14. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (Elton John - Live In Stuttgart: 5/15/1984)

After uploading Copenhagen 1984 yesterday, I realized that while it’s one of the funniest gigs Elton has done in the era, it’s not an accurate representation of the European Express Tour as a whole. This tour leg is full of fantastic concerts and outstanding performances from Elton and the band which will be documented in audio form to the best of my abilities on this channel. After going through some potential candidates for a strong European show to be uploaded, I have decided to upload this concert from Stuttgart. This is a massive difference compared to Copenhagen with this concert ranking pretty highly for the tour leg! This is an upgraded copy compared to previously uploaded versions (thanks to "EltonStuff") with decent quality and being mostly complete aside from some cuts and “One More Arrow” missing everything before the first chorus. This is a slightly special show in a way since this is the earliest circulating tape from the European leg that has the “classic” setlist for the respective leg. “Teacher I Need You” and “Island Girl” would be swapped out for two songs from Elton’s upcoming Breaking Hearts album in the form of “Restless” and “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” respectively.

The band are in amazing form tonight with everybody sounding fantastic and sounding really focused for the nearly 2-hour set. Elton is in amazing vocal form with him singing extremely powerfully on every song and he really shows off every aspect of his voice during the set. His upper range is clean when he wants it to be, his belts are great, and his falsetto shines (even in this quality). If you want Elton in great vocal form for this tour, this gig is a fantastic example! Now, time to go into the synopsis sections!

“Tiny Dancer” features Elton singing clean overall, but he also amps up the vocal power by belting the song more than usual. “Hercules” has fantastic musicianship (especially from Dee) and Elton sounds especially strong during the chorus sections. “Rocket Man” has Elton singing some of his strongest Bb4s in the verses and the improvisational section is among the best from the tour as really goes for great notes. The musicianship is also fantastic overall. “Daniel” ranks highly as Elton’s voice is very strong and compliments the prowess of the band. “Restless” has Elton flubbing the lyrics in the first verse, but otherwise sings a great early version of the song. “Candle In The Wind” boasts an extremely clean embellished ending from Elton and everybody sounds excellent on the performance. “The Bitch Is Back” is among the elite versions of the song live as Elton sounds phenomenal with some of his cleanest belts being showcased. The rest of the band feed off his performance and really turn it up a notch. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” sounds amazing with Elton belting the song with great passion and does a nice embellishment in the second verse. “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” sounds great for being an early version and Elton sings the song fairly close to the record (in terms in phrasing and tone). “Bennie And The Jets” features Elton doing amusing phrasing in the third chorus and generally sounds like he is having the time of his life during the performance. “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” is another great version for the tour leg and “Philadelphia Freedom” features some powerful singing from Elton!

“Blue Eyes” sounds excellent with Elton showing off his lower and middle ranges excellently. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” is one of the best versions from the tour as Elton is extremely focused with his vocal delivery and does a great balance between his cleaner voice and the overdriven belts that he tended to do on this tour. “Kiss The Bride” is an elite version with the vocal harmonies sounding amazing in the chorus sections and Elton giving a fantastic vocal effort. “One More Arrow” is sadly cut, but what we have showcases Elton’s great control and soft tone. “Too Low For Zero” is among the best-ever versions recorded live as Elton is in total control of his vocal and does excellent alternative melodies and embellishments. The vocal harmonies are also excellent throughout the performance. “I’m Still Standing” is one of the stronger versions from the tour leg as Elton really gives more power than usual to the vocals. “Your Song” is a surprising version (considering the tour leg) as Elton holds back on the embellishments/oversinging and sings lines closer to 70s live versions. “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” is an excellent and aggressive version with Davey sounding juicy on the guitar. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” ranks among the top versions from the tour as Elton slays the vocals and his falsetto sounds amazing in general. “Crocodile Rock” sounds amazing on this show with Elton sounding strong and Dee’s bass work being brilliant. Finally, “Song For Guy” highlights the excellent atmosphere and the crowd clap along to the song!

ENJOY!!!