Dee Murray’s Final Show as Elton John’s Bassist

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Dee Murray’s Final Show as Elton John’s Bassist

Dee Murray was one of the most important musicians in Elton John’s classic era. His warm, melodic bass playing shaped albums such as Madman Across the Water, Honky Château, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Captain Fantastic. Alongside Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone, Dee helped define the unmistakable sound of Elton’s most influential years.

His Final Performances in 1984

The video featured in this post comes from September 13, 1984, live at the CNE Grandstand in Toronto, Canada. This is the last known video showing Dee Murray performing on stage with Elton John.

In this Toronto footage, Dee appears in his usual position on stage: standing in the middle between Davey Johnstone (on Elton’s left) and Fred Mandel (on Elton’s right). Mandel, who played both guitar and keyboards during the Breaking Hearts Tour, is the second guitarist visible in the video.

The last known audio recording of Dee in 1984 comes from October, including the October 6 concert at The Summit in Houston, Texas.

Audio link: https://youtu.be/8Jo-B2hP8bE?si=0YtsPjsbJ7KF8hV6

Final Live Performance – Tampa, November 18, 1984

Dee Murray’s final official live performance took place on November 18, 1984, at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida — the last show of the North American leg of the Breaking Hearts Tour.

After this night, Dee never again performed live with Elton John.

No photographs, tickets, posters, videos, or press material from the Tampa show have ever surfaced. Nothing has been found in fan collections, public archives, local newspapers, or USF Sun Dome historical records.

Because of this, any document related to this concert — even a ticket stub or distant stage photo — would be extremely valuable for historical preservation.

Dee Murray’s Last Collaboration (1988)

Dee’s final official work with Elton John came four years later, on the 1988 album Reg Strikes Back. He did not play bass on the record — all bass lines were performed by David Paton — but Dee contributed backing vocals alongside Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone.

This marks his last appearance on any Elton John studio album.

Key Moments of Dee Murray’s Final Contributions:

– September 13, 1984, Toronto: last known video appearance (the video in this post).

– October 1984, Houston and other dates: last known audio recordings.

– November 18, 1984, Tampa, Florida: final live performance.

– 1988: final studio appearance on Reg Strikes Back.

Any material related to these moments — especially the Tampa concert — is deeply appreciated by fans and researchers of Elton John’s history.

Here are some photos and also a 2 part review to the final Tampa show. Elton got soaking wet towards the end and stripped down to his underwear, throwing his clothes into the audience.

cortesy by: 

https://www.facebook.com/ollieelton.neuman

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