It takes a brave man to sing Sir Elton John’s songs in front of the man himself, but Jacob Lusk stepped up to the plate big time when he did just that, singing “Bennie and the Jets” at The Gershwin Prize. The one-time American Idol finalist really made the classic number his own at the performance earlier this year, taking to the stage like a preacher giving the sermon of rock and roll!
Lusk really lent into soulful elements of the vocal, and seeing Sir Elton singing along passionately with every word really said it all! It wasn’t just Sir Elton who was enjoying it either, as Lusk’s playful vibe onstage had the whole audience grinning from ear to ear and clapping along throughout. The band were really cooking on the number too, with some particularly tasty playing coming from the rhythm section and the pianist, who really went to town on the number.
Lusk’s take on the 1974 hit single “Bennie and the Jets” was well received online, with the upload attracting one million views on the PBS YouTube channel. Fans were blown away by Lusk’s energy onstage and added comments such as “No clue who this guy is, but to stand on stage, in front of Sir Elton John, and light that song up is pretty amazing” and “The fact Sir Elton John just looks like a regular excited fan is insane!”
The Library of Congress awarded songwriting duo Sir Elton John and Bernie Taupin the 2024 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song and taped a two-hour special from the event at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC on March 20. Sir Elton was not the only rock royalty present for the event, as Metallica also dropped in to rock the house with “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding.” Needless to say, the Four Horsemen gave the tune a hard-hitting workover, which went down a treat with fans.
Both “Bennie and the Jets” and “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” were originally recorded by Sir Elton for his seventh studio album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The English legend released the double album on October 5, 1973. Many readers of The Music Man will know the hits from the album, which features many fan favourites such as “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “Candle in the Wind.”
It takes a brave man to sing Sir Elton John’s songs in front of the man himself, but Jacob Lusk stepped up to the plate big time when he did just that singing “Bennie and the Jets” at The Gershwin Prize. The one-time American Idol finalist really made the classic number his own at the performance earlier this year, taking to the stage like a preacher giving the sermon of rock and roll! Lusk really lent into soulful elements of the vocal, and seeing Sir Elton singing along passionately with every word really said it all!
It wasn’t just Sir Elton who was enjoying it either, as Lusk’s playful vibe onstage had the whole audience grinning from ear to ear and clapping along throughout. The band were really cooking on the number too, with some particularly tasty playing coming from the rhythm section and the pianist, who really went to town on the number. Lusk’s take on the 1974 hit single “Bennie and the Jets” was well received online, with the upload attracting one million views on the PBS YouTube channel. Fans were blown away by Lusk’s energy onstage, and added comments such as “No clue who this guy is, but to stand on stage, in front of Sir Elton John, and light that song up is pretty amazing” and “The fact Sir Elton John just looks like a regular excited fan is insane!”
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