For the subscribers that love following the European leg of the Ice On Fire Tour, I am sorry to disappoint you as this is the final available recording from the tour leg. I hope you enjoyed the uploads from this era and stick around for more adventures! This two-sourced recording from Rotterdam makes its debut on this channel for the first time and it was one of the most fun and bewildering listening experiences I’ve had in.a long time. Most of the recording is in excellent quality (the highest quality tape from the tour leg) while gaps are filled in with an average-sounding source. With the concert being musically complete, this is definitely one of the European 1986 shows you don’t want to skip!
The high quality of this show (at least the better source) really drives home the point that it has some of the best playing that this band has done on the entire tour. Along with the evening Vienna show, this show is an absolute must-listen for the musicianship alone. On the vocal side of things, Elton’s vocal damage is even more obvious (especially on the high quality audio source) as the huskiness and generally worn-out nature of his voice is extremely prominent at this show. Despite this, he still goes for demanding notes, oversings randomly, displays reckless abandon on songs, and thrashes his voice as if his vocal issues aren’t a major concern for him. While the Vienna shows had Elton extremely focused and sounding completely with it, he is off his rocker at this show and a sense of normalcy is largely ignored. Now… time to talk about the performances!
“Tonight” has rough singing and the phrasing has a bit of a chopped cadence to it. “One Horse Town” highlights the amazing band and why they are so acclaimed as players. Jody Linscott’s playing is once again prominent in the mix and Elton has fun with the vocal delivery by adding some spicy embellishments. “Better Off Dead” highlights the ragged tone that Elton has developed and also highlights why Charlie Morgan is such an amazing drummer for Elton’s music as he nails the drum parts with authority. “Rocket Man” has Elton playing around with the vocal melodies in the final chorus and also throws his voice around in the improvisational section (which has immaculate playing from the band) to see what works. “Philadelphia Freedom” has very interesting and creative changes to the vocal phrasings (along with added flourishes) along with the band displaying some of the best playing shown on the tour in general. “Burn Down The Mission” features Elton pushing his voice too hard which highlights his compromised vocal state, but he manages to still sing the song fairly well and the band sound incredible during the outroduction section. “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” showcases Elton’s ravaged tone (it has some similarities to his North American tone - although it’s stronger here) and he also changes the phrasing around to interesting results. That being said, he manages to get through the demanding song without faltering too much. “The Bitch Is Back” is an incredibly energetic performance with Elton making up random phrasing as the song goes on and the guitar work from Fred Mandel and Davey Johnstone sounds superb in the higher quality. “Song For You” has Elton singing the Leon Russell song with a husky and raspy tone that fits surprisingly well. “Blue Eyes” is sung with good control and use of dynamics despite Elton’s damaged voice. Concluding this section, “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” has unique embellishments sung by a raspy voice and the rhythm section being absolutely on fire during this performance.
“Restless” is a rocking musical version with Elton throwing his voice around in random directions. “Bennie And The Jets” is an over-the-top version with the phrasing in the last chorus being random and reckless. “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” features an enthusiastic Elton thrashing his voice and making up random phrasing along the way. “Cry To Heaven” is an elite version with the husky voice adding depth to the vocal delivery along with the musicianship being first class. “This Town” has Elton flubbing lyrics, but the prowess of the band absolutely make up for everything and the energy level is off the charts. “Nikita” has random oversinging in the outroduction and despite Elton’s damaged voice, he still effectively sings the Ice On Fire hit single. “I’m Still Standing” is oversung to death with Elton thrashing his voice in the chorus sections. “Song For Guy” is likely the definitive version from the tour leg as the high quality highlights the incredible musicianship and Elton changes the vocal melody to a slightly more melodic one. “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” features random changes to the melodies and cadences. “Candle In The Wind” has Elton coughing in the first verse but otherwise sings a decent version of the song. Lastly, “Can I Get A Witness” is an extremely playful version of the song with Elton inventing new vocal phrasings!
ENJOY!!!
