Elton John - Bennie and the Jets (Live in Russia 1979)

[@MAGNETO-i1i]

In Soviet Russia performer clap for you

[@JerrySmbxworldTM]

The "clapper" on stage with Elton John is Ray Cooper.

[@Jacob-rb3vi]

Just a KZbinr that’s dank

[@someFLman]

Russians are so stoic and humorless

[@estefanaluma6212]

B A Is not their fault because of the stressful government they had to resist for decades...

[@jhg1980]

@@estefanaluma6212 I was born in 1979 in USSR, but I know those times well from my parents. Firstly, it wasn’t customary at concerts to get up and scream. It was indecent, perceived as a public shit. Secondly, at concerts, volunteers were on duty, who took the dancers out of the hall. You could lose your job, bonuses, kick out of the party for inadequacy in front of a foreign guest. Thirdly, it was not customary in the Soviet Union to learn English. People do not understand what he is singing about. Finally, such music, melodics, manners as Elton did not exist at all. People look at him as an space alien.

[@edwin1escobar]

Ray Cooper was amazing with the tambourine and his moves. trying to motivate the people

[@jaggass]

Ray Cooper encouraged the Russians to stand up against the people in Navy Blue Suits who was trying to oppress them and have a good time. It worked in the end. It could have been so different if it was just Elton John on his own. It would have had an atmosphere of telling a bad joke at a funeral.

[@dysequilibrium]

despite the tense crowd this has got to be my favourite bennie and the jets performance

[@longde]

it's mind bending!!

[@christineplymouth8361]

Elton inserts "Moscow Nights" into the chorus, thus bringing the hypnotized crowd to life.

[@BenjiDarius]

Where?

[@alexh8561]

@@BenjiDarius 2:42

[@BenjiDarius]

@@alexh8561 Thanks!

[@EFC429]

"Bennie and The Comrades"

[@jltc008]

Commie and the Jets

[@erickluna2178]

lenin and the jets

[@dogeoftheyear1113]

Stalin And The Rockets

[@hyperz6783]

Bennie and his vodka

[@ladyelton4373]

Hideous comments!!!!

[@Jamesmegee09]

Ray, what a legend.

[@jaggass]

Still performing with him to this day and is still goes on percussion.

[@12летназад-у1щ]

Charles?

[@holte3nder742]

@@12летназад-у1щ Ray Cooper

[@12летназад-у1щ]

@@holte3nder742 I know,I was just making a joke

[@SolidAsianGold]

As Elton said, "if the people got up to stand or cheer, then people in Navy Blue Suits would push them down again." Ironically, the idea of *Nikita* came five or six years later.

[@hotelchannel2824]

Solid Asian Gold this concert is what inspired the song Nikita

[@insertnamehere2582]

It's said that they modified the lyrics off of some that had been sent in to bad dog by a man called Gus.

[@cornucopia8591]

Actually Nikita is a men's name

[@RamonDiaz-do7wt]

@@cornucopia8591 .. Mlm

[@cit5347]

Bernie wrote Nikita because elton fucked a kgb agent during this trip and thought it was funny

[@AlmightyOracle]

I love when he starts play Moscow Nights the look on his face..."Is this ok? Can I play this Russian song? Yeah that's good? Nice!"

[@НатальяБронова]

😊Он нашёл к ним подход

[@DylanMyth5728]

THIS BLOWS ! - This is a 12 minute long mind-blowing - all-time greatest rockn roll song ever played and this is only 4 minutes.

[@jaggass]

camera men are brilliant when comes to filming elton john playing. i loved the bit on the next scene when elton starts playing BATJ when elton looks left and right he's like ''what the hell was that? im scared now help?'' ray cooper lifts his arms in the air like character of a horror film. on every show he's done with elton he works his ass off to entertain the crowd

[@marioramirez853]

Just saw Elton John in Syracuse, NY not to long ago on his farewell yellow brick road tour. Ray Cooper was in the band and he is probably one of the most entertaining percussionist to watch. One hell of a show, I have seen a few of the greats but no one compares to the talent of Elton John and his band.

[@jaggass]

@@marioramirez853 Im going to see Elton for the final time in June. Ray Cooper is 75 yrs old and still has so much energy. He's like the Mick Jagger of percussionists.

[@mocus1]

There's only one guy in the history of the universe who could do this and here he is !

[@jdenino6022]

Love this vampy style of this song!!!

[@yeh3360]

The coolest audience listening to Bennie and the jets

[@izabellabergstrom4926]

I really like this version, you can really hear his song and the piano!! Amazing

[@lemurianchick]

I do too. The recording (or maybe the Ruskie Commie-era equipment) is absolute shite. Imagine if the technology was on point how amazing it would sound.

