Elton John is finally heeding longtime fans' requests to finally perform a show featuring only deep cut album tracks. Elton, whose ongoing "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" world tour has been sidelined by Covid, spoke about such a show to Record Collector, admitting, "I'm lucky to have so many great songs to play every night. But there is a point in time where you think, 'I don't really want to play this anymore. There are things like 'Original Sin' (from 2001's Songs From The West Coast) or '(Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket' (from 1975's Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy) that I haven't really played before — not enough anyway. But if I have to go back and play 'Crocodile Rock' again, it's like, 'I'm gonna kill myself.'"
Elton went on to say, "After I've finished this tour, I don't want to play some of these songs any more. . . I’d like to do something like Kate Bush, where I can do a show and play some of these songs that are deep cuts."
Elton John's musical director and longtime guitarist, Davey Johnstone, told us that Elton has long been considering fitting in a few rarities gigs for the die-hard fans. Johnstone explained that what the uber-fans want is different from what the vast majority of concert-goers are paying to see: ["Maybe, let's say, 10 percent hardcore fans who think that the tour should be deep cuts and stuff we never heard. But, y'see that's so unrealistic, because as much as I love playin' these songs and listening to them, it's not what your average guy wants."] SOUNDCUE (:17 OC: . . . average guy wants)
Johnstone, who joined the original Elton John Band in time for the 1971 Madman Across the Water sessions, explained what the super fans can look for somewhere in the near future: ["Y'know, down the road, we're thinkin' maybe, occasionally we'll do a small show here and there where we'll include, basically all deep cuts and all interesting songs that nobody would expect us to do."] SOUNDCUE (:13 OC: . . . us to do)
Elton John is next scheduled to perform on September 1st at Berlin, Germany's Mercedes Benz Arena.