

     "It was just random stuff," said the chef. "He'd play a little
something, then ask the band, 'What do you think?' Then he'd try
something else. When the bar closed, the bartender left, and it was
only me, Hillary and the band. He played until about 4, then he
stopped and said, 'I think I'm going to bed now. I'm outta here.'"

     "And So It Goes."

     "Scott said he and Hillary were so blown away by the impromptu
show, that they've decided what their first song will be as man and
wife when they tie the knot March 2nd, 2002: If you guessed "Just
The Way You Are," well, "You May Be Right!"

FleetCenter - Boston, MA
Date: January 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)
Ballad of the Boy In the Red Shoes (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (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)
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (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)

     Talk to the experts and they'll agree that ever since September
11th, 2001, many concert fans are gravitating to familiar, feel-good
performers who take their minds back to better times.

     Enter, then, the warm and fuzzy Linus blankets of rock and
roll - Billy Joel and Elton John. The two "Piano Men," with a
collective 75 years of experience, have sold out five FleetCenter
shows.

     Tickets cost up to $175 - meaning stadium-sized, million-dollar-
plus grosses each night. Last night's 3-hour, nostalgia-drenched
opener was a glorious display of craft and rock and roll heart, but
it was actually too long, if you can believe that.

     Billy and Elton each played lengthy headlining sets, but it
would have been better if they had tightened those up and had played
more together. This "Face 2 Face" tour was only face to face for
three songs at the beginning, then a more generous eight at the end,
but that end came late.

     That said, the evening was a stellar display of music and
showmanship, as each artist, propelled by the unwritten competitive
atmosphere, went all out to seize the audience. And each did.

     Elton's set was the more party-oriented, and Billy's the more
pensive (with several references to September 11th, 2001). Each was
outstanding in its own way.

     A confirmed New Yorker, Joel thanked the Boston audience for
its support after September 11th, 2001 - and said how proud he was
to be on tour with the English Elton, who is "from a country that
stepped up to the plate" during the crisis. Joel also took time to
perform "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)," his song
about apocalyptic events in New York that was written years ago. It
was a perfect choice for "The Concert for New York City" that he and
Elton played a couple of months ago.

     It wasn't quite as perfect last night - many people didn't
recognize the little-known tune, but those who did appreciated it.

     Joel and John emerged at the start (with Elton wearing an
iridescent pink suit that Liberace would have loved) to harmonize
on "Your Song," "Just The Way You Are" (which Joel dedicated "to my
ex-number two" wife) and "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me," which
John dedicated to "one of my ex-husbands," as the sold-out crowd of
18,500 roared.

     When came Elton's long set, weaving from hoary rockers such
as "Philadelphia Freedom" and "Rocket Man," through new tunes like
the John Lennon-esque "I Want Love" and a compelling AIDS
number, "The Ballad of The Boy With The Red Shoes." He finished
with "Crocodile Rock," bowing to fans who were already hoarse from
singing along.

     With no set change, Joel and his band then took over, opening
with the masterful sketch, "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant." He
moved from lullabyes and hard-rockers, before hitting some September
11th, 2001 bases and finally peaking with "Only The Good Die Young."
Then Elton rejoined him for a thrilling, if delayed, climax that
included the Beatles "Here Comes the Sun" (dedicated to Peggy Lee,
who passed away Monday) and "Bennie and the Jets," among other
nostalgic nuggets that were just what this crowd needed to hear.

     Last night, Elton John and Billy Joel kicked off five sold out
shows at the FleetCenter with a magnificent three-hour and 45-minute
performance that began and ended with perhaps their best-known
songs, "Your Song" and "Piano Man."

     While they couldn't be more different songs and people - Joel
the swaggering New Yorker with the cynical piano bar number, John
the flamboyantly fabulous Brit with the sweet sentiment - the pair
were justly feted by a sold-out crowd whose hopes were rewarded with
a terrific performance from the twin giants of piano pop.

     The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers began the night by saluting
one another under side-by-side video images of the Union Jack and
the Stars and Stripes and playing a short set trading verses
on "Your Song," "Just the Way You Are," and "Don't Let the Sun Go
Down On Me."

     John and his stalwart band hit the stage first covering many
years of his career with a somewhat odd setlist. Highlights included
an incredibly galvanizing, almost religious run through the
fervent "Levon," the lilting new single "I Want Love," a
dramatic "Take Me to the Pilot" and a surprisingly swinging "I Guess
That's Why They Call It The Blues." While John's playing was
impeccable and his voice smooth, if missing its high end, one longed
for more substantial songs then zippy hits like "I'm Still Standing"
and "Crocodile Rock." The crowd loved them, however, singing along
with the cartoony la-las and applauding heartily.

