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CALGARY - There's no doubt about it.
Elton John is one of the great pop superstars of our time.
The 59-year-old English singer, composer and pianist has sold more than 200 million albums, had more than 50 Top 40 hits and managed to stay in the pop/rock spotlight for the past five decades.
That said, there were, undoubtedly, certain expectations from those who packed the house at the 'Dome last night to witness Captain Fantastic and his live stage show first-hand.
And, for the most part, John did not disappoint.
Taking the stage dressed in a black suit jacket with embroidered red roses and sunglasses, he greeted the screaming crowd with a wave before heading to the piano.
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Then it was straight into the hits.
John kicked off the 2 1/2 hour show with the classic Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, followed by a lengthy rendition of Bennie and the Jets, which got the crowd, made up of mostly baby-boomers, on its feet.
He continued his trip down memory lane with Philadelphia Freedom, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Believer and Tiny Dancer.
In between each song John stood up and gracefully acknowledged the crowd, but kept the talking to a minimum.
Instead he focused on the music, which included a string of songs from the new Captain and the Kid CD, a sequel to Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy, which he also wrote with Bernie Taupin.
While watching John sing or do just about anything is a pretty phenomenal way to spend a Friday night, this is where the show seemed to take a temporary nosedive.
Instead of throwing just one or two of his latest recordings into the well-known set, the pop legend opted to do almost six in row, resulting in a long bathroom/cigarette break for many in attendance.
Those who did choose to stick around were treated to songs from the disc, such as Postcards From Richard Nixon and the first single, The Bridge, which talks about the mixed blessings of superstardom.
Then it was back to the oldies.
By press time, the concert was once again in full-swing with nonstop music from the showman's impressive songbook.
After John rolled through Rocket Man, Daniel and Levon, he headed into the home strength which, according to previous set lists, was to include the high-energy Crocodile Rock, The Bitch is Back, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting and Your Song.
Regardless of what John belted out from behind the keyboard (accompanied by his five-piece band led by rock guitarist and vocalist Davey Johnstone and drummer Nigel Olsson), he was, if nothing else, entertaining.
In fact, the only downside to an otherwise impressive evening was John's weakened pipes.
Not surprisingly, after years of admitted drug abuse and bulimia, Sir Elton's instantly recognizable rich, tenor isn't what it used to be, making it difficult for him to hit some of the higher notes.
But it really didn't matter.
Thanks to the well-versed crowd, which had a blast singing along to almost every song, nobody seemed to notice.