This event was scheduled July 28, 2024.
Rejoice. Tribute band music, which has been going through a rather uneventful, overly-saturated period lately, finally has a legitimate star. He’s Tom Cridland, a 33-year-old Englishman whose Central Coast debut July 28 at the Performing Arts Center SLO was, in almost every way, magnificent.
No one was probably more surprised than me. I’m not a particular fan of the tribute show genre. Far too often, these “concerts” feature a slightly better-than-average bar band that decides to hit the road and perform covers of songs by classic groups from the Eagles to ELO to ABBA—with varying success.
Cridland delivers, playing the piano from a variety of yoga-like positions and bowing humbly at the end of each song.”
So, when friends suggested we all go together to see Tom’s Elton Tribute, yet another musical salute to the legendary Elton John, I wasn’t sure (having already experienced the real Rocket Man perform four different times) that I could offer more than polite applause.
But after a concert that went well over two hours, featuring 21 Elton John we-all-know-by-heart songs, I’m still standing and I think it’s going to be a long, long time before the memory of Sunday night fades.
Credit Tom Cridland, a former clothier, who goes beyond the stylish glasses and flashy hot pink suit, to focus on what really matters: the indelible music of Elton John and his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin.
It’s not by coincidence that Cridland took the stage Sunday night with only two band mates—Harry Michael on drums and Justin Woodward on bass guitar. The trio purposefully echoes that iconic musical night of August 25, 1970 when John and two bandmates made their American debut at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.
There are moments where you close your eyes and swear you’re actually hearing the real Elton John.”
The story behind Tom’s Elton Tribute is compelling. Cridland shared his own journey and battle with sobriety, not unlike those experienced by his musical hero. Having been to more than 50 Elton John concerts over the years, Cridland decided his path forward, his personal Yellow Brick Road if you will, lay in celebrating and performing the John/Taupin songs that meant so much to him.
There was only one problem. Don’t shoot him, but Cridland didn’t play the piano.
COVID kept him indoors for months. Cridland used the time to learn the songs and to master the piano, an even more impressive accomplishment when you actually hear him play on stage. From the 11-minute opus that is “Funeral for a Friend/Loves Lies Bleeding” to the intensity of “Burn Down the Mission,” Cridland effectively captures the energy of those early 1970s performances.
But this is Elton John, so there is also a requisite degree of showmanship expected. Cridland delivers, playing the piano from a variety of yoga-like positions and bowing humbly at the end of each song. He encourages the audience to sing along on “Crocodile Rock” and often dashes around the stage, a faithful recreation of the spirit of an actual concert.
His respect for the music, the torch he carries, shines through with each song.”
His real strength, what separates Cridland from the average tribute show, is his laser-like focus on the music. There are moments where you close your eyes and swear you’re actually hearing the real Elton John.
From the opening “Pinball Wizard” to a haunting, extended version of “Rocket Man” to the finale of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” Cridland and his mates take you to another time, another place. Cridland has met John and knows several of the band members. His respect for the music, the torch he carries, shines through with each song.
Afterwards, a friend of mine, a hardcore Elton John fan, couldn’t believe what we had just experienced. “That guy was amazing,” my friend gushed. “He did ‘Harmony’ better than Elton John on the recorded version.”
I’ll say this. Tom’s Elton Tribute is making me rethink my aversion to the tribute concert idea. When done right, like this night, the performance rises above mere gimmickry and nostalgia for a much deeper musical experience celebrating Elton John.
A heartfelt reminder of how wonderful life is while he’s in this world.
Editor’s Note: If you missed the show at the PAC, Tom’s Elton Tribute is playing again in SLO County on Wednesday, July 31, at the Templeton Performing Arts Center.