Can anyone tell me how different this tour has been to any other normal solo tour?
There have been far too many of the usual fare in my view.
2054 - The Centenary Show
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verbal gymnastics
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2054 - The Centenary Show
Who’s this kid with his mumbo jumbo?
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bronxapostle
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Re: 2054 - The Centenary Show
now now VG, do NOT question our King! 
Re: 2054 - The Centenary Show
verbal gymnastics wrote:Can anyone tell me how different this tour has been to any other normal solo tour?
There have been far too many of the usual fare in my view.
from the recordings that have surfaced I would say:
"a bit different"
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docinwestchester
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Re: 2054 - The Centenary Show
Ghost Train with the pre-song explanation is worth the price of admission alone, IMO.
Re: 2054 - The Centenary Show
My take would be that the Centenary Show is a gimmick and there's no shame in that. The Wheel's a gimmick too. Both freshen things up - and keep the numbers up.
Richard Thompson does much the same thing with his Chrono Shows, Request Shows and 1000 Years of Pop Shows. He's more internet savvy - or is that internet accepting - than EC and also looks to other forms of revenue like guitar and song tuition camps as well as musical themed cruise liner trips he undertakes with other artists.
The Centenary gives a gig a sense of occasion and, y'know, the feeling of being a treat. The Wheel filled a lot more theatres than a regular Imposters tour would by virtue of reconnecting with a lot of EC's more fickle wider audience who might only go every few years, not to every tour and maybe had all but given up altogether on him. I'm guessing the Centenary shows (which seemed to originate in the solo 'come down' shows at the end of the Wheel's European leg), as well as being something EC wants to do, are designed as an indulgence for us diehards, with a few rare outings of lesser performed songs and more stage banter. And being one of those diehards I'd love to see the show!
I've gone on about this before but when EC penned an obit piece for Frank Sinatra in Mojo magazine he wrote about seeing Frank perform at the Royal Festival Hall. Ol Blue Eyes performed one obscure old album track that Elvis had always loved. Elvis wrote about how special that moment was and how he felt Frank was performing it just for him. I think Elvis rather likes the idea that he can give us that feeling too, so maybe there's something of that in the Centenary shows.
Richard Thompson does much the same thing with his Chrono Shows, Request Shows and 1000 Years of Pop Shows. He's more internet savvy - or is that internet accepting - than EC and also looks to other forms of revenue like guitar and song tuition camps as well as musical themed cruise liner trips he undertakes with other artists.
The Centenary gives a gig a sense of occasion and, y'know, the feeling of being a treat. The Wheel filled a lot more theatres than a regular Imposters tour would by virtue of reconnecting with a lot of EC's more fickle wider audience who might only go every few years, not to every tour and maybe had all but given up altogether on him. I'm guessing the Centenary shows (which seemed to originate in the solo 'come down' shows at the end of the Wheel's European leg), as well as being something EC wants to do, are designed as an indulgence for us diehards, with a few rare outings of lesser performed songs and more stage banter. And being one of those diehards I'd love to see the show!
I've gone on about this before but when EC penned an obit piece for Frank Sinatra in Mojo magazine he wrote about seeing Frank perform at the Royal Festival Hall. Ol Blue Eyes performed one obscure old album track that Elvis had always loved. Elvis wrote about how special that moment was and how he felt Frank was performing it just for him. I think Elvis rather likes the idea that he can give us that feeling too, so maybe there's something of that in the Centenary shows.
Re: 2054 - The Centenary Show
For me personally, the last few shows that have surfaced from the 'Centenary' tour are some of the strongest I've seen/heard him do in the last few years - a well-varied setlist, featuring material he's not done in a long while...& the banter between songs seems fresher somehow, a little less 'by rote' than the '...songbook' tour ended up being occasionally - which isn't knocking the '...songbook' tour at all...throw in a rendition of 'walking my baby back home', & what's not to like?