The Louder Than Concorde Tour was a concert tour by English musician and composer

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

, in support of his 10th studio album ''

Rock of the Westies ''Rock of the Westies'' is the tenth studio album by English musician Elton John, released on 4 October 1975. The title is a spoonerism on the phrase "West of the Rockies", the album having been recorded at Caribou Ranch in the Rocky Mountain ...

''. the tour included two legs (United Kingdom and North America) and a total of 62 shows.

Tour

John and his band recorded the '' Blue Moves'' album (and No. 1 hit single "

Don't Go Breaking My Heart "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" is a 1976 duet by English musician Elton John and English singer Kiki Dee. It was written by John with Bernie Taupin under the pseudonyms "Ann Orson" and "Carte Blanche", respectively, and intended as an affection ...

") in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in March 1976, and began touring the UK on 29 April in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

. This leg of the tour, which included a midnight show in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, ended on 4 June in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

. On 29 June 1976 in Landover, Maryland, the eastern half of the US got the newly named "Louder Than Concorde (But Not Quite As Pretty)" tour, a testament to the onslaught John and his ferocious band were delivering to a country in the midst of its Bicentennial celebration. On 4 July 1976, John played Schaefer Stadium near

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943) is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 major titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States ...

sang backing vocals and John slipped " Holiday Inn" in to the 20-song set list, a unique event on this tour. Part-way through this leg of the tour,

Ray Cooper Raymond Cooper (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician who has worked as a session and road-tour percussionist. During his career, Cooper has worked and toured with numerous musically diverse bands and artists including Elton John (as ...

fell ill and was forced to miss roughly a dozen shows. Ever the punsmith, John declared that the missing percussionist was "Ray Cooper-ating from surgery." The tour concluded in mid-August with a record-breaking seven sold-out nights at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

. For these shows, John and the band shared the stage with the New York Community Choir and performed encores with Kiki Dee,

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

and the drag queen,

Divine Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine

. As this week was winding down, John notified the band that he was taking a break from touring and the group soon disbanded.

Tour dates

Set list

Grow Some Funk of Your Own "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" is a song by English musician Elton John. It was released as a single in 1976 from the album ''Rock of the Westies''. It shared its A-side status with "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)". The song wen ...

# Goodbye Yellow Brick Road #

Island Girl "Island Girl" is a 1975 song by English musician Elton John. It was written by John and his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin and released as the first single from the album ''Rock of the Westies'' (1975). It reached number one for three w ...

# Rocket Man #

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

# Bennie and the Jets #

Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" is a medley of two songs written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It is the opening track of the 1973 double album ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road''. The fi ...

# Love Song ( Lesley Duncan cover) # Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds (

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

cover) #

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is a song written by English musician Elton John and his lyricist Bernie Taupin. It was originally recorded by John for his eighth studio album, '' Caribou'' (1974), and was released as a single that peaked a ...

Empty Sky ''Empty Sky'' is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Elton John, released on 6 June 1969. It was not issued in the United States until January 1975 (on MCA), with different cover art, well after John's fame had been established ...

# Someone Saved My Life Tonight #

I've Got the Music in Me "I've Got the Music in Me" is a pop song by The Kiki Dee Band, released in 1974. It was written in 1973 by Bias Boshell, Kiki Dee Band's keyboardist. It is also the title of a Kiki Dee Band album released in 1974 and re-mastered and re-issued wit ...

( Kiki Dee cover) # Philadelphia Freedom # We All Fall in Love Sometimes #

Curtains A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditorium ...

# Tell Me When the Whistle Blows Encore: # Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting # Your Song #

Pinball Wizard "Pinball Wizard" is a song written by Pete Townshend and performed by the English rock band the Who, featured on their 1969 rock opera album ''Tommy''. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reached No. 4 in the UK charts ...

(

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

cover)

Tour band

– lead vocals, piano * Davey Johnstone – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals * Caleb Quaye – rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Kenny Passarelli – bass guitar, backing vocals * Roger Pope – drums *

James Newton Howard James Newton Howard (born June 9, 1951) is an American film composer, music producer and keyboardist. He has scored over 100 films and is the recipient of a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, and nine nominations for Academy Awards. His film scores ...

– keyboards,

electric piano An electric piano is a musical instrument which produces sounds when a performer presses the keys of a piano-style musical keyboard. Pressing keys causes mechanical hammers to strike metal strings, metal reeds or wire tines, leading to vibrations ...

, synthesizer *

– percussion * Cindy Bullens – backing vocals * Jon Joyce – backing vocals * Ken Gold – backing vocals

References

External links

Information Site with Tour Dates
{{Elton John Elton John concert tours 1976 concert tours