Elton John: Here And There

• Format: Vinyl, Remastered, Black

• Released: 2018

• Purchase: Amazon

//MINI REVIEW

Elton John's 1976 double-live set captures the flamboyant piano man at two career-defining moments—an intimate 1974 performance at London's Royal Festival Hall and a bombastic stadium showcase at New York's Madison Square Garden later that year. The contrast between the two venues reveals the full scope of John's artistry: in London, he's the consummate showman working a smaller room with theatrical flair and delicate piano flourishes, while at MSG he unleashes pure rock-and-roll fury backed by a full band that transforms songs like "Rocket Man" and "Bennie and the Jets" into arena-sized anthems. His voice soars with equal power in both settings, hitting those signature falsetto peaks while his left hand hammers out gospel-tinged chords that would make Jerry Lee Lewis jealous. The sequencing between the two concerts creates a dynamic push-and-pull that keeps the double album from feeling bloated—you get the intimacy and the spectacle, the introspection and the excess. This is Elton John proving he could command any stage, any size, anywhere in the world, and make it look effortless. Essential listening for understanding why he became one of the biggest live draws of the '70s.