[@Phi1l]

Probably a trip to the salt mines if you were seen enjoying yourself

[@Autumn_red_fox]

you want to enjoy english performer? you go to gulag. (luckily the amount of people that got sent to the gulags started to drop a lot after 1953, the year of stalin's death)

[@jaggass]

Siberia or Gobi Desert.

[@MyArchier]

Looking at Elton and Ray's desperate attempts to "untie" soviet public I can't help thinking, "yes, we've gone light years away". It's really different world now. I'd never believe back then that such changes will come in one generation's lifespan

[@peopleperson]

i love his face from 2:46 - 2:50, he's been waiting the entire preformance for them to clap and when they finally do he loves it

[@MaxThrills]

He had to play something totally unusual but it it worked

[@potate_overlord]

@@MaxThrills but honestly I feel like Moscow Nights fits in perfectly with Bennie and The Jets, if you play it at the right tempo and the right key it fits perfectly, and with how he transitioned into and out of it it's just perfection imo

[@stephenfiore9960]

Elton "killed it". Very good timing by the guy on the tamborine (that guy was great---like an American professor trying to get his 8:00am students excited about something he was teaching--and the students are like tired from staying out to late). Did everyone see the "Jewish star of David" on the tambourine at 2:23 & 2:24 (a reflection)---God shows up at secular/communist events. God Bless You.

[@ish9506]

Why an American professor? Pretty much any professor that gets the kids, don’t matter where they’re from

[@jbru9576]

Damn this crowd needs to calm down

[@Random-rn9vf]

I know right??! They are so crazy!!

[@tevinterry2794]

Communism

[@joshjacob3602]

Guys, dance or sing on the live concert eclectically in front oh foreign guest was not nice.

[@Autumn_red_fox]

the crowd is so spaced out.

[@SenivalSilva]

2019, and that continues the best performance of Sir elton and Mr Cooper... ever and ever

[@PorcelainSubmarine]

I seen Elton and Ray live in 2019. Very memorable!

[@ladycharlesmusic]

Ariel Pink can sure play the piano and damn that headmaster is a hell of a hype man!

[@quizpubbob]

I love that change in piano tone - EQ - between 2:40 and 2:43.

[@jaythebillz9543]

It was a cut made to make the performance shorter.

[@quizpubbob]

​@@jaythebillz9543 That is an excellent point. The cut/gap would explain the dramatic change. As an engineer, you EQ as you go along, so it may sound different from one point to another.

[@demetriavanzanten2550]

WOW! UNBELIEVABL Dead as door nail's ,no emoion's

[@mtthwskdmr2]

Mainly because A) the first 20-30 rows were people high up in the government, and B)If they did get up, there were men who would cone and literally shove them down. It wasnt pretty.

[@mocus1]

The crowd's tight because this is the Soviet Union, they are being watched, any "wild" behavior like standing up, clapping or yelling would mean instant removal from the venue back then.

[@LuisGJaramilloS]

Really? ._.

[@oscar_8028]

Wow Thanks for the context

[@user-cl1t_commander]

@@LuisGJaramilloS no, that's a lie. This is just the cultural difference between Soviet Union and West culture. People at that time were not yet used to something like this and that's kind of weird nowadays, but mostly it's ok.

[@Loner-of-the-Dark-Valley]

There's literally a video in the same series where people dance during a concert in a Cafe. It's probably just because this is a governmental theater or cultural show that the government allowed at a USSR theater or something. It's not like it was outlawed to dance or anything. I'm not disagreeing entirely with your assessment, but it wasn't like it was footloose or something lol.

[@НатальяБронова]

​@@user-cl1t_commanderСкорее всего и то и другое.

[@contemporaryschoolofpiano]

Tough gig - no band, just a tambourine, it's essentially a chamber concert and Elton holds it like a concert pianist (sure it's not Glenn Gould Russian tour) but he brings his music to this format well enough for them to turn it into a record.

[@gustavogo2915]

💪 🎹 🕺🏻 🎤

[@ThePianoguy89]

Great performance!

[@radical3073]

Love this version but it is weird.

[@henrywinston6225]

Mary Jane looked slightly amused at 3:07

[@christineplymouth3271]

Wow....just wow !

[@quizpubbob]

Awesome Sir.

[@demetriavanzanten2550]

Thanks Mathew I knew they were pretty strick back then .I had no idea they weren't allow to so any emotion . That had to be difficult when they stop you from having fun . " BLESS THE ISA "

[@Autumn_red_fox]

bruh what country the isa it sounds cool

[@jamesb8305]

Next up... Elton's North Korean tour...

[@christopherseegars1044]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jaggass]

Followed by China.