     If Elton got more bona fide standing ovations, Joel managed to
keep people on their feet for most of his set playing some of the
best uptempo numbers in his catalog including exuberant
opener "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant," "Movin' Out (Anthony's
Song)," the frenetic "Prelude/Angry Young Man" and the driving "I Go
To Extremes."

     Or should I say, zooming, since somebody definitely gave
Liberty DeVitto his pep pills last night. Joel's long-time, famously
hard-hitting drummer pushed the tempos on several songs almost to
the point of disaster. At times it added an exciting edge and at
others it seemed like Joel had to struggle to keep up especially on
the rapid-sung "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant."

     But to his credit Joel was in great voice, hitting many of
those old high notes with gusto and surprising sustain on songs like
the pleasingly chugging "Allentown" and the now poignant "Miami 2017
(I've Seen the Lights Go Out On Broadway)."

     While separately each man and his band had moments that were
truly sublime - John's riveting, soul-drenched outro of "Rocket
Man," Joel's simply gorgeous growing pains ballad "Vienna" -
together they were unstoppable, pushing each other with playful
competitiveness.

     When the fiftysomethings regrouped the energy was crackling as
they vamped their way through "The Bitch Is Back" - which found Joel
strutting atop his piano - boogied loosely through a stomping "You
May Be Right" - which found Elton giving Joel a mid-song massage -
"Bennie and the Jets" and Jerry Lee Lewis' rollicking "Great Balls
of Fire."

     A poignant note was sounded when John dedicated the late, great
George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun" to the recently deceased
Peggy Lee. The song's shimmering harmonies and tight rhythms - with
the respective bands admirably combining their efforts - were a
lovely tribute to both the Beatle and the torch singer.

     A few quibbles: John's divine "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On
Me," with its dramatic crescendos seems like a much more logical
encore choice - both musically and for Joel's voice - than the more
somber and played out "Candle In The Wind." Joel could spend less
time doing his stand up shtick. While he's often very funny, with
the limited time frame, more playing would've been preferable.

     But these two obviously have a great time playing together and
that translates to the audience in an incredibly fun and
exhilarating way.

FleetCenter - Boston, MA
Date: January 22nd, 2002

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)
Levon (EJ)
Ballad of the Boy In the Red Shoes (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Dirty Water (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Vienna (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Opus 8. Suite For Piano (Star-Crossed)
I. Innamorato (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (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)
Candle In The Wind (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

     Billy Joel has a simple perspective on his tour with Elton John
that arrives at the FleetCenter tomorrow for five sold-out concerts.

     "This is just a case of joining up with another piano player
and rather than being the 'Piano Man,' this is the Piano Band," he
said.

     "This is the way it works," he said of the tour that is just a
few dates old and will last until April. "We start together. Then
Elton will do his own set, and I do a set of my stuff, and then he
joins me at the end."

     The pair performed at Foxboro Stadium a few years ago. Joel
said this tour will be different.

     "The stadium shows were longer just because of the scope of the
production, so there was a little more interplay. We'd actually walk
on during each other's set. But in a coliseum, there is a certain
group coming just to see Elton and a certain group coming just to
see me, with a certain...hopefulness we'll each do a certain amount
of our own songs," he said.

     "But what you want in the dynamics of a show like this," Joel
added, "is a big, strong, rousing finish. So you ain't gonna get any
ballads at the end, folks - it will be rocking out!"

     With one obvious exception. The keyboard kings have been doing
George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun" each night. "Elton knew
George. He had a good relationship with him," Joel said. "We thought
we had to mark his passing somehow, and that's just a great George
Harrison song.

     "It also has a hopeful message, a hopeful quality to it, and
the last year was just so horrific for everybody, so I guess I'm
George Bush and he's Tony Blair, and we're kind of in an alliance
here."

     Joel wanted to set the record straight about his future as a
performer. Though his most recent recording, "Fantasies &
Delusions," is a classical album, he said he has not turned his back
on pop concerts or even pop records.

     "If I get ideas for good (pop) songs, I'm not going to stop
myself from writing. Is it possible I will record another pop album
or song? Absolutely.....what I did say is that I will never tour
again the way I had been touring for most of my career in these
marathon one to two-year rock and roll tours. That, I can tell you,
I will never do again."

     But touring with Elton John for just a few months is a
different experience, Joel insisted. "We're working together. It's a
team effort, and the dynamic is very different from working on our
own. Sometimes Elton leans on me, sometimes I lean on him, sometimes
we kick each other's butt... There's a very healthy competition
going on up there onstage."

