{"id":117541,"date":"2024-04-18T21:01:37","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T21:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lascrucestoday.com\/magic\/2024\/04\/18\/watch-elton-johns-debut-performance-of-his-1974-caribou-hit\/"},"modified":"2024-04-18T21:01:37","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T21:01:37","slug":"watch-elton-johns-debut-performance-of-his-1974-caribou-hit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lascrucestoday.com\/magic\/2024\/04\/18\/watch-elton-johns-debut-performance-of-his-1974-caribou-hit\/","title":{"rendered":"Watch Elton John’s debut performance of his 1974 ‘Caribou’ hit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Elton John performing at Watford, 1974; Anwar Hussein\/WireImage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Elton John<\/strong>‘s 1974 album,\u00a0Caribou,<\/em> turns 50 this year, and a special sky-blue vinyl edition<\/a> of the album, including a second disc of bonus tracks, will be available on Record Store Day April 20. But fans can watch never-before-seen footage<\/a> of Elton’s first live performance of one of the album’s big hits, “The Bitch Is Back,” right now.<\/p>\n

In 1974, Elton became director of his favorite football team, Watford FC. In order to give the team a financial boost, he staged a benefit concert at the team’s home field, Vicarage Road, marking the first time a concert ever took place there. Tickets cost one pound \u2014 the equivalent of about 15 bucks today \u2014 and Elton took the stage wearing a yellow and black outfit inspired by the team’s nickname, the Hornets.<\/p>\n

During that show, which drew 40,000 fans, Elton sang “The Bitch Is Back” \u2014 a full two months before its parent album, Caribou<\/em>, was released\u00a0in June; the single didn’t come out for another three months.\u00a0When it did, it hit the top five on the Billboard<\/em> Hot 100. The album’s first single, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me,” had reached #2.<\/p>\n

Fun fact: “The Bitch Is Back” got its title from something Bernie Taupin<\/strong>‘s then-wife, Maxine<\/strong>, would say whenever Elton was in a bad mood or throwing a tantrum.<\/p>\n