Customer Reviews

Elton John: The Red Piano [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Bitch is Back, indeed! One of the finest songwriters of the 20th century is well showcased on this DVD. The Red Piano's set list features some of Sir Elton John's best-known crowd pleasers and he delivers each performance with gusto. One can't help but get enraptured by his enthusiasm, and I found myself tapping my toes to a few tunes that I wouldn't even count among my favorites, ie: Benny and the Jets. There's something about seeing the songss performed live that makes them that much more engaging. Vocally, Elton is in excellent form, and though he modifies a few melodies (he doesn't hit the high notes like he used to - he leaves that to his back-up vocalists), his voice sounds rich and full.

Technically, the set design and overall visual production are remarkable and complement the music well. The sound seems especially crisp for a live performance recording. My only complaint is that the aspect ratio is the soon-to-be-defunct 1.33:1, which doesn't translate well to a wide-screen TV. Overall, I found this concert to be more enjoyable than his "One Night Only" DVD.

If you haven't had a chance to see Sir Elton perform in person, this may be the next best thing. (In fact, you get better close-ups here than you'd ever get in a theater or arena.) The concert DVD comes highly recommended to Elton John fans seeking an engaging concert that spotlights some of his greatest hits and showcases his performing personality.

Track Listing
1 Bennie And The Jets
2 Philadelphia Freedom
3 Believe
4 Daniel
5 Rocket Man
6 Answer In The Sky
7 Tiny Dancer
8 Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
9 Candle In The Wind
10 Pinball Wizard
11 The Bitch Is Back
12 I'm Still Standing
13 Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
14 Your Song

I won't say anything about the show itself... if you like Elton, you'll love the show... but quality of video is slightly better than VHS... surprisingly, quality of bonus material (which includes fragments from EXACTLY THE SAME SHOW) is much better than that of the main feature.
First AC/DC "No Bull", now Elton John "The Red Piano"... this is a rip-off... save your money, this definitely is not a hi-def video you would expect on a blue-ray disc.

I saw this show live in Vegas several years ago and wanted to see it again it was that good, unfortunately I kept missing it. The release of this disc means I can relive the show whenever I want to. It does not contain all of his hits but the stage production and sound are stellar. Even if you are a casual fan of Elton John this is a must have, you feel like getting up and singing along with the songs and may regret not making it to Vegas to see this show live.

if you love elton john like i do, this concert has an awesome sound quality & a wonderful front seat view & the back drop video sceens on the stage are wonderful too... my sister saw this concert in vegas & when she saw the dvd when she got home she agreed it is just as good on tv as in person... i highly recommend this dvd

Like two commentators above I too find the quality of the concert to be of VHS standards. The documenatry is very clear but the main reason for buying this Blue ray is the concert which is not a good blue ray standard.
I have the red piano in concert in Las vegas and it is very much as seen live. Don't pay the extra bucks for the blue ray, the standard dvd wil be just as good.

Awful. I cannot believe EJ would release such low quality video. Makes VHS look high tech. Don't waste your money

This is a really disturbing trend...companies are slapping Blu-ray labels on sub-par video discs and upping the price. And this one is a good example of that. Elton's performance is great, but if you want and expect high definition (as you should), then look elsewhere -- and don't give your money to greedy corporations who are simply looking to cash in by misleading unsuspecting customers!!

First off, I think the producers of the actual concert footage must have wanted it to be soft and grainy to give it more of a film look, because the same footage in the documentary was crystal clear! Only things is, on a blu-ray disc it comes across horrible. Buy this for the 2 cd's, which sounded great, and the documentary.

Don't waste your money I will be looking to sell this and try another Elton John concert. The video quality is a mess, sound is great however.

Why this was released in Blu-Ray I will never know. It is outright deceptive as it is not in high definition worthy of Blu-Ray and the sound quality is sub-standard. I saw this concert in Las Vegas at the Caesar's Palace Colosseum stage. The live concert was brilliant, from the top notch performance by Elton John to the spectacular stage and video screen designed by Dave LaChappelle, to the crystal clear sound system. When I saw that the concert was on Blu-Ray I jumped at the chance to own it, thinking it would accurately depict the spectacular colors on the background screen and blow me away with high quality sound. I have never been more disappointed in a video I have purchased. The video poor, colors nothing like what was seen at the live show, and sound less than equal to what was available before 5.1. There is no reason to buy this on Blu-Ray as the quality is equal to a mediocre DVD. I want my money back!!!