Elton John | Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding - Live 1977 Wembley

This may just be the best performance of FFAF/LLB Elton’s ever done! In 1977 Elton took a break from touring, and in this exact show even announced his retirement! (He was back on tour less than two years later.) For this one off charity show in Wembley, Elton called on longtime band member Davey Johnstone and his newly formed band China, which included the legendary keyboardist and composer James Newton Howard and percussionist Ray Cooper, whom Elton would exclusively tour with throughout 1979. Gone is Elton’s signature Steinway piano, as it was loaned out to the legendary Freddy Mercury during the year. Here, we see a Hamburg Steinway as a substitute, probably taken from the Steinway vault. The original tape had a slight hissing noise, with some static in the background that was easily removed. The audio was EQ’d to better separate each part of the mix, allowing for a truly spectacular listening experience!