Sir Elton

You may be close enough to touch the erstwhile Rocket Man in the intimate Colosseum at Caesars Palace, but don’t – though Sir Elton John strides across the stage in the middle of his Red Piano show, he does not reach out and touch his fans. He leaves that to the music. John has built an impressive body of work since launching his career at The Troubadour in West Hollywood in 1970, and he draws on albums from each decade over the course of the 90 minute show he’s been doing here since 2004. John’s voice is still strong 60 (plus) years on, and he clearly enjoys performing, especially when stretching out on a few songs with extended jams tied to videos by show designer David LaChappelle. The four piece backing band includes drummer Nigel Olsson, who has been with him from the very start, and guitarist Davey Johnstone, a member of the band for almost as long. Check www.eltonjohn.com for future dates.

lili haydn

With her petite stature and cherubic face, featuring piercing blue eyes and porcelain skin framed by wavy dark hair, Lili Haydn still looks very much like the child prodigy she was two decades or so back when she was studying classical music on the violin.

These days, she’s the hardest rocking violinist/singer you’ll ever see or hear, occasionally channeling her violin through a wah-wah pedal and other effects more commonly used on electric guitars. Her torrid, emotionally charged playing has earned her touring and recording gigs with everyone from Herbie Hancock and George Clinton (who dubbed her “the Jimi Hendrix of the violin”) to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Josh Groban.

Haydn will be back on local stages fronting her own band as “Place Between Places,” her third solo effort, is set for release on April 1 on Nettwerk Music. Haydn composed most of the album in the living room of her Laurel Canyon aerie on an antique baby grand piano inherited from her grandmother – fitting as many of the songs are about family.

The dance music elements on her most recent recording are mostly gone, replaced by acoustic instruments. “I wanted to give voice to my soul,” said the self-described “breathy girl” singer. “All the songs come from my essence. It’s a map of my spiritual evolution.” The songs mostly look inward. “I Give Up” describes surrendering to “whatever may be the source of all life,” as Haydn described it. “The tidal wave that is bigger than me – a revelation that I can’t control everything, and that’s a big deal for a control freak.”

The songs that follow are in large part about how to make sense of the contrast between what’s trivial and what’s real. “Satellites” is a profession of faith in troubled times, struggling to comprehend the universe with its cruelty and disasters.

“Places” is simultaneously more intimate and more orchestrated than Haydn’s past efforts. “It is almost entirely organic – virtually no loops, no synthesizers,” Haydn explained. Guest musicians include Ben Hong, principal cellist of the LA Philharmonic; the daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra; and pianist Paul Centelon, who composed music for The Diving Bell and The Butterfly and other films.

Look for Haydn on select dates on Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors tour and headlining with her own band locally and across the country. Haydn will perform on The Tonight Show on March 31; at a CD release party at the Roxy Theatre hosted by Bill Maher and partnering with Amnesty International USA to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on April 1; and at the Dodgers’ game on April 2 where she will sing and play the national anthem. Check Haydn’s site (www.myspace.com/lilihaydn) for details.

Daniel Lanois

Silver Lake has famously been home to Beck and the Dust Brothers, among other cutting edge musicians. Fewer people have been aware that singer/songwriter/producer Daniel Lanois has also resided in the area for the last five or so years.

Best known as a producer (Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan, U2), Lanois is equally passionate about his own work as a writer and performer, and he will deliver that to locals and other this month. “Here Is What Is,” his sixth CD, comes out on March 18 on Red Floor Records, and Lanois will play live, backed by drummer Brian Blade (and possibly other musicians) at the Vista Theatre on March 27.

“Here Is What Is” is the title not only of the new disc, but also of a feature-length documentary on his work. “Here Is What Is” – the movie – debuts at South By Southwest on March 9, followed by a screening immediately after Lanois’ live performance at the Vista.

The movie follows Lanois at work over the last year, beginning in Toronto and ending in Morocco, and showcases talks with mentor and collaborator Brian Eno discussing U2, atheism and more. For the Vista show and screening, Lanois will fly in from Dublin sessions with U2 as they prepare a new album with promised “groundbreaking sonics” that should be out before the end of the year.

Though Lanois now splits the bulk of his time between Jamaica, Toronto and Europe, he’s had the same house in Silver Lake for nearly half a dozen years. “I keep a studio here, and I always have something on the burner,” says Lanois, an avid motorcyclist who often rides down to Mexico and garages his bikes at this local house when he’s not riding them.

LA-area artists Lanois works with include guitarist/composer/producer Michael Brook and Rocco DeLuca. And he’s tapped in to the local music scene. “[Spaceland booker] Jennifer Tefft calls me when there’s a cool show,” he explains, “and I run down to the club.”

The cover photo on “Here Is What Is” shows not Lanois’ face but a pedal steel guitar, which is his signature instrument and the heart of his sound. “I call it my church in a suitcase,” he says. “The harmonic interplay really appeals to me. Of all the electric string instruments, it’s the one that’s closest to the human voice.” Expect Lanois to play his pedal steel and other string instruments at the Vista.

Performances are at 6:30 and 9:30pm. Go to www.spaceland.tv for more information and to purchase tickets.