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The Red Piano on NBC
Wednesday, December 14 2005

Fan Review by Chris Akins.

I was anxious to see how The Red Piano would be deomonstrated on television. I had seen the show in Las Vegas this last February 2005 and will hopefully get to see the show this coming year.

Overall I must say that the television special was pretty good. I was happy with the song selection, even though "Rocket Man" was edited, but the editing was flawless and the song still soared.

There is so much that happens on that huge Colleseum stage that it is hard to get into a television screen. "Daniel" was done brilliantly, the video still gave me chills. "Candle in the Wind" was also beautiful, but much more powerful at the actual event, as the special showed audience members wiping tears from their eyes.

Then came the well-documented "Pinball Wizard". This really made me want to return to Vegas and see the Red Piano once again. There was a tremendous amount of energy coming from Elton during this song and the Las Vegas video on this song was covered well.

Then, after the commercial break "Saturday Night's Alright" started, and it was just wild. Very well recorded for the television version. I loved the different people in the audience that crowded around the piano. I also noticed the inflatable breasts hanging from the ceiling, but only for a brief second (I hope Elton doesn't take as much bullsh*t as Janet Jackson did).

Then came "Your Song", with L-O-V-E inflated across the stage. This was a great rendition, but not nearly as powerful as seeing it live (obviously).

The one complaint I do have about the special, is Pamela Anderson's pole dance was advertised, but never shown in the show. I really thought "The Bitch is Back" was going to be televised, but it wasn't, and it's a shame because Elton is so entertaining during that song.

This was The Red Piano, but thankfully it really did not ruin the experience of seeing the show in Vegas. There is so much to see in that show, and NBC captured just enough of it to make you want to see the show in its entirety.

Song List:

Bennie and the Jets
Daniel
Rocket Man
Candle in the Wind
Pinball Wizard
Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
Your Song

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