Elton John - Elton 60 - Live From Madison Square Garden [2007] (DVD)

Sixty Years On! Elton John has produced a dozen or so concert DVD's, but this is the ultimate in entertainment. Recorded on his 60th birthday at his 60th performance at Madison Square Garden, this DVD excels in pure entertainment satisfaction. Over two DVD's you witness thirty-three classic songs from over the last five decades including such little performed gems like, "Hercules" and "Roy Rogers". The standards like, "Crocodile Rock" and "Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" are also lent out in slightly new versions that more than please. Unlike the Madison Square Garden show he previously released with shots of fans over-riding the stage show; this one showcases those people as well as dozens of famous political, musical and acting celebrities. Robin Williams and Whoopie Goldberg bring on a fantastic, "Happy Birthday" and Bernie Taupin, who never appears on stage, gives a heart-felt salute to Elton on his birthday. It's all amazingly good fun and very emotional. The light show is fantastic and the sound is pin-point perfect with a large young choir singing backstage that enhances the performance like no other Elton John has given. It truly feels like the celebration in New York City that night was something very special. That's not all. This double disc set also includes eighteen "live, rare & unseen" performances from over the years that are a stunning reminder of what a fantastic musician Elton John is. On top of that, there is a section called, "Elton's New York Stories" that includes four personal emotional song videos of Elton that just pack more of a whollop you would not expect. The sound quality (DVD, dts, 5.1) is superb enough to hear audience members actually talking and the band never sounded more crisp. Add to that an extensive booklet of liner notes and you have a keeper of a Birthday celebration. Elton John - you are a spectacle of a celebration!

THERE ARE NO EXTRAS Beware, There are NO extras on the Blu-Ray Version, just the whole concert. So, if like me you really wanted all the unseen, rare footage of Elton, DONT expect to get it on the Blu Ray version. Get the 3 disc DVD insted

Great Show Spoilt By Continuous Camera Panning Onto The Audience A superb show. Great stage set and a set list that would make most EJ fans go weak at the knees! Yellow Brick Road in particular was heavily plundered with Roy Rogers and All The Girls Love Alice standout tracks. I recommend you make a cup of tea during the latter stages of Rocket Man as Elton for some reason elongates the end of the song by several minutes and with a back catologue as extensive as his I could not really see the point of wasting these precious seconds. And why ruin a great concert experience by continually moving the camera away from the stage onto the D list celebrities trying to dance in the audience? The more you watch this DVD I guarantee the more this will irritate you. No sorry, there is one thing more irritating. Robin Williams! A complete embarrassment and he totally ruined the introduction of Bernie Taupin onto the stage. But as a DVD package this is a must have for any EJ fan. Here's to the next 60. Happy Birthday Elton!

Stunning! Celebrating his 60th birthday on stage, Elton gave a wonderful show. For more than 3 hours, Elton goes from his famous hits to much rarer songs such as High Flying Bird or Where To Now St Peter?. It's a great set list and makes for one of the most entertaining shows available on video. I did get to see the DVD of this concert and while the picture quality was very good, I was a bit disappointed by the audio. I do however like Elton and as a newcomer to the Blu-Ray world thought I'd add that one to my collection. I was right to do so. This Blu-Ray release is simply stunning. Both audio and video are absolutely top notch. The 1080p picture is amongst the best shot-on-HD picture available. The level of details is unbelievable and the colours leap from the screen (Just look at a close up shot on the drums!). This is a massive upgrade over the already very good DVD. The PCM 5.1 audio track is, well, simply breathtaking and can't be faulted. You probably need to buy a new amplifier to enjoy it, but this is certainly worth the expense and demonstrates how the new HD formats improve the sound as much as the picture. My only criticism with this release is that it doesn't include any extras (even though I've read that the extras included in the DVD box set would be included, they are no where to be found. No mention of them on the box or in the menu). At the end of the day, Elton's fans simply can't miss this one. For everyone else, this is an amazing disc to put in and demo your system and watch a great show.

best-ever visual Elton John What a revelation this package is and how glad I am that I bought it. Elton should be proud of himself for reaching 60 and playing his 60th gig and Madison Square Gardens. What a great venue that is and how well it lends itself to the pomp and intimacy of an Elton John show. There are too many highlights to enumerate and I like to keep my reviews to the point; but the visuals, which have often been rather blurry in previous Elton DVD's ,are superb in this show and add a new dimension. The gospel-type choir, which features on quite a few tracks, is absolutely lovely and reminds me how many types of music have influenced our hero. He performs an outrageous variety of songs and is extremely good-natured throughout, as he ought to be, of course, with a mass of celebrities in the audience. Well done to the reviewer who has created some of the extras on the video package. I loved the 'Your Song' montage, with one line delivered from various shows from the years gone by. I haven't had time to see everything yet but this is a very, very good value edition. I won't write any more because I'm going to go and watch the DVD.