Fan report by Scott Hollabaugh.

A day after his 62nd birthday, Elton John returned to the Valley of the Sun for another sold-out “Face to Face” show that closely resembles the 2002 concerts. Billy’s last appearance in Phoenix was two years ago, and Elton performed in Glendale, AZ, during the Peachtree Road tour in 2006. The show was outstanding, beginning at 7:45 pm and ending around 11:15 pm, and the two singers sounded great, though Billy twice used a throat spray between songs, explaining that the spray “works for Madonna, so we’ll see.”

They’ve dropped “Honesty” from the early set list, and Billy dropped “Take Me to the Pilot” from the middle of “The River of Dreams.” He also replaced “The Ballad of Billy the Kid” with the less-interesting “Don’t Ask Me Why,” but I don’t think anyone would have asked for their money back; the pair played 35 songs and well over three hours, delighting the packed U.S. Airways Arena.

In the middle of his set, Billy dedicated the song “Zanzibar” to a man he called one of his heroes, Muhammad Ali. The crowd was shocked to learn that Ali was actually in attendance, and the whole place gave the world-famous boxer and social activist a warm standing ovation. The video screens projected some Ali boxing clips throughout the song.

Elton’s voice is really powerful, perhaps in better shape than when I last saw him in 2006, and he seemed to enjoy this performance, dedicating “Tiny Dancer” to all of the beautiful women in the audience and often discussing songs’ backgrounds before playing. Both artists kept the energy-level high, and fans spent a lot of time on their feet.

Following is the complete set list of the Phoenix show on March 26, 2009:

Elton John/Billy Joel (solo)

• Your Song
  
• Just The Way You Are

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