Vintage San Francisco Elton John

We here at H.A.D. continue to be impressed by the sizeable concert archives being streamed over at Wolfgang's Vault. This one in particular caught our eye: It's a taping of an Elton John show from his first American tour. This was before the coke, before the costumes, and before the Lion King. Elton was touring with two other players: bassist Dee Murray and drummer Nigel Olson. The trio's performances are most notably immortalized in the live record "11-17-70", which was recorded at the A&R Studios in New York. This set, which dates from 5 days earlier, was recorded at the Fillmore West. It's completely unabashed killer rock n' roll. The band is a well rehearsed unit, and the musical integrity is unflappable. If you've ever looked at Elton John and wondered why a fat old queen who writes soundtracks gets so much respect, well, this is why.

Stream: Elton John - Live At The Fillmore West 11-12-1970