[@deathintheair8453]

No way not china fuck china

[@RONINJA-zu8oh]

Rocketman at Kim Jong Un's funeral

[@МарияМраморнова]

Although I'm from Russia, I find it funny 😂

[@MaxThrills]

why is this so funny! 😂 They’re literally trying SO HARD to get them out of their seats but nothings working. It’s a totally different culture. At least they sang when he told them to, that was impressive

[@НатальяБронова]

Самое смешное и одновременно страшное,это то,что от диктатуры не застрахован никто

[@cosmos4941]

this is incredible

[@mullarky]

how beautifully bizarre

[@andremailander1209]

Elton se apresentou para os russos🔝💯🎹🎹🎹🎹💥🎩👏👏👏🇧🇷🎼🔥🚀🚀🎶🎹

[@MatthewBillyJoelBootlegs]

My fav live from Bennie And The Jets.

[@mudshot0114]

Ray was the best up man

[@demetriavanzanten2550]

WOW,THERE ARE ON 2 WORDS, "ELTON JOHN"!!!!!!

[@summermcpherson8209]

At 3:31 I get total goosebumps!

[@gabriellabos312]

Gorgeus!❤

[@AlfieMitchell-sz8mq]

That crowd is so hyper!!

[@bnkrmike29]

Nice audience, i remember than time i cracked my best dad jokes at a funeral

[@jaimesilvano3587]

Terrorized poor public, with decades of cruel repression on their lives, turned them on near-robots, looking for what to do for the rest attitude, SO sad... By the way, beautiful version, love it!

[@rayg1]

So cool yet so sad

[@Nikita-ez4ko]

This is the fastest I heard Elton play Bennie and the Jets. If anyone knows a version faster than this, please comment

[@peopleperson]

Don't know if it's faster, but his Hammersmith Odeon preformance was pretty crazy.

[@Nikita-ez4ko]

@@peopleperson so I came back with some news. I took the audio from this concert as well as the 82 Hammersmith Odeon concert and overlapped them. It seems that the 82 concert was actually faster which is surprising, but then again that’s also the same concert where Elton was jacked up on Coke alcohol and god knows what else

[@peopleperson]

@@Nikita-ez4ko lol, interesting

[@peopleperson]

I really wanna learn this version of the song.

[@MAGNETO-i1i]

COME TO BRAZIL.

[@peopleperson]

YOU'RE GOING TO BRAZIL

[@christineplymouth3271]

Tough room, have a Stoyli and let loose comrades !

[@srikarvetcha8894]

Y everybody silent for this amazing dance worthy song?

[@yasinfrei]

I would have liked to read comments from people who were there.

[@flawedpotato3665]

lmao that guy had to come in to make em cheer XD

[@wabankik]

..."Lend-Lease and the Debts "...⚒️🎖!...

[@Alexfoxxrox]

This is how it would be in china rn. I would say this is his peak vocals such nimble singing compared to 1980+ vibrato is perfect, falsetto clear af and that improv solo is dope af. He still got them hyped even though they were being repressed.

[@jordan6988]

Love the 79 Russia tour but I need to know how rays tamourine was picked up when he was away from the mic lol

[@nikim8849]

There were a too many mics to pick up it's sound

[@shallanbrightness3520]

the transition from the first tune to Bennie And The Jets cracks me up so bad

[@PawtucketPatriot66]

The poor crowd couldn't have much fun or show much joy with Brezhnev's Brown Shirts watching over them.

[@kandlela716]

soviet union with elton: ._. soviet people with Billy: :OOOOOOO AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHYHHHHHH **MAKING A LOT OF DESTRUTION AROUND THE AREAAA**

[@Nikita-ez4ko]

I think it’s just cause the Russians love the Americans soooo much (especially at that time of history)

[@TheAverageTargaryen]

How the hell did he get cocain in soviet russia

[@Autumn_red_fox]

He only started to perform while high as early as 1981 He made a promise not to perform while high in 1975, but of course he broke it.

[@BeggarsNight]

@@Autumn_red_fox wait what? Did you mean 1971 or 1985? That doesn’t make sense if it’s 1981 and 1975...

[@doointhedoo]

How on earth did he perform with such a lifeless audience!??

[@m_morozhenoe]

At that time, in cultural places in the USSR, one could not stand up, laugh or anything like that. Sorry for my bad english)

[@TBlev215]

At 2:44 Moscow Nights! Yeeeessss!!!!

[@UAL917]

They need to get loose

[@brentholman168]

He's 22 Years Old And Bhrezsnev

[@xxxghost1320]

Anyone know the tune at the start?

[@keisreeman]

@Grandview Workshop Agreed. I wonder how many in the audience recognized it, given that it was almost 100 years old and pre-dated the Soviets.