     And it isn't always easy going. "You have to be in good shape
because there is a certain athleticism to what we're doing. The
older you get (and both singers are now in their early 50s) the
harder it is to hit the high notes and have all the breath control
you need," Joel said.

     "The sheer volume coming off the stage is also really quite
jarring after a certain age. It's all almost like an amusement park
ride," he said. "There's the sound of the crowd, and the lights in
your face. Your vision gets more sensitive as you get older, so the
lights and the sheer volume can actually get painful. So you feel
your heart and blood pumping, your ears are pounding. It's sensory
overload up there. You have to be prepared."

     Joel didn't know if this tour will finally produce a live album
of their collaborations, though he did say they are recording each
night.

     Asked if he and John had tried doing any writing together, he
said, "We actually sat down once and started to put a song together,
but the way we both go about writing is totally different."

     "He gets a batch of lyrics handed to him and starts writing
music for it. I start writing the music, and if I like the music,
then I start thinking about the words," Joel explained. "So our
styles are really unsuited, but writing together is not out of the
question if we figure out how to do it."

     Joel already has a new project waiting for him when this tour
ends. Choreographer Twyla Tharp is putting together some dance
routines based on several of Joel's pop and classical works. The
project, with the working title "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,"
is expected to open in Chicago in June.

Location: MCI Center - Washington, DC
Date: January 20th, 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)
Levon (EJ)
Ballad of the Boy In the Red Shoes (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (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)
Opus 8. Suite For Piano (Star-Crossed)
I. Innamorato (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (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)

     Billy Joel says if he'd been in a band they would have split up
years ago.

     He says being solo for more than 30 years has had its
advantages.

     But his current American tour with Elton John is different.

     "I was the guy. And I brought a band with me. Now let's say
since 1970 I've been doing this. If I had been a band, man, I would
have hated my guts. I'm one person. I can't break up," said Joel.

     "When I went with Elton, it's different than just being Billy
Joel. It's Billy Joel and Elton John. I get to play Elton John music.

     "He plays my music. We play both our music together. I play
with his band. He plays with my band. We play piano on our own. We
jam. We have piano duels. It's kind of like joining a piano band."

Location: MCI Center - Washington, DC
Date: January 18th, 2002

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)
Ballad of the Boy In the Red Shoes (EJ)
Levon (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop There Anymore (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Summer, Highland Falls (BJ)
Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (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)
Candle In The Wind (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

     When piano men Billy Joel and Elton John united for some
stadium shows a few years back, the dates were an instant success.
The fans ate them up, the box office phones rang off the hook, and a
new show-business power duo was born. And that's not an easy thing
to give up, especially once the promoters saw what a cash cow Billy
and Elton could be.

     "There is so much pressure to keep doing this," Joel said
recently. The promoters "come at you with buckets of money."

     Many people might wish to have such a dilemma, but Billy and
Elton have made the best of it. Both are natural entertainers who
appreciate each other's ivory-tickling skills - and share a sense of
humor that puts listeners immediately at ease. Is it any surprise,
then, that they've sold out five FleetCenter shows, which start on
Tuesday? Ticket prices ranged up to $175, but those high-priced ones
were the first to go.

     "We're joined at the hip now," Joel said. "You could call us
the Siamese piano men."

     Indeed, while the two men do play with their separate bands for
part of the show, they make a point of jamming together extensively
every night. "I do some of his stuff, and he does some of my stuff,"
said Joel. "It's like a little piano band. And I get to work with
his musicians, so there's a different dynamic from my own concerts."

They also made another discovery during the course of their Midas-
touch relationship. "For the first couple of years, we played
stadiums. Then we did a gig in an arena and said, 'Wow, this is so
much better soundwise.' So we started doing arenas. We played them
in the West Coast and the Midwest and the South, but we never got to
the East Coast to do them. So here we come."

     And Joel knows what their fans want.

     "They don't want to hear new songs. They want the old stuff,"
he said.

     Joel, however, does not want to turn into an oldies act - "I
don't want to be like Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Fabian, or the
Beach Boys" - so he continues to say that this latest tour with
Elton might be his last for performing his pop hits. Joel hasn't
written a pop song in years, having lately gone into classical music
and releasing the album "Fantasies & Delusions," which topped the
classical charts in the past few months, even though most of his pop
fans will never hear it.

     "What does a classical album sell? About 5,000 copies?" he said
with a giggle.

     Maybe that's why fans are so eager to see these Billy and Elton
shows at the FleetCenter. It's not something that might come around
again, unless the promoters have their way. And Joel recalls a
conversation he had with Garth Brooks - another singer who has
threatened to stop performing his hits - in which Joel told
Brooks, "Don't let them talk you into working if you don't want to."

     As Joel said when the profit motive is raised again, "I have
enough money."

