To see his hands, you would not think of a piano/rock super-star. They are chubby and rather stubby, but boy, can they tickle the ivories! Sir Elton John performed, live, on television this morning, on stage in New York City. Those individuals lucky enough to have tickets for Good Morning America's Fall Concert Series were subjected to fine, fine, super-fine live music from John and Leon Russell, who sat at head-to-head, Yamaha (presumably) concert grand pianos. The duo was showcasing some music from a collaborative album, recently released, entitled "Union". Sir Elton also performed his "Tiny Dancer" as a closer.
It was fascinating to watch the audience as the cameras panned those faces in attendance. It was a mixed-age group, with few, if any, able to stay still, whether seated or standing. I am a big Elton John fan so it was easy for me to be thrilled with what I was hearing and seeing, but when John, while talking to co-host Robin Roberts, said this was an acoustic collection of musicians and instruments, my vested interest and admiration for him shot even higher. As John said, so many performances today are electronically either enhanced or produced. He and Russell were joined by live singers, brass players, and percussion instruments. The resulting sound was stellar. It was obvious that the collaborative musicians were top-notch and the end-result did not disappoint.
There, on stage, were two older-yet-active performers who today's rock-star, wanna-bees should take notes and lessons from. Live music, well-performed is just that - good music is good music. Distractions such as pelvic gyrations, crotch grabbing, cleavage displays, ultra-short skirts, or herky-jerky dancing cannot mask the fact that the featured singer or singers cannot sing. Some of today's so-called rock stars have voices that should be able to remove plaque from teeth and whose concept of pitch or musicality could be bested by the figures in Madame Tussauds' Wax Museum.
Today's performance on GMA was a lesson in true talent. There is no substitute for it.
Ancora imparo
