Elton John, Leon Russell “Union” concert to air Oct. 19 on Fuse

http://blog.newsok.com/bamsblog/2010/10/11/elton-john-leon-russell-union-concert-to-air-oct-19-on-fuse/

Posted by brandy

on October 11, 2010M at 6:56 pm

Legendary rock ‘n’ roll pianists Elton John and Leon Russell will appear in concert together at the renowned Beacon Theatre in New York City to showcase their new studio album, “The Union,” on Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. The much-anticipated performance will air live on Fuse, Madison Square Garden’s national music television network.
The two legends will take the stage for “Fuse Presents: Elton John and Leon Russell Live From the Beacon Theatre,” which will be available to fans across the U.S. with limited commercial interruptions.
The show will feature songs from “The Union,” which hits stores the same day, as well as a selection of classics and hits from their individual careers. For this concert, Elton and Leon, a Lawton native known for his contributions to rock’s Tulsa Sound, will be accompanied by musicians from “The Union” studio sessions, including Jay Bellerose on drums, Russ Paul on the pedal steel guitar, Marc Ribot on guitar, Jackson Smith on guitar, Keefus Ciancia on keyboards, Mike Compton on mandolin and Dennis Crouch on bass.
The televised concert will provide a preview of what Oklahoma music fans can expect at Tulsa’s BOK Center on Friday, Nov. 12.  The Beacon Theatre date will open the pair’s 2010 “The Union Tour,” and after a date in London to play the Roundhouse on Oct. 28, Russell and John will play select American cities from Nov. 3 (Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles) through Nov. 21 (the Lakeland, Fla., Center).
For more information, go to www.bokcenter.com or www.wimgo.com.
Recorded live in the studio, “The Union” was produced by T Bone Burnett and features a variety of musical genres from R&B, soul, gospel, country, pop and rock. Icons Neil Young and Brian Wilson provide guest vocals on the 14-track record, along with legendary R&B organist Booker T. Jones, steel guitarist Robert Randolph and a 10-piece gospel choir. “The Union” will be released Oct. 19 on Decca.
John and Russell recently talked with Billboard about working together and with Burnett on “The Union.” While Russell was an ubiquitous force on the music scene in the late ’60s and early ’70s, he slipped into relative obscurity. John told Billboard that he considers Russell his idol and wants to secure him induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and restore the Tulsa musician’s proper place in the rock pantheon.
“I want to make sure he has a great career ahead of him,” John, 63, told Billboard in a phone interview from Europe. “I don’t want him driving around the country doing five shows a week in his bus any more. I just want him to be comfortable, have a new publishing deal, get him back into public consciousness and keep him there.”
“I’m happy to have a job,” Russell, 68, told Billboard in a phone interview from his home in Nashville, Tenn. “It would be better if we had a slightly better bus, but it’s what we do,” Russell said.
“I’m always home,” he added. “It’s just that every day when I wake up I’m in a different location. I appreciate Elton trying to raise my (travel) class, though.”
John told Billboard that he cold-called Burnett, to whom he had never spoken, to produce “The Union.”
“It’s hard to do a duets record that doesn’t sound forced,” John said. “I wanted it to be like Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ ‘Raising Sand,’ ” the acclaimed duets album Burnett produced.
When sessions for “The Union” began last winter, Russell had been out of the hospital for only about a week following brain surgery to correct a leak of spinal fluid from his nose, John told Billboard.
But soon after undergoing that surgery, Russell made a couple of high-profile appearances: He and John played the MusiCares tribute to Neil Young on Jan. 30, and the next night, the Oklahoma music man performed at the Grammy Awards with the Zac Brown Band.
- BAM

Elton John and Leon Russell Live From the Beacon Theatre

Posted on 10/11/10 at 11:00am by Benzinga Staff
http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/10/10/b517941/elton-john-and-leon-russell-live-from-the-beacon-theatre


Elton John and Leon Russell will appear in concert together at the legendary Beacon Theatre in New York City to showcase their new studio album, The Union, on October 19^th at 8pm ET. The much-anticipated performance will air live on Fuse, Madison Square Garden's national music television network. The two legends will take the stage for “Fuse Presents: Elton John and Leon Russell Live From the Beacon Theatre,” which will be available to fans across the U.S. with limited commercial interruptions.
The show will feature songs from The Union, which hits stores the same day, as well as a selection of classics and hits from their individual careers. For this concert, Elton and Leon will be accompanied by musicians from The Union studio sessions, including Jay Bellerose on drums, Russ Paul on the pedal steel guitar, Marc Ribot on guitar, Jackson Smith on guitar, Keefus Ciancia on keyboards, Mike Compton on mandolin and Dennis Crouch on bass.
Recorded live in the studio, The Union was produced by T Bone Burnett and features a variety of musical genres from R&B, soul, gospel, country, pop and rock. Icons Neil Young and Brian Wilson provide guest vocals on the 14-track record along with legendary R&B organist Booker T. Jones, steel guitarist Robert Randolph and a 10-piece gospel choir. The Union will be released October 19^th on Decca.
“Fuse feels privileged to be part of this legendary performance by Elton John and Leon Russell, celebrating the duo's new album release,” said Mike Bair, president, MSG Media. “We are pleased that we can continue to bring once-in-a-lifetime experiences to music fans nationwide through our ‘Fuse Presents' series. This is just another example of how we can provide our viewers with magical performances from our iconic venues showcasing a variety of influential artists.”
The Coca-Cola Company, a signature partner of Madison Square Garden, is the presenting sponsor of the “Fuse Presents” concert series. The unique relationship between Fuse and Coca-Cola offers fans distinct multi-platform access to Elton John and Leon Russell in anticipation of their collaborative album. Fuse offers a unique experience to artists – with access to legendary venues, national television exposure, and marketing power to garner attention from an expansive network of music lovers. Elton and Leon will join artists including Maroon 5, Drake, JAY-Z, John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, Kanye West and Fall Out Boy who have all taken the stage for the “Fuse Presents” series.
For more information on programming surrounding the show, go to www.fuse.tv/theunion.

http://fuse.tv/ontv/shows/elton-john-leon-russell/