     Time will tell, of course, but Joel is serious about his switch
to writing classical music. His brother, Alexander, is a classical
conductor in Vienna, and Joel studied classical piano for 12 years
during his childhood on Long Island.

     "I'm glad to be writing music without lyrics right now," he
said. "It leaves room for more reflection. But I won't make a
definitive decision on whether I'll ever write pop music again. I'm
letting the music lead me."

     Joel said that many baby boomers, in particular, have shied
away from classical music because of the way it was presented to
them as a snobbish, elitist genre. "We'd always hear classical
people protesting about pop music: 'Oh, you kids with your pop
music.' They looked at it as a bunch of noise. They weren't open to
our music, so a lot of baby boomers tuned them out."

     But Joel is on a crusade to "open up their ears," he said of
fellow boomers, adding about classical music that "I want to feel
it, not understand it." He urges listeners to "just hear the emotion
in the music."

     Meanwhile, though, he won't deny that he's having fun with
Elton. Their barnstorming has been lucrative - and has brought a lot
of pleasure to thousands of diehard fans.

     "Like I say, we're joined at the hip now."

     Every so often, a performance comes around so captivating that
the only thing that can be done is sit back and enjoy the show.
Elton John and Billy Joel achieved this at their sold-out concert
last night at The Bryce Jordan Center.

     Even before the show started, the anticipation in the air was
almost as apparent as the fog drifting slowly across the floor.
Then, as an orchestrated instrumental piece poured through the
speakers, two pianos ascended from the floor of center stage. With
lights dimmed, the two piano men took the stage to an eruption of
raucous applause.

     Mounting their aural arsenal, the pair traded vocals and focus,
hammering through some classics, only to climax with "Don't Let the
Sun Go Down on Me." A patchwork of purple and teal light, which
coincidentally matched John's suit, bathed the stage. This only
heightened the emotion heard in the voices of John and Joel, sending
ripples through the crowd as an orange light fell onto the audience
as the profound refrain boomed.

Each pianist then took time for a solo show, first of which was Sir
Elton. Drawing songs from every era of his career, the now middle-
aged John performed the songs with the fervor of the younger self
that composed them. The most powerful song performed was the semi-
local anthem "Philadelphia Freedom," which even saw some of the
braver souls in the crowd dancing out of their seats.

     This power of persuasion continued through as John performed
other classics, such as "Crocodile Rock" and "I Guess That's Why
They Call It the Blues."

     Taking the stage almost unseen, Joel cut right into the crowd
favorite "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant." The recharged crowd
played right into the mesmerizing Joel, whose energy could not be
ignored. Joel also matched John's local ties, performing his labor
anthem "Allentown."

     Joel even reminisced about his previous visits to Penn State.
Though he said he was glad to be back, he found it odd to be in the
same place with less hair.

     "It's not really about having less hair though," Joel
said. "It's about getting more head."

     At the request of Sue Paterno, Joel even played the rarely
done, "This is the Time." Belting out the chorus, Joel quickly
disproved his own fears of making a mistake and performed the song
flawlessly.

     Where John focused more on his melodic ballads, Joel thundered
through his loud, energetic songs. Both performers though shared a
common enthusiasm, standing to greet the crowd between songs. John
even went so far as to sign autographs for fans during breaks.

     Those attending the show last night composed an amalgamation of
long-time fans and youthful newcomers to the music. Kathryn Orobona
(freshman-division of undergraduate studies) admitted to not really
desiring to see both performers.

     "I really don't like Elton John, but I've liked Billy Joel ever
since 'We Didn't Start the Fire,' " Orobona said.

     More seasoned fans though went to, and traveled, great lengths
to see the show. Ed Nuefer of Williamsport was excited to see the
show, even though he had "middle-class seats," as he described them.

     "We traveled 50 miles for the show," Neufer said. "I would have
gotten better seats, but they were expensive."

     Even though those - young and old, parent and child, student
and alumni - came with differing preferences, all came expecting a
great show. And they were not disappointed.

     Elton John and Billy Joel continue the latest edition of their
joint "Face 2 Face" Tour tomorrow night (January 18th, 2002) with
the first of two shows at the MCI Center in Washington, DC, before
going on to multinight stands in Boston, Hartford, Connecticut,
Philadelphia, and New York City, with single dates in Tampa and Fort
Lauderdale, Florida, in the mix as well.

