Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 30, 2014

There may be no candelabrum on the piano, but in just about every other way, Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano makes it more than abundantly clear that Sir Elton is the heir apparent to one Władziu Valentino Liberace. For both of these keys players, the show was at least as important as any musical statement being made, and Million Dollar Piano simply elevates the glitz and glamour that has almost always been a part of Elton’s stage performances to Las Vegas proportions (appropriate, considering the venue of the show). This is a huge floor show replete with giant projections (including on the side of a specially constructed and very expensive piano), a battery of lights and other bells and whistles that no doubt delighted the (probably) mostly middle aged audience who used to groove to Elton back in the 1970s and 1980s. Elton moves through an agreeable set of hits, sounding relatively vigorous even if his voice isn’t quite as supple as in days of yore. But again, it’s ultimately not the music that matters in something like this: it’s the stagecraft, and in that regard, Million Dollar Piano shows every last penny of that inimitable sum.

Elton set list consists of:

1) The Bitch Is Back
2) Bennie And The Jets
3) Rocket Man
4) Levon
5) Tiny Dancer
6) Your Song
7) Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters
8) Better Off Dead
9) Indian Sunset
10) Blue Eyes
11) Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
12) I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues
13) Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me
14) Philadelphia Freedom
15) I’m Still Standing
16) Crocodile Rock
17) Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting
18) Circle Of Life
19) Song For Guy

Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. Despite indulging in the typical red and blue hued stage lighting, this release is generally incredibly sharp and clear looking, with deep, solid blacks and convincing contrast. Colors are bold and very vividly saturated. The interlaced presentation occasionally presents very minor transitory issues like combing artifacts, but this is otherwise a very enjoyable, stable looking presentation.

Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both audio options, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0, present excellently clear and faithful accountings of the music. The 5.1 mix does have noticeably more ambience, with a more spacious rendering of the music. There's a bit more ambient crowd noise in the surround mix, though, something which may slightly distract some listeners. Fidelity is top notch and there are no problems to report.

Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making The Million Dollar Piano (1080i; 23:04) is a nice promo for the show, along with a thinly disguised infomercial for Yamaha, Elton's longtime endorsement partner.


• Live in Kiev (1080i; 20:36) contains performances of "Candle in the Wind", "Sacrifice", "Sad Songs (Say So Much)", and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me".

Elton John: The Million Dollar Piano Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I mentioned in my Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Blu-ray review how some accuse Elton of having become something of a hack, and while that impression probably won't be altered in any significant way by this showy bit of Vegas extravaganza, it at least proves that the star is at least an energetic hack. The song choice here is quite good, emphasizing both some of his early classics and a few of his later hits. His voice isn't quite what it was in his prime, but his piano playing and general showmanship are still completely intact. Recommended.