 |
 |
EDMONTON - Elton John is a rock tourism attraction - he's simply one of those artists you must see if you're to call yourself a true fan of rock 'n' roll.
You can hardly call yourself a world traveller if you haven't seen, firsthand, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Pyramid of Giza or the Grand Canyon and likewise need to check off the world's biggest rock acts from your itinerary.
Hello from the Elton John concert! - wish you were here.
We also see these acts less because of what they can still accomplish artistically and more for what they once represented.
John played a sold-out show at Rexall Place last night, but it's unlikely many were there to hear him play songs from his new album, The Captain and the Kid.
We wanted classic hits like Your Song, Crocodile Rock, Tiny Dancer, Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting and Honky Cat. A little less middle of the road and more Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Come on, Elton, don't go breaking my heart.
|
Did he deliver? Oh, yes - the Captain was fantastic
John hasn't performed in Edmonton since '99 (he mistakenly told the crowd it was 1998) so his return felt epic.
His band took to the stage in darkness, when a single spotlight lit up his piano, and the crowd who rose to their feet for the Knight and legend. Last night was all Elton; no opening act and a performance that was well over two hours long.
It was also Rexall in the round, with a smart stage setup that enabled Northlands to use up every last seat, which is sort of unusual for concerts at the arena.
So, the lines of sight to John were great and he does seem larger than life. He may not do his trademark costume changes anymore, but the 59-year-old's Vegas-scale light show was the stuff 20-something bands would starve after.
It was no crutch, either; John is still a showman, a true performer. After he limbered up his fingers and his band showed off its instrumental prowess they got down to business.
Bennie and the Jets crackled, the bombastic sound capturing every stroke of the high notes with resonant clarity (although the big screens didn't pan to his closeups of him capably working the 88 keys often enough).
Cue a standing ovation - there would be many.
"Thank you," he told the crowd. "I haven't been here for a while, and that was alone; I can't remember the last time I was here with a band. But we're going to be playing a few old ones and a few new ones."
Again, we're counting on the former.
He kept things bright with tunes like Shine a Light and, as hoped, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which hasn't lost any of its lustre, but has lost John's capacity to hit the high notes - he did have his vocal chords removed in '87. But give him a standing ovation for effort.
Another standing O for Tiny Dancer, a time machine of a tune to transport baby boomers back to 1971 and their kids to 2000, when it was expertly used in the soundtrack to director Cameron Crowe's rock opus, Almost Famous.
John sang songs about love, devotion and tolerance (Believe), first coming to America in 1970 (Postcards from Richard Nixon) and losing people who are close to us far too early - Blues Never Fade Away, taken from the new album.
John also framed many numbers with brief stories and anecdotes, recalling his years of toil and obscurity with longtime friend and collaborator Bernie Taupin.
Their most autobiographical work came on Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and John told the crowd that Someone Saved My Life Tonight, taken from the album and played last night, was one of his favourites.
But vacations must end.
John was exceptional and you can only hope that your Rocket Man tan doesn't fade too quickly as you check off another monument of rock from your must-see list.
But don't stow that travel diary just yet - the Who is at Rexall on Friday.