     The tour gives Joel a chance to perform his catalog of hits,
even though he gave up writing pop songs after his 1993 album "River
of Dreams" (his most recent release is the classical
collection "Fantasies & Delusions: Music For Solo Piano)." However,
John tells us that he doesn't think his friend and touring partner
is finished with pop music just yet: "He seems to say, 'Well, I
can't do this anymore, I can't do this anymore.' But, you know, he's
not a rock and roll artist - he's a great songwriter, and great
songwriters always write songs, and there'll be songs coming from
Billy Joel's piano again. I'm always saying, 'Come on, come on, come
on, come on,' but in good time, he'll do it again. In the meantime,
he's gone off and done something else, and he goes and does lectures
and stuff like that. He's enjoying himself. You know, he'll
admit, 'I'm just coasting at the moment,' but I don't think that
he's gonna be happy coasting."

     John might feel that way, but Joel's not so sure, and he tells
us that the process comes much easier to John than it ever did to
him: "I once watched Elton write a song, and he had a copy of some
lyrics, and he started writing music to the lyrics. And I said, 'How
the hell do you do that?' I write 180 degrees the other way - I
write music, and then I stick lyrics into it. So it's, everybody, to
each his own."

     John and Joel also performed individually and together at "The
Concert For New York City" at Madison Square Garden on October 20th,
2001. While not on the album released from the show, John's "I Want
Love" and the duo's take on "Your Song" are included on "The Concert
For New York City" two-DVD set, which comes out January 29th, 2002.

Location: Bryce Jordan Center - University Park, PA
Date: January 16th, 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)
Levon (EJ)
Ballad of the Boy In the Red Shoes (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting) (EJ)

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Don't Ask Me Why (BJ)
This Is The Time (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Opus 8. Suite For Piano (Star-Crossed)
I. Innamorato (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (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)
Candle In The Wind (Duet)
Piano Man (Duet)

     On the surface, Billy Joel and Elton John are the unlikeliest
of friends.

     One swigs from a red plastic cup, the other sips from a can
tucked into a mini cooler. One dresses in basic black, the other
opts for sparkles, blinding colors and several costume changes.

     The Atlantic Ocean might divide their homelands, but put them
in front of a piano keyboard and it's instant karma.

     Back when pop music meant melody and meaning rather than bared
navels and lip-synched pablum, Joel and John ruled with an amazing
92 Top 40 hits between them. Considering that the entire new leg of
their "Face 2 Face" tour, which launched at the MCI Center in DC on
Sunday, is sold out for multiple dates in most cities, they've
apparently retained their status as the king and queen of the prom.

     This joint outing, which the pair began in stadiums in 1994 and
continued sporadically since, is easily one of rock's most
successful franchises. Even with a top ticket price of $178, it's a
bargain at 3½ hours of undiluted music (no flying bungee jumpers
here), 36 hits and starpower.

     Fans who might have traveled last spring to Charlotte or
Greensboro, NC, the closest the arena version of the tour came,
should be pleased that the set list has been tinkered with a tad.
John is embracing a career lift on radio with his "Songs From The
West Coast" album, his strongest material in years, and has added a
handful of new tunes to his solo set. While Joel doesn't tackle any
of the classical pieces he composed (but didn't perform) for his
recent "Fantasies & Delusions" album, his performance on Sunday
indicated that a break from the road last fall has invigorated his
love of playing live.

     After embracing at center stage like a couple of friendly
tennis rivals at the start of the concert, Joel, 52, and John, 54,
retreated to their end-to-end pianos for "Your Song," "Just the Way
You Are" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me."

     While neither has ever been a pitch-perfect singer, their
voices are loaded with charisma and inflection that haven't faded a
shade. It's also true that neither piano man looks as if he skipped
out of the buffet line early anytime recently, but both appeared
happy, so what's a little extra paunch?

     Both Joel and John (in his first MCI Center appearance) took 13-
song solo spins with their bands on the open-backed stage before
regrouping at the end for even more hits on which they traded piano
licks and vocals - the highlight (at least until the audience-
sung "Piano Man") being a gorgeous "Here Comes the Sun" tribute to
George Harrison.

     During John's solo set, he tucked among the eerie "Funeral For
A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and 15-minute version of "Rocket Man"
his pointed piano ballad "I Want Love" and the heartbreaking "The
Ballad of The Boy In The Red Shoes," both from the "West Coast"
album. "Levon" found him bouncing off his piano bench with a bellow,
while "Crocodile Rock" retained its status as the anthem of
suburbanites who just love that "la la la la la" chorus.

     John's five-piece band, led by the fabulous Davey Johnstone on
guitar, is one of the tightest ensembles in the business (as is
Joel's six-piece group), and aside from some early too-weighted bass
notes, rocked solidly.

     Joel's music mix suffered frequently from an overly loud rhythm
guitar and Mark Rivera's piercing saxophone, but those are typical
opening night - and opening tour - bugs that should be rectified for
the duo's MCI return on Friday and Sunday.