[@emvilegaspi3811]

Ray cooper bro

[@scotthamstead1771]

What was the bit he was playing at the beginning. Want to learn this all

[@keisreeman]

@Adam Robertson Elton opened with 'While Strolling in the Park One Day', aka 'Fountain in the Park'. Written in 1884 by Ed Haley.

[@scotthamstead1771]

@@keisreeman thanks man

[@thanhla7080]

It's weird to see him without glasses

[@bobsbiggestfan6281]

Jesus bennie and the jets is so much better in a major

[@smileysmilefan7879]

Something was wrong with me (9/8/79)

[@blakem8340]

This performance seems like an anomaly, so many performances with people screaming yelling and dancing and then this concert where they are straining trying to get the crowd up

[@Carousel5883]

Omg the poor guy getting them to clap..ELton looks so sexy and cute

[@kaitluvs]

Idk why but the first part is so fucking funny

[@marcconner3386]

Anybody know what happened to ray?lol

[@LaskyLabs]

Poor Ray is trying his best to get them hyped up...

[@Ir_Ma_02]

Ржу все с такими лицами сидят, как будто на поминки пришли

[@jhg1980]

Потому, что тебе очень мало лет. В те годы во-первых на концертах было не принято вставать и кричать. Это воспринималось как прилюдно посрать. Во-вторых, на концертах дежурили дружинники, которые танцующих выводили из зала. Можно было лишиться работы, премий, вылететь из комсомола за неадекватность перед лицом иностранного гостя. И а третьих, в совке такой музыки, мелодики, манеры как у Элтона вообще не существовало. Люди смотрят как на инопланетное чудо.

[@hadleyjandreauvlogsandgami9604]

I wonder what show is this Moscow or Leningrad

[@MAGNETO-i1i]

Did they pass the audition?

[@TheMarland15]

I don't know if i'm looking for something that isnt there, but it seems like elton plays a rather russian sounding tune in the instrumental and uses that to show the people in the crowd the evolution of music going back into the main tune.

[@jordan6988]

The Russia 1979 tour all the video audio is recorded a half step up. On my piano at home I can transpose everything up have a key and then play it and it sounds identical to this version. If you listen to soundboard audio its here on youtube its 2+ hrs. Its the original key youll hear his voice is actually deeper and the piano is in key.

[@jordan6988]

And yes he does blend a Russian sound in it. Only fitting

[@xlr8tedzoom]

It's only a hard crowd because of government control. They weren't allowed to do things we take for granted.

[@CodyBridge]

what was the name of the song he started playing just before the 3 minute mark? if it wasnt just improv lol

[@elnolapse986]

Moscow nights

[@jaythebillz9543]

What was playing at 2:43?

[@Егор-ф2л2е]

Moscow nights (Подмосковные вечера)

[@igorpawlus8617]

What is the name of the song at the beginning?

[@jaythebillz9543]

While Strolling Through the Park One Day by Ed Haley.

[@igorpawlus8617]

@@jaythebillz9543 thanks

[@gaminglegend]

This is like performing in North Korea nowadays, audience would pretty much be the same as this

[@joeysahouria5058]

Before cocaine, there was Russia.

[@monk8034]

Y'all tried to sneak Moscow Nights in there

[@flawedpotato3665]

“Bennie and the Nukes”

[@muffinman3111]

No it’s Nikita found the nukes

[@angryjonasaurio4621]

Jeeeees. The crowd is loud as f

[@imkingmailru]

Collective Pokerface

[@uhmusement6005]

Why does the intro sound like “My Bonnie”

[@thesecretlifeofmax1383]

WildTrenchCoat because it is

[@joaquincuquejo3973]

This is in Leningrad?

[@Nikita-ez4ko]

This was performed in Moscow Russia

[@joaquincuquejo3973]

@@Nikita-ez4ko thanks

[@kellybraxton3172]

The reason for the strange intro I heard was that Elton was specifically told not to play this song “decadent Western values“. And I’m sure the crowd knew that and didn’t want to go to Siberia.😬

[@12летназад-у1щ]

This is Lenin???

[@Coinbro]

Vote for control..

[@FnProblems]

NJPW audience

[@RosaLopez-pb9pt]

Dónde está en Alemania... que desperdicio de gente..

[@enta2]

1. these people didn't know elton john 2. don't understand the language 3. They have no experience in getting up and jumping. that was not deprived 4. as i can see elton was only there with cooper. so I wouldn't really have jumped there too :p

[@daxtonsorensen4637]

Bennie and the gulag

[@12летназад-у1щ]

This is Ray Cuper or Lenin?

[@12летназад-у1щ]

Lenin?