Billy Joel and Elton John Slide Past Early Inning Error fora Night of Home Runs at Nationals Park

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Elton John and Billy Joel pieced together a truly wondrous collection of piano-fueled rock classics proving that these days with the right kind of double bills coupled with the right kind of material, you clearly get what you paid for, and more.

Typically in an event on a baseball field, early errors cost you. But when it’s two rock idols on the field, you rally, and you win.

Elton John and Billy Joel both played center field at National Park on Saturday night, and despite an epic equipment malfunction, it all fell into place, because hey, you know what, they still got the chops.

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks Elton John playing center field atNationals Park Saturday, minutes before a piano malfunction sent him backstage seething. Despite the gaffe, it all fell into place, because Elton and Billy still got the chops.

These two Rock and Roll Hall of Famers pieced together a truly wondrous collection of piano-fueled rock classics proving that these days with the right kind of double bills coupled with the right kind of material, you clearly get what you paid for, and more.

After the two piano legends opened the show at dueling rising pianos, playing Face To Face (the tour’s moniker) versions of Elton’s Your Song and Joel’s Just The Way You Are, a jammed piano pedal on Elton’s piano halted the proceedings.

As is his nature, Joel kept things light by playing filler tunes like Glory Glory Hallellujah and Yankee Doodle Dandy, and even crawling under John’s piano himself to try and fix the problem.
"This is a king sized f–k up," Joel said. But to their adoring legions of 41,000 fans in the stands, even a stuck pedal couldn’t phase their excitement.

Elton stewed long enough, ultimately disappearing underneath the stage and giving way to Joel’s truly excellent band, which launched into a rousing Angry Young Man that made the crowd forget the stuck pedal and remember why they were here: to hear truly legendary piano-driven rock music.

Joel’s letter perfect versions of Movin' Out, Allentown (the unemployment anthem Joel prefaced by saying how "very happy we are to have a job"), Just Like A Woman and Don’t Ask Me Why were followed by an utterly gorgeous version of his epic Scenes From An Italian Restaurant, which seemed to render everything before or after irrelevant.

Joel’s tender and pointed anthem of dating, marriage and its aftermath, highlighted by the touches of saxophonist Mark Rivera, was delivered in utterly perfect homage to it’s vinyl original, with the crowd reciting verbatim the exploits of Brenda and Eddie and the innocent beauty of that sweet little Italian restaurant.

Photo by Steve Houk/Local Kicks Billy Joel crawls out from under Elton John’s piano on stage Saturday night after trying to help fix his stuck pedal.

Later, Elton let his earlier frustration peel off, delivering a stirring solo set of his own, opening with the Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding prologue from his defining album "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," then getting the Saturday evening crowd going with Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.

Elton then delved into a fabulous Burn Down The Mission and Tiny Dancer. The high fives and dancing bodies witnessed during these two epic songs reinforced his place in the hearts of those who hold Elton in a position of reverie.

A high point of Elton’s set was a stellar version of his FM hit Rocket Man, with an extended jam that illustrated his willingness to let his band of flawless musicians show their best. It was a smart move by Elton and it clearly paid off.

The two masters returned to the stage for their "encore" and threw out remarkably adept duet versions of Elton’s Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me and a sing-along with Joel’s Piano Man that reminded the audience of the magnitude of their rocket-sized influence on modern rock.

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks Joel’s tender and pointed anthem of dating, marriage and its aftermath, highlighted by the touches of saxophonist Mark Rivera, was delivered in utterly perfect homage to it’s vinyl original, with the crowd reciting verbatim the exploits of Brenda and Eddie and the innocent beauty of that sweet little Italian restaurant.

Say what you will about 60 year-olds still trying to conjure up rock and roll memories.

On the field of dreams where the Nats continue to struggle this summer, these two unabating musical legends hit several home runs were Saturday night.

Contact the writer at Shouk151@aol.com.

To View a Flickr Slide Show of Local Kicks photos from Saturday's concert, Click Here