     Though in recent months, Joel has trotted out "New York State
of Mind" and "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)" at
New York tribute concerts and appearances, hearing them in person
gave new reason to sigh as the memory of September 11th, 2001 re-
emerged and Joel roared through "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out
On Broadway)'s" now-haunting lyric about Manhattan, "I watched the
mighty skyline fall."

     But there was never a moment of misplaced mush, as Joel soon
ripped into a few lines of John Lennon's "Mother" when introducing
the mightily talented multi-instrumentalist - and new mom - Crystal
Taliefero, and then slid his rump across the keyboard during the
intense mental study that is "I Go to Extremes."

     By the time John and his band returned to join Joel and his
troops, there was nary a sitting body in the crowd of 20,000-plus.
It was a hoot to watch Joel lumber atop his piano for the
rollicking "The Bitch Is Back," while John decided to camp it up
with Rivera during "You May Be Right."

     But there aren't many comparable concert scenes as when Joel
strapped on his harmonica for the inevitable set-closer, "Piano
Man." Neither he nor John had much to do except play the simple
melody - the audience took care of the rest.

     It's undeniable that Joel and John are as different in style as
they are in personality, but we'll let them sing us a song any night.

     Booking two heavyweights on one show is typically a better idea
on paper than onstage. Either the performers lack chemistry, or
their rhino-size egos trample each other, or they're forced by time
constraints to deliver half-shows that never gel. The rules of
celebrity astronomy are pretty clear: Combo concerts draw crowds and
make money, but stars don't really belong in clusters.

     Unless, it turns out, those stars are Billy Joel and Elton
John. For more than three hours at MCI Center on Sunday night, these
50-plus piano men - together, then for lengthy solo sets, then
together again - demonstrated that every once in a while, more is
actually more.

     In a hit-crammed evening, two of pop's most successful
sentimentalists were a pair of plumping and cagey showmen, well
aware that their best Billboard years are fading right alongside our
memories of the Carter administration and cheese fondue. Except for
a trio of tunes from John's latest album, "Songs From the West
Coast," this was strictly a vintage jukebox kind of program. And it
went over big.

     This is, by now, a well-honed act. The "Face 2 Face" Tour is
the fourth time since 1994 that these veterans have traveled the
country together, and there is something approaching synergy here.
Joel is the hammy American, eager for a hug, happy to deflect
applause to his partner with grins and wheeling sweeps of the hand.
John, past his super-flamboyant phase of platform shoes and yard-
high wigs, is the more restrained of the two. He seems, at moments,
mildly amused by his ethnic, unbuttoned little friend.

     They are a natural pair, these former rivals to the piano pop
throne. They both experienced their Midas years, when everything
they recorded turned into one precious metal or another. They both
have survived depression severe enough to drive them to attempt
suicide. (In the early '70s, Joel checked himself in for psychiatric
help.) They both have been bludgeoned by critics, though Joel has
probably taken more lumps than John, at least early in their
respective careers.

     And they are both, to quote Sir Elton, still standing, if a
little more stiffly than a few decades ago. The night started with a
recording of "Yankee Doodle," which played on the house system as
Joel and John took the stage, saluted each other, then sat at a pair
of pianos that were faced off like sofas in a living room.

     Music and singing duties were split painstakingly down the
middle. They opened the show with a handful of duets, trading verses
on songs like "Just the Way You Are." Then Joel departed, leaving
John - dressed in a sequined turquoise suit - to condense the
highlights of his 34-year career into 70 or so minutes. Each singer
brought a band, and John's included some musicians who've been with
him, on and off, since 1972's "Honky Chateau," including drummer
Nigel Olsson and guitarist Davey Johnstone. No one's seen haircuts
like theirs since Styx broke up.

     But that's an ideal 'do for a jaunt down AM memory lane, which
is where Elton took the crowd on songs like "Don't Let the Sun Go
Down on Me" and "Philadelphia Freedom." He added a long, honky-
tonking coda to "Rocket Man," and tacked a flashy jam to the end
of "Levon." But the emphasis was on faithful reproduction rather
than artful reinterpretation; the band even re-created the odd
little clicking sounds that turn up in the lengthy prog-
rock "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," one of the greats
from 1973's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."

     "I'm just a warm-up act till Billy gets here," John said midway
through the set. Sipping Diet Cokes between songs and playing with
fingers as doughy as dumplings, John is not above a little self-
deprecating humor about his advancing years. He noted, at one point,
that actor Robert Downey Jr. and 'NSync-er Justin Timberlake had
appeared in his latest videos, adding: "Their combined age is still
younger than me.... But who gives a damn?"

