I think Nigel's drums are heavily triggered. The sound is often very enhanced and huge compared to what the elderly gentleman on the big screen seems to be playing having said that; Ray Cooper and John Mahon adds a lot (then again, the latter uses quite a lot of triggered sound )
Yeah it all sounded live/acoustic to me being there Thursday and hearing the mix last night on video! When you have a solid drummer and multiple percussionists you don't need to mime in order to obtain such a full sound
It did sound good on the Disney playback I watched. And the band were great. I just wonder if things like the intro to I'm Still Standing are playback but played over/live drums mixed in just to get the tempo right. It's not been that consistent over the years but it is on this tour. The backing vox also sounded very sweetened throughout. That said the version of Funeral/Love Lies Bleeding is one of the best I've ever seen them do. Incredible.
Nobody is saying he sounds like he did 40 years ago, but they are saying he sounded great - with no qualification. Sorry, but he sounded far from great. Calling his voice great is like saying a 50 year record is in mint condition - without noting the writing on the label and the hairline scratches because that's to be expected. I like EJ, but I'm not a mega fan, so I think I'm not seeing it through star shaped fan sunglasses.
I would say he sounds very good for his age and better than a lot of other rock stars the same age. Certainly not like when he was young and had a fantastic voice.
Many people, like myself genuinely just think he sounded pretty damn good. It isn't seeing it through "star shaped fan sunglasses" as I would certainly say he sounded old and bad if he did - but I genuinely thought he kicked ass vocally this tour and on this Disney+ stream. And it seems like I am far from the only one
Elton kicked butt. I’m a fan but completely impartial to this latter day farewell tour. I was thoroughly impressed. Just about knocked off my feet about how solid his performance was. He deserves a high five, really.
I’m about 3/4 of the way through the replay and am enjoying it. The one downside of watching it on TV rather than attending in person is that you don’t see much of what’s happening on the video boards. This was an integral part of the show I saw on the pre COVID arena leg.
I recall reading an article about Yamaha gear in Elton's rig and JM talked about how he does use electronic percussion pads, so there's definitely some of that going on. Maybe that's even bolstering what Nigel's doing.
Great point! I loved watching the videos at the show here in Atlanta. It was really well done and added to the atmosphere. I especially loved all the old Elton footage on whatever song it was. It truly was missed on the tv broadcast. But that’s why you go to the show right?
It would be cool if they'd split screen, with the live portion on one side and the video footage on the other. It does add a lot (particularly on I'm Still Standing and GYBR)
It's just too loud in the mix. And he overplays when it's just not needed. The electric glockenspiel? Why not just ask Ray to play a real one. Plus if you notice Nigel rarely plays much by way of drum fills at the end of lines or phrases in songs or even much beyond snare, kick and hi-hats eg. Philadelphia Freedom and I'm Still Standing his playing seems much more limited than 15 years ago. JM is doing some of those parts NO used to playplus extra cymbals.
He sounded pretty amazing overall, and hit high notes I haven’t heard him attempt in quite a while. Between the surgery and his age (75), I think he’s settled into his mature voice better than most “senior” artists.
I saw him live only once about twenty years ago, and I thought he sounded about the same the other night, in a good way. Obviously the real changes to his voice really happened quite some time ago. His diction has suffered a bit but I think he still sounds good and strong. My only complaint about what I saw the other night on Disney+ was that I thought they played "Love Lies Bleeding" too fast, oddly enough!
I honestly think Elton John and modern day Robert Plant deserve some of the most props for knowing exactly how to use their lowered registers in a way that results in a different, but very graceful way to try and sing your older stuff. Both of them are killing it still in 2022
sounds promising imo, as I think most uptempo songs are played too slow, and have been for quite some time
Nigel is basically keeping time these days. Even back in 2000 he's on record saying he doesn't like to play the uptempo songs, cause he prefers the ballads. Now, the majority of the set is mid tempo and slow tempo, and Nigel's style/sound etc fits perfectly. However, for quite some time, at least a decade, maybe two even, the uptempo songs have been dragging. Some songs would benefit greatly if a different drummer had been there
agree 100%. Elton's voice has changed / dropped a lot, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's different, and he is clever in how he uses it. Sure, I wish Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Someone saved my life tonight were in the original keys. On the other hand, I think Border Songs sounds better than ever
I actually think they have been dragging less on the Farewell tour than before. Which makes me think there is some playback or at least playing to a click during intros. I do wonder if they had Charlie Morgan back, for example, alongside Nigel if it might have spruced things up a bit...
I wonder why they dropped Daniel from the setlist during the tour? One of his signature tunes. Maybe he’s sick if it. Good to see he’s still on form. The difference between his and Kiki Dee’s performance a case in point.
