Tour De Force (tour)
Encyclopedia
In November and December 1986, Elton John performed his ‘Tour De Force’ across Australia. The Tour De Force was a first in John's live performances. It was the first time that he had performed a full tour with an orchestra. The tour travelled Australia including eleven concerts in Melbourne
and eight in Sydney
.
The show was set in two halves. The first half would be like any typical Elton John concert with John and his band. The second half of the concert included the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
.
The concerts consisted of two sets: the first was limited to John and his 14-piece band, including backing vocalists and the Onward International horn section, and his flamboyant stage dress, featuring Mohawk and Tina Turner wigs and some outlandish eye wear; the second featured John, the band and the 88-piece Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, with John dressed more classically in a powdered wig and late 18th century/mid-19th century style formal wear.
The shows typically were approximately three hours long and comprised thirty-four songs. The tour ended on December 17, 1986, at Melbourne's Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre. In June the following year, Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
was released showcasing the best of those shows the previous winter. The music that was released was recorded on December 14, 1986, at the Sydney Entertainment Centre
, which was the penultimate show of the tour.
A home video release commemorated the concert and was originally released on both laserdisc and VHS. A version of the Laserdisc program has surfaced on DVD. Of the "Elton & His Band" portion, "Daniel" and "Medley: Song for You, Blue Eyes, I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" were issued in 1988 as bonus tracks on the Rocket maxi-single for "A Word in Spanish" (UK/Europe only) as EJSCD 18, 872 299-2. The audio from "Carla/Etude" from the concert appeared on the "To Be Continued ..." boxed set.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and eight in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
The Show
The show that John performed was a product of five months of planning and countless rehearsals. It was the first time he had performed in Australia for two years.The show was set in two halves. The first half would be like any typical Elton John concert with John and his band. The second half of the concert included the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...
.
The concerts consisted of two sets: the first was limited to John and his 14-piece band, including backing vocalists and the Onward International horn section, and his flamboyant stage dress, featuring Mohawk and Tina Turner wigs and some outlandish eye wear; the second featured John, the band and the 88-piece Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, with John dressed more classically in a powdered wig and late 18th century/mid-19th century style formal wear.
The shows typically were approximately three hours long and comprised thirty-four songs. The tour ended on December 17, 1986, at Melbourne's Melbourne Sports and Entertainment Centre. In June the following year, Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Live in Australia with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is a live album by Elton John and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra recorded at the Sydney Entertainment Centre on 14 December 1986. The concert was the last of a series of concerts done throughout the last two months of 1986...
was released showcasing the best of those shows the previous winter. The music that was released was recorded on December 14, 1986, at the Sydney Entertainment Centre
Sydney Entertainment Centre
The Sydney Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose venue, located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished to make way for a new railway. The centre is currently owned by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, which administers...
, which was the penultimate show of the tour.
Working with the Orchestra
James Newton-Howard, who was at the time an up-and-coming film composer in Hollywood, joined John to conduct and write larger, augmented charts of not only his own previous work on "Tonight", but also Paul Buckmaster's original arrangements, since the music was to be played by 88 musicians, instead of the smaller studio orchestra for which the compositions were originally designed. He also wrote brand new full orchestra parts for songs such as "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", which previously only had horn arrangements.Recordings
John's live sound engineer, Clive Franks, handled the recording of the band (assisted by Keith Walker and Dennis Fox), while album producer Gus Dudgeon supervised recording of the orchestra by Leon Minervini and Nic Jeremy. Dudgeon took the tapes back to Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands for mixing with engineer Graham Dickson, who had also worked on "Leather Jackets."A home video release commemorated the concert and was originally released on both laserdisc and VHS. A version of the Laserdisc program has surfaced on DVD. Of the "Elton & His Band" portion, "Daniel" and "Medley: Song for You, Blue Eyes, I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues" were issued in 1988 as bonus tracks on the Rocket maxi-single for "A Word in Spanish" (UK/Europe only) as EJSCD 18, 872 299-2. The audio from "Carla/Etude" from the concert appeared on the "To Be Continued ..." boxed set.
Tour dates
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 5 | Brisbane Brisbane Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of... |
Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
Brisbane Entertainment Centre Brisbane Entertainment Centre The Brisbane Entertainment Centre is a centre, located in Boondall, a Brisbane City suburb, in Queensland, Australia.The arena has an assortment of seating plans, which facilitate the comfort of its users, subject to performance. Specific seating plans usually are allocated, depending on the... |
| November 6 | |||
| November 7 | |||
| November 10 | Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... |
Sports and Entertainment Centre | |
| November 11 | |||
| November 12 | |||
| November 13 | |||
| November 14 | |||
| November 15 | |||
| November 16 | |||
| November 17 | |||
| November 18 | |||
| November 25 | Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000.... |
Perth Entertainment Centre Perth Entertainment Centre Perth Entertainment Centre is a former indoor arena and cinema complex, located in Wellington Street, in the city centre of Perth, Western Australia.-History:... |
|
| November 26 | |||
| December 1 | Sydney Sydney Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... |
Sydney Entertainment Centre Sydney Entertainment Centre The Sydney Entertainment Centre is a multi-purpose venue, located in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia. It opened in May 1983, to replace Sydney Stadium, which had been demolished to make way for a new railway. The centre is currently owned by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, which administers... |
|
| December 2 | |||
| December 9 | |||
| December 10 | |||
| December 11 | |||
| December 12 | |||
| December 13 | |||
| December 14 | |||
| November 17 | Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater... |
Sports and Entertainment Centre |
Personnel
- Elton JohnElton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
- lead vocals, piano - Davey JohnstoneDavey JohnstoneDavey Johnstone , is a Scottish rock guitarist and vocalist, best known for his work with Elton John.-Career:...
- lead guitar, backing vocals - David PatonDavid PatonDavid Paton is a Scottish bass and guitar player, most notably with three different bands: Pilot, The Alan Parsons Project, and Camel. He has also worked as a solo artist, session musician, and sometime vocalist...
- bass guitar - Fred MandelFred MandelFred Mandel is a keyboard player and guitarist.Mandel became involved in music from an early age. He started playing the piano and age 4 and picked up the guitar aged 8...
- keyboards, rhythm guitar - Charles MorganCharles MorganCharles Morgan may refer to:* Sir Charles Morgan , military governor of Bergen op Zoom* Charles Gould Morgan, Sir Charles Morgan, 1st Baronet , Member of Parliament for Brecon, 1778–1787, and Breconshire, 1787–1806...
- drums - Ray CooperRay CooperRay Cooper is an English musician. He is a session and road-tour percussionist, and occasional actor, who has worked with several musically diverse bands and artists including George Harrison, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. Cooper is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow...
- percussion - Jody LinscottJody LinscottJody Linscott is an American session musician and percussionist who resides in England and maintains an extended discography. She has two daughters and has written two children's books which were published by Doubleday, both edited by Jackie Onassis...
- percussion - The Melbourne Symphony OrchestraMelbourne Symphony OrchestraThe Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Melbourne, Australia. It has 100 permanent musicians. Melbourne has the longest continuous history of orchestral music of any Australian city and the MSO is the oldest professional orchestra in Australia...