Two Legends, a Gazillion Hits

What is it we want from Elton John and Billy Joel after all these years?

Hits . . . hits . . . and more hits.

Make that: old hits . . . old hits . . . and more old hits.

And the veteran piano men are certainly equipped to fulfill that request, as they showed in a generous, high-spirited show Tuesday at the Great Western Forum.

Between them, the two singer-songwriters have a remarkable 90 Top 40 hits, led by John’s 57--second only to Elvis Presley in the modern pop era. And they sang almost three dozen of them during the show. If you remember the song, the chances are they performed it.

When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members weren’t singing their hits, they sang other people’s hits--with Joel offering playful slices of such rock landmarks as Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.” For the encore, they played the Beatles’ “Come Together” and “A Hard Day’s Night,” and saluted Jerry Lee Lewis, one of the original rock ‘n’ roll piano men, with “Great Balls of Fire.”

John also paid tribute to two ‘60s Los Angeles bands that inspired him. He dedicated “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” to the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, who was in the audience, and “Tiny Dancer” to the Byrds’ Chris Hillman, who was also present.

Though John and Joel were rivals during the ‘70s, they work as partners rather than competitors. The result was a warm, relaxed affair, much like the pair’s mid-’90s tour. It’s such a crowd-pleaser that it sold out three nights at the Forum despite ticket prices that went into three figures.

“For the ticket prices of this show,” Joel joked at one point Tuesday, “we should be in your living room.”

Despite the aura of nostalgia, both musicians played with a conviction and force that brushed away many of the potentially troubling cobwebs.

They came out together at the start for John’s tender “Your Song” and Joel’s devotional “Just the Way You Are,” sitting at facing pianos so long they resembled a pair of stretch limos.

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For his segment, John and his five-piece band went through a dozen tunes, most of them from his ‘70s catalog.

Later, Joel and his equally vigorous band also stuck to the hits, but also ventured into the ‘90s for “I Go to Extremes” and “The River of Dreams.”

If Joel was the more aggressive showman, John, whose mobility was limited by a recent tennis injury to his leg, asserted a stronger artistry. He’s a more subtle pianist than Joel, and a more sensitive singer, even though his voice seemed hoarse at times Tuesday.

They are both composers with an extraordinary feel for accessible, highly melodic pop. However, Joel’s music generally lacks the individuality and character of John’s.

Joel’s music has tended to be too derivative and is at times generic. His most distinctive feature is a sort of cocky self-affirmation that’s reflected in both his lyrics and his hyperkinetic piano style. The approach serves him well in such songs as “My Life” but leaves him sounding pedestrian elsewhere.

John’s music has a more soulful and graceful musical base, and his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin’s best work contains intimate, unexpected phrases that give the songs a human and endearing edge.

Indeed, John’s best music has much of the range, timelessness and cross-generational appeal of the Beatles’ music. That’s why he may be one of the few artists from the ‘70s who could light up the charts with a properly promoted hits package. Elton John’s “1,” anybody?

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* Billy Joel and Elton John, Friday and Sunday at the Great Western Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, 7:30 p.m. $85. (310) 419-3100.