Elton John - Live in Copenhagen (May 5th, 1984)

Elton John Live in Brøndby Hallen Copenhagen, Denmark May 5th, 1984 Audience Recording Sound Quality: B / B+ Attendance: 4,500 Photo cortesy of ‪@EltonStuff‬, credits to him Audio cortesy of ‪@GregsynthWizard‬, credits to him After more than five years away, Elton John finally returned to Danish soil with this concert at Brøndby Hallen in Copenhagen on May 5, 1984. His last performance in Denmark had been back in 1979. By this point, the early stages of his struggles with substance abuse, particularly cocaine, were becoming increasingly visible. This is reflected in both his performance and demeanor. Although Elton’s voice still carries power, there's a noticeable lack of vocal discipline, with him often improvising phrasing or altering lyrics mid-song. He occasionally misses piano notes and, at times, pushes his voice past healthy limits, resulting in a raspy and uneven tone throughout parts of the set. The show opens with “Tiny Dancer,” where Elton sounds noticeably raspy and vocally worn. As the song progresses, the performance slightly improves. “Hercules” is delivered with energy, but Elton leans heavily into improvised phrasing in several sections. “Rocket Man” is a fair performance—his intonation isn’t particularly accurate, but the musical improvisation adds some character. “Daniel” also fares reasonably well, though Elton noticeably alters the phrasing, especially in the penultimate lines. “Teacher I Need You” is a solid rendition, featuring a more controlled phrasing approach, similar to other stops on this tour. “Candle in the Wind” begins smoothly but slips into excessive and misplaced phrasing near the end. On “The Bitch Is Back,” Elton sings with unrestrained power, throwing out vocal runs randomly, which makes the performance feel chaotic. In “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” his vocals sound fatigued, and he often growls through sections. The harmonies also feel off-balance and disconnected from the lead vocal. “Island Girl” stands out as one of the most solid vocal performances of the night—strong, focused, and consistent. “Bennie and the Jets” is a mixed experience: mostly decent despite some rasp, but once again filled with erratic phrasing. During the improvisational section, Elton experiments with unconventional note choices and leaves gaps in the piano part. “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” is one of the strongest performances of the set. The falsetto is well executed, the notes are on point, and Elton maintains a clean, unaffected phrasing throughout. “Philadelphia Freedom” is also more vocally controlled, though there are still moments of mild raspiness in some sections. “Blue Eyes” sees a return to odd phrasing, especially in the second verse. “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” becomes somewhat chaotic—Elton forgets the first line completely, leaving a blank moment, and nearly misses the second verse as well. He sings in a way that doesn’t match the structure, and the final section features phrasing that feels disconnected. “Kiss the Bride” is fairly solid, though Elton growls in a few places and ends the song with an overly dramatic vocal run. “One More Arrow,” by contrast, is excellent—his phrasing remains faithful to the studio version, showing a brief return of discipline. “Too Low for Zero” is an average take; Elton’s piano work near the end is somewhat clunky, and he misremembers part of the lyrics. “I’m Still Standing” is a highlight in terms of energy and vocal presence. “Your Song” is performed with more heart than was typical for this era, similar to his 1982 American versions, and he even reaches a C5 at the end. “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” finds Elton pushing his voice into uncomfortable territory, sounding hoarse and overexerted. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is solid, though not as polished as later versions from this tour. The concert closes with a playful “Crocodile Rock,” where Elton delivers an energetic performance, improvising lyrics and phrasing with enthusiasm, though he forgets a few lines here and there. Unfortunately, the recording cuts off before “Song for Guy,” which was expected to follow 1. Tiny Dancer - 0:00 2. Hercules - 6:43 3. Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time) - 11:53 4. Daniel - 21:28 5. Teacher I Need You - 25:31 6. Candle In The Wind - 30:17 7. The Bitch Is Back - 34:07 8. Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - 38:15 9. Island Girl - 43:28 10. Bennie And The Jets - 46:56 11. Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word - 57:26 12. Philadelphia Freedom - 1:01:12 13. Blue Eyes - 1:05:40 14. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues - 1:08:31 15. Kiss The Bride - 1:11:58 16. One More Arrow - 1:16:24 17. Too Low For Zero - 1:20:45 18. I'm Still Standing - 1:26:23 19. Your Song - 1:32:19 20. Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting) - 1:36:11 21. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - 1:43:20 22. Crocodile Rock - 1:46:11