His usual band sat this one out so that he could serenade the audience with nothing but his rich voice and fine key-work for the first half of the set. Then Cooper joined him to add some rhythm to the back half, chipping in with such colorful seasonings as jazzy vibes ("Idol"; "I Feel Like a Bullet") and a military snare/timpani combo ("Better Off Dead").
While this kind of unplugged deal would become the thing to do some fifteen or so years later, it was unusual in '77, especially for such a notoriously flamboyant showman as Elton John. The scaled-back approach suited him well—well enough for the BBC to record the show and for UMe to afford it a Record Store Day release nearly five decades after the fact. As released, the set seems as unusual as the stage mates, but that's just down to the particular tracks selected for this release. While John did perform mega-smashes like "Bennie and the Jets", "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", "Daniel", and "Rocket Man" at the Rainbow Theatre gig, those greatest hits were skipped over for the single-LP presentation in favor of much deeper cuts, including two of my personal faves, the theatrical "Better off Dead" and the spooky "Where to Now St. Peter?"
That very same RSD release is now receiving a general release, which is nice for those who'd rather not stand on line for sixty-two hours to buy an album. The pressing is clear and dynamic, which is important for music so spare and subdued. It's enough to make you toss your bootleg away.
