Carterton Events Centre will be rocking out to the tunes of two music powerhouses later this month, when musicians, Cam Crawford and Sam Hyde, bring their acclaimed tribute show Elton John vs Billy Joel to Wairarapa. LUCY COOPER spoke to Sam, the man who plays Elton, ahead of their gig.
Performing together is not new to musicians and business partners Sam Hyde and Cam Crawford.
Not long after they were introduced by a mutual friend, they started “duelling pianos” for parties, weddings and pub gigs.
“We’d give out menus to people and they could choose the songs they’d like to hear,” Sam said.
While a great concept, the audience’s first pick could lead to some challenges.
“It sounds like suckers for punishment really because sure as eggs, you’re gonna get asked to play Summer of ‘69 as the first song of the night.
“You know, you’re just kind of waking up – it’s so hard to sing that song. It’s not like a quiet song, you’ve got to belt the thing out.”
Cam and Sam worked on taking the idea of doing a show ‘somewhere different and interesting’.
That ‘somewhere interesting’ turned out to be their full-blown tribute show, Elton John vs Billy Joel.
The concept for the show was inspired by Elton John’s and Billy Joel’s Face to Face tour, which first toured America in 1994 and was the start of an on-again, off-again music relationship between the two music titans that wowed audiences across the globe for 25 years.
“Cam and I had talked about how cool it would be to recreate [the tour]. We both have a love of the artists. Elton felt pretty natural to me, Billy felt natural to Cam. That was the genesis of it.”
Sam and Cam debuted the show in 2022 at the Eat, Drink, Play Festival in Wellington, where it won the Best in Play award.
The Carterton Events Centre date is gig number 12 of a 15-date New Zealand tour, many of which have sold out.
“You don’t have to go too far to find an Elton fan and we are certainly seeing that in the ticket numbers. In some instances, we’ve had people travel from one show to the next to see us again.”
Though the duo have decades of experience as performers between them, the scale of this production means they are “learning as we go”.
“We are learning about the cost of production and about managing physical and mental fatigue.
“You know, it’s not just about squeezing out the most income you can from a tour. It’s about making sure that the product you are putting out there is consistently excellent from the first show to the last.”
The audience can expect to hear some of Elton and Billie’s hits and “decent-length sets”.
“It’s kind of like the greatest hits plus a few of our own favourites.
“We encourage people to enjoy the night and dance if they want. You can definitely expect some cheek. Both Cam and I are pretty cheeky guys.”
Gig-goers can also expect some eye-catching costuming.
When Sam commissioned a costume designer to make him a suit, she said: “You don’t need a suit, you need wings.”
“I didn’t know she was going to make them as big as she did, but man, they’re an eye-catcher.”
Elton John vs Billy Joel, Carterton Events Centre, Friday October 27 at 7.30pm. Tickets from www.cartertonec.co.nz
