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Pop & Hiss

Leon Russell: Back to the Garden, 40 years later

By Randy Lewis
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Newly inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Leon Russell added another highlight to his latter-day career renaissance on Wednesday with his first performance at New York’s Madison Square Garden since 1971, when he led the band at George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh benefit.

Russell joined his friend and champion Elton John for an eight-song set from last year’s duet album, ‘The Union,’ during John’s concert at the Manhattan arena.

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Southern rocker Gregg Allman also showed up to join the pair on the album’s Civil War-themed gothic ballad, ‘Gone to Shiloh.’

John has another Madison Square Garden show booked for Sunday, a few days ahead of his 64th birthday.

Russell will bring his own band with him when he returns to Southern California for a May 1 appearance in Indio for this year’s Stagecoach Country Music Festival.

-- Randy Lewis

Pop & Hiss
Randy Lewis

Randy Lewis covered pop music for the Los Angeles Times from 1981 to 2020, working in that time as a reporter, music critic and editor for the Calendar section. He has interviewed most of the members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s also written first-person accounts of performing the music of Shostakovich and Prokofiev on clarinet and singing Mozart’s Requiem with world-class professionals. In addition, he enjoys belting out “Wooly Bully” in dive bars with his band, the Rounders.

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