Elton John Visits Pittsburgh on ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road Tour’; ‘Chatterton’ Continues at Quantum (Wed., 10/10/18)

1) “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is an outstanding song by the English piano rocker Elton John. It’s also the last song of his encore set on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour which visits PPG Paints Arena for a sold out concert. John is one of the world’s best-selling musical acts. He’s sold over 300 million records (wonder if that number of records would reach the moon from Earth). John’s charted more than fifty Top 40 hits, including seven consecutive No. 1 US albums, 58 Billboard Top 40 singles, 27 Top 10, four No. 2 and nine at No. 1. And from 1970–2000 he’s had at least one song in the Billboard Hot 100. One reason for that success is his long running songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin. Taupin would write the lyrics and give them to John who would then compose the music.

In 1970, “Your Song,” from his second, eponymous album, was the first tune that really got John noticed. He was a sight to see in his early years with his stylish eyeglasses and flamboyant outfits. John, a very talented piano player and singer, created songs that ruled the rock radio airwaves, especially in the 1970s. Those songs included: “Daniel,” “Honky Cat,” “Rocket Man,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Bennie and the Jets,” and Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.” John’s touch has woven its way through the cultural fabric in other ways too. He rewrote the lyrics to his “Candle in the Wind,” originally about Marilyn Monroe, to reflect the life of Princess Diana after her tragic death in 1997. John’s also excelled on Broadway and received Tony Award nominations for Best Original Musical Score for The Lion King, Aida, and Billy Elliott. He won for Aida. Being a gay man he fought for more funds to combat AIDS and raised large sums himself with his Elton John AIDS Foundation. He is retiring to spend more time with his husband David Furnish and their two children. John has been a part-time resident of Atlanta, Georgia, since 1991. 8 p.m. 1001 Fifth Ave., Uptown.

Elton John performing in Skien, Norway in 2009. (Photo: Ernst Vikne and Wikipedia)

History has many faces. So does deception. In Quantum Theatre’s ‘Chatterton,’ actors (L to R) Tim McGeever, Jonathan Visser, and Tony Bingham play key figures in a web of mystery that spans centuries. (Photo: Jason Snyder)

2) In a year that’s been riddled with talk about “fake news”—not to mention true news of real deceit, and the statement that “Truth isn’t truth”—perhaps it is fitting that Quantum Theatre opens its season with the play Chatterton. Thomas Chatterton was a teenaged prodigy, a gifted young British poet in the 1700s. He was also an intriguing prankster. Before his tragic suicide, at the age of 17, he won notice by writing poems in a weird, self-invented form of archaic English, and convincing many people they’d been written by a medieval monk whose work he had discovered.

Quantum’s play deepens the intrigue. Adapted from the novel Chatterton, by Peter Ackroyd, it spins a tale of a modern-day writer who discovers that the young man may have faked his death—and then went on to ghostwrite poetry which was wrongly credited to other famous writers. More bafflement ensues, as the story grows into a multi-layered dark-comic detective saga. The original adaptation is directed by Karla Boos, Quantum’s artistic director, and features an all-star cast of Pittsburgh-based actors. Part of the Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts, Chatterton is performed in immersive style at Trinity Cathedral Pittsburgh. Dinner is served during the show’s intermission and this weeks celebrity chef providing spectacular food is Chef Derek Stevens, owner of Union Standard Restaurant in the Union Trust Building. 8 p.m. Performances continue through October 28. 328 6th Ave., Downtown. (MV)

RADical Days 2018

PNC Park
Free admission: 10AM-3PM (TOURS ONLY)
Take a behind the scenes tour of The Best Ballpark in America. Places you may visit are the Legacy Theatre, Batting Cages, Dugout and Press Box. Tours take place on the hour from 10AM-3PM with the last tour starting at 2PM. 80 guest maximum per tour, on a first-served basis. NO RESERVATIONS will be taken. Please enter the gate next to the Willie Stargell Statue on Federal Street. This event is subject to cancellation based on ballpark events. Check this listing or RAD’s social media sites on October 9^th for any cancellation notice.

Heinz Field
Free admission: 10AM-3PM (TOURS ONLY)
Heinz Field Tours provides guests with a behind-the-scenes look into the FedEx Great Hall-including the new Hall of Honor-Clubs, Luxury Suites, Press Box, Field and much more. Tours on the hour; limit 50 guests per tour. Tours are first come, first served. No advance reservations. Enter at the FedEx Great Hall Tours Gate.
900 Art Rooney Ave. (North Shore)

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