Still Standing!

This week I’ve been to see Elton John at the O2 Arena in London, on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.

If there is a world record for longest wait between buying a concert ticket and going to the gig, this is a definite contender. The World Tour started in 2018, and we bought our tickets in 2019. The concert was scheduled for late 2020, only to be postponed due to Covid. Rearranged to late 2021, it was then postponed a second time when Elton injured himself, to be rearranged again to April 2023.

Until this week, the longest wait I’d had for a Covid-rearranged gig was 2 years, in the case of Elbow. When the night did finally arrive, the band took the stage and Guy Garvey greeted the audience with the simple message Good evening – sorry we’re late.

Elton, as it transpired, was on top form. I have never been a huge fan of his, though his Top Tracks have been booming from the speakers in the ADK kitchen these last few days. I hadn’t seen him live before and was conscious that, it being his Farewell Tour, this would be the last chance of doing so.

He’s playing quite a few dates this month at the O2 and, being something of a local lad, the place has been transformed in his honour. The walkway to the arena from North Greenwich Tube Station is lined with billboards showcasing his various outrageous styles and outfits, in photos from across the last five decades. Even my pint of IPA from the O2 bar was Elton-themed (see below).

He played for two and a half hours, with an accomplished backing band and very clear sound. The vocals still hold up well, and his excellent rock piano is high up in the mix throughout, so can be fully appreciated.

Being Elton, he changed costume twice during the show – each time reappearing in a dapper sequinned evening suit with (naturally) a new colour-co-ordinated pair of diamond-studded spectacles.

The set list comprised one belter after another, varied up with a couple of tracks that I hadn’t heard before from his early albums. All the classics were here – Candle in the Wind, Rocket Man, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me to name a few.

The show built towards a rockier climax, with I’m Still Standing, Crocodile Rock and Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting getting the O2 audience on their feet.

The encore consisted of his Cold Heart duet with Dua Lipa (who appeared via the big screen), Your Song and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Elton then waved farewell as he rode an escalator through the stage curtains. His image could then be seen on the big screen, walking into the sunset along said Yellow Brick Road.

All in all, well worth the wait!