Billy!
Just got back from the concert. Like Liz, we had the nosebleed seats; but it didn't diminish the experience any. It was so good! At first I was disturbed by thoughts of him sleeping with his 26-year-old wife (who was 14 when I last saw him in concert!) but then I realized Christie broke up with him and he'd probably still be with her if she hadn't. Then I settled back and enjoyed the show ;)
He was a little stingy with the love songs, as ever - maybe he doesn't like to sing them or they remind him of Christie? Which is a shame because in my opinion he's written some of the best ones. "Just the Way You Are," "She's Always a Woman to Me," "She's Got a Way", I could go on...He did sing "An Innocent Man" and "She's Always a Woman to Me".
At the '94 concert he said, "Last time I played here [in Massachusetts] I was a married man. NOT ANYMORE!" He also did a handstand to "Big Shot". He's no longer bitter, but not doing handstands either. When he sang "Goodnight Saigon", the lights shone on a row of soldiers at the back of the stage. He also told us he broke a record - most sold-out concerts on a tour.
At first he was playing a few too many obscure songs ("Great Wall of China", "Zanzibar"???) but then he settled into the favorites. I predicted he'd do two or three encores and he did three - "Only the Good Die Young" (which always makes me a little wistful - all the good, dead people), "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", and "Piano Man."
Does anyone else have a mental picture of Brenda and Eddie from the "Italian Restaurant"? Brenda has a round face and a big smile, with black hair cut chin-length. She's smiling as she waves goodbye. Eddie is a football player with close-cropped blond hair and a bit of a paunch as he gets older. He slaps other guys on the back and has a glass of cold beer in his hand. I liked the red and white lights to signify the bottle of red, the bottle of white.
As a nice added touch, tuxedoed waiters were circulating with cups of champagne with strawberries. The cups looked beautiful with the stage lights shining through them - pink, then gold.
When he sang "New York State of Mind" - "Some folks go to Miami Beach or to Hollywood...but I'm taking a Greyhound, Hudson River Line/I'm in a New York state of mind"...everyone was like, "YEAH."
He did take out his guitar at one point so I KNEW he was going to play "A Matter of Trust." I remember seeing the video for that nonstop in, what was it, '88? I worked with a guy once who said, "Billy, put the guitar away. Play the piano." But it was fine ;)
One of the funniest moments was when he said, "This is Chainsaw. He's going to sing a religious song." Then this crazy guy in baggy shorts started singing AC/DC, blaring "HIGHWAY TO HELL." Not what I expected ;)
He was a little stingy with the love songs, as ever - maybe he doesn't like to sing them or they remind him of Christie? Which is a shame because in my opinion he's written some of the best ones. "Just the Way You Are," "She's Always a Woman to Me," "She's Got a Way", I could go on...He did sing "An Innocent Man" and "She's Always a Woman to Me".
At the '94 concert he said, "Last time I played here [in Massachusetts] I was a married man. NOT ANYMORE!" He also did a handstand to "Big Shot". He's no longer bitter, but not doing handstands either. When he sang "Goodnight Saigon", the lights shone on a row of soldiers at the back of the stage. He also told us he broke a record - most sold-out concerts on a tour.
At first he was playing a few too many obscure songs ("Great Wall of China", "Zanzibar"???) but then he settled into the favorites. I predicted he'd do two or three encores and he did three - "Only the Good Die Young" (which always makes me a little wistful - all the good, dead people), "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant", and "Piano Man."
Does anyone else have a mental picture of Brenda and Eddie from the "Italian Restaurant"? Brenda has a round face and a big smile, with black hair cut chin-length. She's smiling as she waves goodbye. Eddie is a football player with close-cropped blond hair and a bit of a paunch as he gets older. He slaps other guys on the back and has a glass of cold beer in his hand. I liked the red and white lights to signify the bottle of red, the bottle of white.
As a nice added touch, tuxedoed waiters were circulating with cups of champagne with strawberries. The cups looked beautiful with the stage lights shining through them - pink, then gold.
When he sang "New York State of Mind" - "Some folks go to Miami Beach or to Hollywood...but I'm taking a Greyhound, Hudson River Line/I'm in a New York state of mind"...everyone was like, "YEAH."
He did take out his guitar at one point so I KNEW he was going to play "A Matter of Trust." I remember seeing the video for that nonstop in, what was it, '88? I worked with a guy once who said, "Billy, put the guitar away. Play the piano." But it was fine ;)
One of the funniest moments was when he said, "This is Chainsaw. He's going to sing a religious song." Then this crazy guy in baggy shorts started singing AC/DC, blaring "HIGHWAY TO HELL." Not what I expected ;)
Comments
It sounds like there were some similarities between the two. I wish I could see him again!
Did he wear a backwards baseball cap and act like a rapper when he did Big Shot?
Honesty is one of my faves...I can't believe he doesn't do it live!