Elton John LIVE at The Troubadour, LA 1970 - Sixty Years On

With a live version of the song "Sixty Years On" from Elton John's eponymous album, here are some actual audio and video clips from Elton John's historic American debut at the Troubadour Club in Los Angeles in August 1970.
Elton John, piano & vocal
Nigel Olsson, drums
Dee Murray, bass

"Sixty Years On"
Words & Music by Elton John & Bernie Taupin
©1969 Dick James Music, Inc.

[crumbsmusicmedia]

Remember it well, wonderful to have been there!

[genenie]

He's one of the greatest of our generation.

[jamesb]

I wish I grew up in the 60's to see the many stars born at the Troubador.

[wideBob]

I saw Elton in 1970. He WAS a madman, dancing on his grand piano. At one point, he stood on his head and played the piano upside down! He opened for the Mark-Almond Band.

[oscarwilde]

It won't stop to amaze me how three people can sound like a full orchestra from heaven

[NoahGernan]

Elton à un talent fou de pouvoir créer de si bonnes mélodies en si peu de temps c'est incroyable, ainsi que les paroles de Bernie Taupin qui sont magnifiques, elles sont restés toujours aussi bonnes en plus de 50 ans.... Ce sont 2 génies de la musique ; pas d'autres mots pour définir un tel talent.

[jordan]

Imagine being elton and being able to go on youtube and litterly rewatch your life. You know he remembers this night better than any concert hes ever done this was the one that made him a star and watching videos of young him performing before anybody knew his name. Has to be an insane feeling

[jeanettegault]

Wish I could have been there, a star was born.Magnificent 💕💕💕

[jcm]

that night at the troubadour a legend was born
the greatest artist of all times
sir ELTON JOHN

[IVTLTD]

Wow, chills! First time I have ever seen footage with vocals from that legendary show. He had no idea what was to come

[robertlavender]

One of the seminal moments in not just rock and roll but music history.

[OzFrogZ]

I saw Elton perform this song in 1971 at the HIC in Honolulu, Hawaii. I had never heard of him then. One of the best concerts I ever attended.

[Sean-mclaughlin]

No one else can mix a soft, slow ballad with a hard rocking song better than Elton. Pure genius. I love how he completely gets into it while banging those keys.

[BubbaYoga]

Jesus Christ he could play. Magnificent.

[MzJanuary]

Elton is a beast on those keys. Simply fabulous.

[Amphy]

This can't be right, because I have it on good authority that on that night Elton played Crocodile Rock - which he hadn't written yet - and then the audience floated up to the ceiling.

[Libera_nos_a_malo]

Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson were just as important as Elton John regarding the sound and impact of this show.

[JefferyDenson-bgtd]

I passed The Troubadour a few days ago just riding around LA, San Diego,
San Francisco, wine country. Nice trip

[guymitchell]

I spent a day with Elton and Bernie Taupin at WMCA studios in Manhattan later that year. The occasion was Alex Bennett's interview of his featured guests Alice Cooper and his drummer Neil Smith. I and my friend David Baronfeld had interviewed Bennett earlier that day and he was so impressed he asked us to stay for his show...we were his audience...we sat in the back on chairs underneath the engineer's window and Alex asked us to make really loud boisterous noises when he raised his arm so his engineer (Jimmy Walker!) could do a sound check. We didn't know sitting with us was Elton John and Bernie Taupin...we had never heard of them. The show's topic was how the artist got into the music business. We were impressed by who Elton said he played with in England...a list of who's who in rock...after his interview he sat down with us again and we waited for Alex to interview a band from New Jersey. When the show wrapped we hung out a while chatting and rode the elevator to the street with Elton and Bernie where we said our goodbyes. Had I known what he would become I would have made plans to meet him again...but that never happened. Dave and I ended up eating dinner at a local restaurant. Months later I was reading LIFE magazine and I came across an article about the return of the veil in womens fashion...as I scanned the thumbnail photos that bordered the main photo I noticed...Dave and I sitting at the counter of that restaurant! We were oblivious to the fashion shoot. But what an ending to an amazing day!

[theguru]

I was there at the Troubadour....night 3 of the week of