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Elton John · S2 E6
The Troubadour
August 25, 1970. A Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Neil Diamond, Quincy Jones, and the entire industry watch an unknown British pianist set the room on fire
August 25, 1970. A twenty-three-year-old British pianist peers through the curtain at a 300-seat club on Santa Monica Boulevard and sees Neil Diamond, Quincy Jones, and Leon Russell staring back at him.
Elton John -- Burn Down the Mission. One of the songs performed that night at the Troubadour. This is where the reserved piano man disappears and the rock and roll showman arrives, standing up from the bench and attacking the keys.
Stage Fright
Elton is paralyzed backstage. The audience is full of music royalty, the reviews will make or break his American career, and he is a pudgy kid from Pinner with glasses. His crew has to physically encourage him to walk out on stage. He sits down at the piano, plays the first few bars, and something shifts.
TAP TO REVEAL: How close did Elton come to not performing?
The Troubadour, West Hollywood
The 300-seat club where Elton John conquered America in a single night. The stage is still there.
“Rejoice. Rock music has a new star.”
— Robert Hilburn, Los Angeles Times, 1970
Who wrote the famous 'Rejoice' review of Elton's Troubadour debut?
Indian Sunset -- Elton John
From Madman Across the Water (1971), recorded in the year after the Troubadour triumph. Nearly seven minutes of dramatic storytelling, with Elton's vocal shifting from a whisper to a roar. It captures the theatrical ambition that the Troubadour audience witnessed that night.
From unknown to the most exciting live act in America in twelve months. Next season: three albums a year and the most outrageous showman in rock and roll.
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