     Then it was Joel's turn. Officially retired from the pop
recording world, he recently released an album of classical-sounding
piano music, which he plugged a few times but wisely refrained from
playing. Before his segment began, you had to worry that maybe his
heart wasn't in this lowbrow fluff anymore - that he'd come off a
bit like a dog who learned to sing opera but would bark on cue for a
payday. At a master class at Georgetown a few months back, it was
clear that he has at least a bit of contempt for some of his own
material.

     If he feels the same way about the rest of this music, he hid
it well. Backed by what looked like the house band from the Bada
Bing Club, Joel bounced from "Allentown" to "Don't Ask Me Why"
to "Vienna" to "Prelude/Angry Young Man" and a couple of numbers
from the days when he pretended to be Italian, including "Only the
Good Die Young." A born comedian - he wove stand-up into his act
during his lounge-singer days - he was his irrepressibly goofy self,
pausing before "We Didn't Start the Fire" for a seemingly impromptu
Elvis impersonation on "Don't Be Cruel." At another moment, Joel
soloed on the piano with his rear end.

     Measured purely by crowd minutes spent standing, Joel went over
slightly better than John, though John might have scored the night's
biggest solo applause moment with "Someone Saved My Life Tonight."
Neither man alone, however, could match the cheers they earned
together when they reassembled at the show's close for encores that
included a version of "Here Comes the Sun," "Bennie and The Jets"
and, naturally, "Piano Man." When they hugged and waved their last
goodbyes, it was obvious: Pop had finally dreamed up a twofer worth
buying.

     Sir Elton John and Billy Joel appear to be a curious duo
onstage. Mr. Joel's blue-collar ruminations capture a personal look
at the world around him, while Mr. John's tales of crocodiles, jets
and other bombastic imagery bespeak a bigger picture. Suffice it to
say Mr. John is the flashier of the pair.

     Onstage for the first of three sold-out shows at the MCI
Center, though, the duo come across as a natural, if not inspired,
combination.

     Last night, the first show of the piano men's latest double-
bill tour, came off as being as spontaneous as two expert craftsmen
could muster.

     Piano pop's elder statesmen faced each other to set the music
in motion, perched before a pair of adjacent grand pianos.

     Mr. Joel, fleshy in a charcoal suit with a turquoise
handkerchief, looked more like the classical musician he has become
in middle age than a rock star.

     Mr. John, once known for his gargantuan eyewear and bangle-upon-
bangle suits, dressed down. He filled out a turquoise suit with only
a few diamond sparkles for accent.

     The pair opened with an arresting version of "Your Song,"
possibly Mr. John's most assured and poignant ballad.

     Mr. John attacked each verse, his face hovering over the piano,
perspiring with the effort. His partner, in comparison, leaned back
to belt out the highlights, his gray goatee scratching the
microphone, arms extended to swat at his keyboard.

     Twin circular-framed video screens brought the action up-close,
zooming in repeatedly on the pair's flying fingers.

     They traded verses on a few tracks before Mr. Joel ceded the
stage to the "Rocket Man."

     "Philadelphia Freedom," "Levon," "Bennie and The Jets"
and "Rocket Man" anchored Mr. John's boisterous solo set, the
latter's piano choruses allowing Mr. John to flex his digital
dexterity.

     The more muscular the song, though, the more Mr. John's voice
became indistinguishable from his tight band's zealous mix.

     Mr. Joel fared better. Time hasn't sapped his voice's radio-
friendly gloss, nor do his better songs seem as rooted in time as
Mr. John's.

     Credit the New York native for singing about Brenda and Eddie
in the summer of '75 and keeping it timeless.

     Mr. Joel answered his friend's reserve of hits with some of his
own, from "Allentown" and "Don't Ask Me Why" to "The River of
Dreams."

     By far the chattier of the two, Mr. Joel warned the adoring
crowd that the first night of the tour represented a work in
progress. "I always like the first time, anyway," he said with a
playful leer.

     He then cranked up a sublime "Don't Ask Me Why" with the tune's
lush rhythms faithfully preserved.

     Among the evening's few missteps were a noble but clunky "Here
Comes the Sun" in tribute to George Harrison; the inclusion of the
silly, unsatisfying "The Bitch Is Back"; and Mr. John's third
costume change. When he donned a colorful wrap for the encore, it
took attention away from the music.

     Mr. Joel, as shown by his respectable impersonations of Elvis
Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis on "Don't Be Cruel" and "Great Balls of
Fire," boasts a malleable instrument. His mimicking of Mr. John on
their shared numbers, however, meant a missed opportunity to
contrast their voices and give audiences something new.

