OTTAWA -- The old Elton John has re-emerged.

I don't mean in terms of age -- though the knighted English entertainer is now 54 -- nor does it means he's back to donning the silly suits and lavish outfits that were Sir Elton's pride and joy up until the late 1980s.

No, the old Elton John refers to a time when a young piano player named Reginald Kenneth Dwight joined forces with lyricist Bernie Taupin and together would go on to deliver some of the most impressive pop music of the 1970s.

With apologies to the Disney empire, the Elton of old would cringe if the pop dreck 'n' drivel of, say, Can You Feel The Love Tonight ever seeped its way alongside the likes of Tiny Dancer, Country Comfort or Levon.

So if any of the 16,000 people who battled endless lines of traffic expected to be fed their pablum of '80s and '90s pop that might have graced Sir Elton's last capital appearance close to four years ago, the Lion King repertoire went to sleep last night at the Corel Centre.

Holding fort behind the black grand piano, instead, was the old Elton John, backed by an impressive support group that featured longtime pals Davey Johnstone on guitar and Nigel Olsson behind the drum kit, with nothing but a solid repertoire to sustain the crowd for a good two hours and 45 minutes. Upon completion of each number, Elton threw plenty of kisses, delivered a number of front-row high-fives and -- here's a surprise -- took on a few autograph signings.

Other than two giant video screens, the stage setup couldn't get any simpler than that.

Truth be told, I much preferred this "old Elton John." And not just for his killer opening number Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, arguably one of the best rock segues ever. But for a number of other reasons:

A) Sir Elton unleashed a barrage of overlooked oldies -- Holiday Inn (from Madman Across The Water), Roy Rogers (a Goodbye Yellow Brick Road fave) and (Gotta Get A) Meal Ticket, (from Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy) -- that sent true fans' hearts aflutter.

B) His fiery piano work rocked the likes of much-recognized hits Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, Bennie and the Jets, Take Me to the Pilot and first-encore closer Crocodile Rock, where handclaps and the obligatory "LAAA, LA-LA-LA-LA, LAAA" chants emanating from the elated crowd.

And C) while ballads always have been Sir Elton's forte -- Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Rocket Man, and the second-encore one-two punch of Your Song and Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me being primo examples -- none was more welcoming than hearing Candle In The Wind in its original form. Despite his valiant heart honouring the late Princess Diana, the 1997 rewrite of this classic never sat well in my stomach, right down to the astounding record sales. It always made me gravitate to the 1973 studio or 1987 live versions.

Of course, Sir Elton's raison d'etre for this outing was to plug material from his new disc Songs From The West Coast, released merely a week ago. Critical response has been favourable, citing a return to -- you guessed it -- the old Elton John. Of the seven songs performed, standouts included The Wasteland, a rollicking slice of blues-rock that would sit comfortably with anything off his 1972 Honky Chateau album; American Triangle, about the unnecessary murder of gay Wyoming student Matthew Shepard three years ago; Ballad of the Boy with Red Shoes, a story about a dancer who died of HIV in the 1980s; and first single I Want Love, for the oddball video display of Robert Downey Jr. lip-synching along to the opening verse.

There was also a show of emotion to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the form of lost Honky Chateau classic Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, to which Sir Elton described as "a song about New York. It wouldn't be appropriate if I didn't do something about that city. And I hope we could all get past this."

Forget the nostalgia factor. This is respect above reproach.

JAM! Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (More on Elton John)