Pianos aren't just well-crafted pieces of wood with tightly wound string and hammers. They're another character in a show; set pieces that come to life in addition to giving life to a musician's performance. Lady Gaga sets hers on fire or attaches it to a mechanical bull. Elton John installs a million dollars' worth of LED screens to his. You know, a casual evening with the Piano Man.
Though experiencing the grandiose instrument in person will cost a hefty chunk of change, the full Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano experience is coming to a theater near you. Filmed at Las Vegas' Colosseum at Caesars Palace, the show takes audiences beyond the yellow brick roadto look behind the scenes at what goes into making an Elton John spectacle. Plus, it includes live performances of the Rocket Man's biggest hits. Oh, and speaking of the yellow brick road, viewers are thrown a lil' Easter egg with a never-before-seen look into the creation of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. (Psst! Did you know it's that album's 40th anniversary? Time flies, y'all.)
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Despite the Vegas-sized performance, the entire experience is rather intimate. The film really puts the focus on John and his piano. The showbiz glitz is merely frosting on the cake that is The Million Dollar Piano. "I look at it as a piece of art; I'm playing something that will go in the Smithsonian," John has said. "This idea of a piano with LED screens...it becomes cinema!" Cinematic is definitely one way to describe it. We'd have gone with extraordinary, but hey, to each his or her own.
The concert will hit the (ahem) cinemas for one night only tonight with tickets available here. Get a taste of what to expect below.
Video via YouTube.