This came out in 2004 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
His gift is his song, and this one’s for you. This one, too. Oh, and that one. And about 70 more tunes that make up Elton John‘s massive new DVD compilation Dream Ticket. Available only at big-box retailers, this seven-hour, four-disc set offers more Elton than you could shake a pair of giant sequined sunglasses at.
Disc 1 presents Elton the superstar. Originally released as Greatest Hits — One Night Only, this show from New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2000 is a rocking, star-studded affair. As Elton puts his crack band through their paces on a 27-song marathon of old faves, a parade of guest stars from Billy Joel to Bryan Adams drop in to pay their respects and belt out a chorus or two.
Disc 2 unveils Elton the sophisticate. Recorded at London’s Royal Opera House in 2002 for broadcast on the BBC, these dozen tracks feature Elton and his band backed by the stirring strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion of the orchestra from the Royal Academy of Music — Elton’s old alma mater.
Disc 3 introduces Elton the balladeer, playing 16 songs alone at his piano in the picturesque, candlelit setting of the Great Amphitheatre in Ephesus, Turkey. If it’s unfiltred Elton you want, it doesn’t come any purer than this intimate 2001 performance.
Disc 4, finally, offers Elton the nostalgist. Stitched together from a variety of old video clips and live footage intercut with new interviews, these dozen cuts take a stroll down memory lane, from the outlandish costumes of the ’70s to the Elton-free videos like I Want Love and This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore — if you want or need to see them again, that is.
Ultimately, that’s the biggest problem about the whole set: Most of it consists of footage fervent fans have already bought or at least seen. Whether they’ll see this as a Dream Ticket or just a cash-in compilation is anybody’s guess. Either way, if you buy this for the Elton lover in your house, it’s might be a long, long time before you’re watching anything else on the tube.
