A sold-out crowd at Arco Arena rocked to nostalgic tunes Jan. 31, while keyboardist greats, Elton John and Billy Joel, presented an explosive duel on grand pianos.

The “Face to Face” tour featured John and Joel each playing individual sets as well as a set at the end of the concert where the two combined their talents on stage.John, who sported his usual bright colored sport coat, (orange to be exact), outdid himself while performing his top hits of the 1970s including, “Rocket Man,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” and “Tiny Dancer.”

John did not interact with the audience as much as Joel did, but his raw talent chimed through to the very end as he belted out the tunes with a voice that projected precise clarity.

Joel on the other hand, turned on the personality as he clowned around with the audience. He concocted a zany song about Sacramento, did an outrageous Elvis imitation and swirled himself around on the top of the piano forcing the crowd to beg for more.

Joel also played many of his hits from days gone by, including the hit, “Uptown Girl.” The show lagged for a couple of minutes when Joel played several of his slower tunes from his earlier albums, but the pace quickened in no time. Especially when the two teamed up for the last set in a high powered conclusion.

The crowd roared when they busted into the old Beatles tune, “A Hard Days Night,” and Jerry Lee Lewis? “Great Balls of Fire.”

The two chopped out tunes for almost four consecutive hours and there appeared to be nary a dissatisfied rocker in the crowd, which says a lot about the show, since tickets started at about $100 and up per seat.

Most importantly, the show was a smash and well worth the price for the tickets.