"The Bitch Is Back," confirmed Elton John megaclassic, was performed with career-making vigor in front of a throng of fascinated fans at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles back in 1975. Now, in celebration of the release of Rocketman: Music From the Motion Picture, previously unseen video (featuring Billie Jean King) from those iconic shows has been shared with the world.
As the story goes, Elton played a pair of shows to more than 110,000 people just nine years after the Beatles had their own Dodger Stadium moment. At the time, the performances gave Elton the distinction of having drawn the largest one-person concert crowds.
Another pivotal song in those sets, "Rocket Man," is at the center of the fantasy-inspired recreation of 1975-era Dodger Stadium found in this month's Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton. In a press release, John praised Egerton and expressed his hesitation at being too heavily involved with the portrayal.
"I left Taron in the hands of Giles Martin, who I trusted implicitly because he's brilliant," he said. "I didn't want to be in Taron's shadows, watching over the process, I trusted them to do what they needed to do, artistically, and listening back I've been astonished with the results. Getting the music right was the most important thing, as the songs in the film are integral to the story.
The album is out May 24 (pre-order it here), featuring a new one from the songwriting duo of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, with the critically acclaimed movie from Paramount Pictures hitting theaters one week later (May 31).
