Elton John / Billy Joel

Jeffrey Lee Jul 17, 2023

MUSIC
By Mike Joyce - The Washington Post - July 21, 1994

Alone and together, Billy Joel and Elton John made a spectacle of themselves at RFK Stadium last night, celebrating their Top-40 successes and over-40 endurance to the sellout crowd's utter delight.

Joel arrived first onstage, flanked by giant murals depicting the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack. Hung over the center of the stage, as if marking common ground, was a banner inscribed with the words "Heart and Soul." John strolled on moments later, and after embracing, the two collaborated on a series of engaging duets -- facing each other at grand pianos, trading verses on "Your Song" and "Honesty," sharing harmonies, ovations and quips. Joel dedicated the latter song to the National Enquirer, which zealously covered the breakup of his marriage with Christie Brinkley, while John smiled broadly and knowingly.

If their kinship was obvious from the outset, so was the affection the crowd held for both of them. Fifty thousand fans -- young, old and in between -- treated the evening as if it were a once-in-a-lifetime event. The tour certainly was a first. Whether the 21-day partnership, officially dubbed "The Face to Face Tour," will ever be repeated is anyone's guess, but if it isn't it won't be for lack of ticket buyers.

When John's band emerged, adding rhythm and harmony to the mix, the two singers revived "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" nearly right on cue, as daylight gave way to shadows. For the next 75 minutes of the 3 1/2-hour show the stage belonged almost exclusively to John and his band. Looking entirely unlike his formerly flamboyant self in a white dinner jacket and dark slacks, he opened his set with a faithful and rousing version of "Philadelphia Freedom" before fashioning an ornate, baroque-to-boogie prelude to "Take Me to the Pilot." He then charged that song, "Levon" and "Rocket Man" with a potent combination of R&B inflections and gospel spirit, only to lose the momentum with a plodding, overwrought rendition of "The One."

Rebounding with "New York State of Mind," a tribute to Joel, John wistfully crooned the sentimental lyric over a lush and dreamy arrangement. The balance of the set had several highlights, including a crowd-fueled version of "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" (with Joel sitting in) and one resounding low light -- a video-accompanied version of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," basically a commercial for "The Lion King."

After the intermission, Joel countered with "I Go to Extremes," pounding the song into shape with his hands and butt. Throughout the set he was far more animated than John, jumping on top of the piano during "Big Shot" and mimicking a hip-swiveling Elvis during "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me." He also made his alliance with John seem like something more than merely an extremely lucrative pop merger. "I was a fan of his before I married my first wife," he said before launching a luminous version of "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "and after being married to my second wife, I'm still a fan." If the feeling wasn't mutual, John did a great job of masking it when he later joined Joel onstage, adding to the rhythmic swagger of "My Life."

Though Joel's voice lacked John's winning tunefulness, the emotional sweep of his music and his band's versatility were consistently impressive, encompassing nearly cinematic storytelling ("Saigon Nights"), tender reflections ("Goodnight, My Angel") and lots of crafty and contagious Top-40 fodder ("It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" and "Only the Strong Survive").

For the encores, the pair were united again and sent the crowd home singing "Bennie and the Jets," "It's a Hard Day's Night," "Candle in the Wind" and other hits.