Elton John and Billy Joel "Still Standing"

Two legendary piano men, two massive grand pianos, two sound boards, two bands and two fan bases. Sounds like a recipe for a face-off, but rather than a duel, fans of pop icons Elton JohnElton John and Billy JoeBilly Joel witnessed what is billed as “one of the most successful and longest-running concert pairings in pop history” at their 3 ½ -hour Face to Face concert at Anaheim’s Honda Center on Monday, March 30th, 2009.

Having two pop giants on the stage together welcomes some comparison, but as far as the audience at the almost intimate 7,670-seat venue was concerned, the two singer/songwriters were equally admired whether singing their own songs alone, or singing each others songs together while alternating verses.

Although only two years apart in age (Joel will be 60 in May and John is 62), Joel came across as the rebellious rock star, climbing on top of the face-to-face pianos and sliding across them on his stomach while the two multi-Grammy winners played John’s “The Bitch is Back.” During Joel’s solo set, he broke out a guitar to play “Start The Fire,” and on “Still Rock and Roll To Me,” Joel sang without his piano or guitar, and worked his mike stand like a true rocker, flinging it in the air, deftly twirling it in one hand like a baton, firing it at his band, and throwing it across the stage at the end of the song for his crew to catch. John, whose orange-tinted sunglasses and black coattails were the last vestiges of his past flamboyance, needed no sequins or boa feathers to win over this crowd of hardcore fans. Even the lack of his famous falsetto, which he lost in 1987 after undergoing throat surgery to remove polyps, didn’t shake his pop-star standing.

After suffering through a few loud, distorted, bass-heavy songs in the beginning of Elton John’s set, “Burn the Rain Down” from his second album Tumbleweed Addiction, was a welcome relief where the bass finally let up, and John’s playful boogie-woogie style piano playing could shine. That was followed by a group of popular crowd-pleasers so well-known they evoked a warm ‘coming home’ feeling: “Tiny Dancer,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” and “Daniel.” Next came a version of “Rocket Man,” which showcased John’s incredible talents with a moving piano solo and soulful vocals, and ended with an extended live jam with his band. “Levon,” a crowd favorite turned spiritual revival in this live version, was followed by “I’m Still Standing,” off his 1983 hit album Too Low For Zero which returned him to the charts after a period of personal upheaval in the 1980’s due to cocaine addiction. The biggest response from the enthusiastic but restrained mostly 40-60-year-old fans was for “Crocodile Rock,” John’s 1st number one hit in the United States.

After warming up the crowd, John passed the baton to Joel, a transition that was a bit rough merely because of their differing styles. But Joel quickly connected with the crowd making a joke of his age, saying “I’m Billy Joel’s dad.” He then apologized for those sitting behind him saying they were “screwed” because “all they get is head,” in a double entendre referring in part to his baldness. But during “Allentown,” his piano swiveled 180-degrees while he was playing to accommodate the rest of the audience, and switched back and forth several times throughout the night. Joel mixed it up splicing some of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” into the middle of “Zanzibar” which was made bearable only by Carl Fischer’s lively trumpet solo. A memorable highlight was Joel’s ballad “Always a Woman,” during which the small venue became an intimate piano bar with white lights focused on Joel and his piano, and the overhead light structure seeming to disappear into the darkness. After a rousing rendition of “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” Joel continued to mix things up into a musical orgy, splicing “Surfin’ USA” into “In the Middle of the Night,” and adding a funky jungle beat that crescendoed in intensity until it ended with a quick musical stop and dramatic cut to black. Joel also played part of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” by the Righteous Brothers, as a tribute to Bill Medley who he said was in the audience. He ended his solo set with the classic “Only The Good Die Young” from The Stranger.

The night ended with Joel and John pairing up again for some of their biggest hits, and mixing it up by playing “Back in the USSR,” and “Birthday” by the Beatles for those in the audience who were celebrating. They wrapped it up with two sentimental ballads, Elton John’s “Norma Jean,” and Billy Joel’s “Piano Man,” in which John personalized the lyrics saying, “It’s a pretty good crowd for a Monday,” and garnering applause during the lyrics, “I know that it’s me that they’re coming to see.” Yes, the fans are still coming to see John and Joel who, ‘still standing,’ put on a memorable show to chase away the Monday night blues.