     A classic rock concert may not be the forum for exploration,
anyway. The crowd wanted the hits reproduced verbatim, and the duo
didn't disappoint. How could they, each with a songbook teeming with
rock staples, too many for even a 3 1/2-hour show to cover?

     The evening should have felt like a paint-by-the-numbers
concert, two pros cranking out their greatest hits for a throng that
would forgive them if their act showed its wrinkles.

     Instead, as their signature tunes, "Candle in the Wind"
and "Piano Man," burst forth, Mr. John and Mr. Joel made it clear
the songs felt as fresh to them as to their audience.

Face To Face 2002 Setlist

Location: MCI Center - Washington, DC
Date: January 13th, 2002

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)
Levon (EJ)
Ballad of the Boy In the Red Shoes (EJ)
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (EJ)
This Train Don't Stop (EJ)
I'm Still Standing (EJ)
Crocodile Rock (EJ)
Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting) (EJ)

Scenes From An Italian Restaurant (BJ)
Allentown (BJ)
Don't Ask Me Why (BJ)
Vienna (BJ)
Prelude/Angry Young Man (BJ)
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (BJ)
The River of Dreams (BJ)
Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (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)

Ode To Joy (Duet)
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)

Billy Joel/Elton John 'Face 2 Face' Tour 2002
(Columbia Records Press Release)

     Billy Joel and Elton John are back together in the new year for
the continuation of the pair's magical "Face 2 Face" performances
kicking off on Sunday, January 13th, 2002 in Washington, DC at the
MCI Center. Billy and Elton first toured the successful "Face 2
Face" tour in the United States in 1995 and again in 1996. The tour
was extended to Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Europe in 1998.
The 31-date "Face To Face" 2001 tour grossed $59 million.

     Early sales for the Billy Joel/Elton John "Face To Face" 2002
tour of the American northeast immediately set box office records,
selling out eleven shows in four cities with additional shows added
at each location and new cities being added to the itinerary.

     Billy Joel "Opus 10 Fantasies & Delusions (Music For Solo
Piano)", the first album of Joel's instrumental compositions, was
released on October 2nd, 2001, debuted at #1 on Billboard's
Traditional Classical chart, and has remained in the top slot for 14
weeks.

     Billy Joel has had a staggering 33 Top 40 hits since he signed
his first solo recording contract in 1972. He has received some 23
Grammy nominations - the most recent being this year's nod in the
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals category for his duet with Tony
Bennett on "New York State of Mind" - and won five Grammy Awards
including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Just the Way
You Are"; Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for
the album "52nd Street"; and Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male for
the album "Glass Houses." In 1990, he was presented with a Grammy
Legend Award for his contributions and influence in the recording
field. In 1992, Joel was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
and, in 2001, was presented with the Johnny Mercer Award, the
organization's highest honor. In 1999 he was inducted into the Rock
& Roll Hall of Fame, and he received the Recording Industry
Association of America Diamond Award for Greatest Hits Volume I &
Volume II. The Diamond Award is presented for albums that have sold
over 10 million copies, and with over 20 million albums sold, Joel's
album is the highest certified greatest hits album by a male artist.

     Joel has been very active outside his music career, donating
his time and resources to a variety of charitable causes. A longtime
advocate for music education, he first began holding "Master Class"
sessions on college campuses more than 20 years ago. "An Evening of
Questions, Answers...and a Little Music" has developed over the
years, with Joel giving sessions at colleges across the country and
around the world. In addition, he has held classes as a benefit for
the STAR Foundation (Standing for Truth About Radiation) and to
establish the Rosalind Joel Scholarship for the Performing Arts at
City College in New York City.

     For his accomplishments as a musician and as a humanitarian,
Billy Joel will be honored as the 2002 MusiCares Person of the Year
by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy of Recording
Arts & Sciences at a tribute dinner, concert and silent auction to
be held Monday, February 25th, 2002 in Los Angeles.

     The monumental career of international singer/songwriter and
performer Elton John has spanned more than three decades. One of the
top-selling solo artists of all time, he has won countless awards
including Grammys, Tonys and an Oscar with 35 gold and 24 platinum
albums to his credit. Elton's current CD, "Songs From The West
Coast," has been critically acclaimed and has just been nominated
for a Grammy Award for "Best Pop Album." He has a second Grammy
nomination for "Best Pop Male Vocal Performance" for the first
single off the album "I Want Love." The second single "This Train
Don't Stop There Anymore" features a video starring Justin
Timberlake as Elton John during the 70s. Elton recently received the
Radio Music Awards 2001 Legend Award. In 2000, he received the
Grammy Legend Award and was honored as the MusiCares Person of the
Year by the MusiCares Foundation and the National Academy of Arts
and Sciences.