Monday, August 02, 2004

So where the hell have you been?

Oh, I've been around. Here's a recap of the recent events...

1. Writing was nonexistent last week as we had various cataclysms befall the office environment, and I'm hoping today for a cataclysm-free day.

2. Part of the cataclysm was the result of work performed at the end of Thursday maintenance, which had begun at 2 AM. The maintenance went great, but at 6 AM, the standard server reboot resulted in a blank screen.

3. I'm compiling in my head the first phases of Jarren's Year Two video and trying to figure out a good song. Many people applauded last year's effort, which used John Mayer's "Bigger Than My Body" for its audio track. I am stuck for a song that fits the following criteria:

  • Has to be released in Calendar Year 2004.
  • Has to be cheery and upbeat, having no lyrical references to death, overt sex, or anything that would seem wildly inappropriate to accompany still pictures and video of a little kid.
  • A good bass line for me to cue the pictures to would be nice.

4. Saw the Elton John show at Caesars Palace this weekend. In terms of sheer concert spectacle, this was beyond ridiculous. When the last song before the encore concludes with confetti shooting out of an inflatable breast that's twenty feet tall, you're a shade over the top, huh? The set list as I can remember it had about 12 songs on it, maybe 15, and the wife felt this was a shade light considering the $175 ticket price.

I was marveling at certain ironies in the production. For those of you that don't know, the Colosseum at Caesars Palace is home base for Celine Dion, the hollering Canadian songstress who got herself a permanent gig here so that she could raise her kids ensconced in Lake Las Vegas. One of the features of the venue is a video screen, roughly the size of a Jumbotron and with incredible clarity. It's apparently a huge part of Celine's show. Well, Elton John's incorporated it, too. A lot of the video ties in well to the songs, most memorably when a 40-foot high Pamela Anderson is cavorting on a stripper pole during "The Bitch Is Back". But during "Rocket Man" he chose to show the video from "That Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore." You may have seen it a year or so ago; Justin Timberlake looks like late-70's Elton John, walking through corridors backstage before he gets to the stage door, lip-syncing the song. Elton John does not appear in the video. Paul Reubens plays his agent/assistant. There is the usual assorted cast of freaks that you would expect at a late 70's event; there's a Liza Minnelli look-alike, satin jackets, running shorts. The only thing that wasn't visible in the video was a pile of cocaine the size of a basketball. Well, Justin merely walked during this version, probably so he could get accustomed to the giant jewel-encrusted sunglasses.

We had seats in the front row of the first mezzanine on the far right side, so I had a good view of the audience, and more of them appeared to be paying attention to the giant television, watching some dumb pop star pretend to be Elton John, then the actual Elton John, who had the Red Piano at stage left. I think at this phase in his career, that's how he wants it. Music and spectacle, and he doesn't have to run around in the Donald Duck costume anymore.

Overall, I was impressed. I mentioned to Natalie at the end, "All we have to see now is Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino, and we will have seen all of the great rock piano players of all time." Forgotten from that list was Ray Charles, who would have been a good show, but left us sooner than I could see him. And Little Richard, who we saw for free, played a four-hour show, and he's about 20 years older than Elton. That was one of the most impressive shows I'd ever seen, and it was well past the time when he was a hot ticket.

More later, and it won't take over a week this time. Honest.

-2


No comments: