ELTON JOHN BIDS FAREWELL
THE BITCH IS BACK!
Surprised to really REALLY enjoy Elton John's closing show last night (9-11.00pm) on BBC at Glastonbury. Saying Good Night to the old queen was a fitting way to celebrate his final show in the UK (we’ll see eh Elton? Chequebooks are already being cracked back open!) but the music! THE MUSIC!
Not quite 'all killer and no filler' but adding youngsters nobody ‘our’ generation had heard of was no small thing despite allowing one such to sing his own song (Stephen Sanchez) amongst the great back catalogue was merely a well chosen mistake I guess! More pop pap to these ears and the choir with Jacob Lusk I could have done without but Brandon Flowers more than made up for the lack of the much vaunted mega ‘guests’ Four were mooted, Sir Paul the Macca hisself (who notably spent the entire time in the wings enjoying the Old Queen, Britney flew in allegedly - no sign, Dua Lipa was covered in Cold Heart (really well actually) but an apology for not being with us made me feel she had died!, a duet for Don’t Go Breaking with current hit machine Sawyama was well er, okay I guess and if Piers Morgan couldn't forgive him casting a sideways glance at the lyric sheet well tough, you do all your punditry from idiot boards and cards anyway! and as for hints of anyone else more famous? . . . . Meh!?
What did affect me where the songs! To open with 'Pinball Wizard' a stroke of genius ( a song he hasn’t played live in decades I think) and then whilst never a staunch fan it had taken my wife to turn me onto Elton in the first place so early songs seem to hit the hardest somehow. ‘Daniel' for obvious reasons reminds me of the loss of my dear brother and always raises a tear. 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'. 'Sad Songs', Call it The Blues, Candle for MM always a favourite. The 'Your Song's, the 'Saturday Night', the 'Tiny Dancer's, the ‘Rocketman' to close. Genius!
The voice stood up remarkably well (he is 77 and Piers Morgan can go check in with his narcissistic warbling critical tosh time to find out who you really are Piers because you are coming across like an old fogey) but fans know what is happening here. Ask Sir Paul! He seems to walk about the stage really badly but in his late seventies is anyone really surprised he is past piano jumping and humping time? There were shaky vocal moments of course there were and occasionally the phrasing leaves him and yet not a stumble or a falter in tone or volume and I definitely have heard him sing worse! This man is a consummate professional and the closing cadenza with the Davey on lead guitar was little short of ecstatic! Beautiful finale by a band that has been with him since the beginning of time itself. The drummer (one of three!) Nigel Ollson looking like even my Uncle (!) the ubiquitous master of percusion the much adored Ray Cooper and Davy Johnstone on lead guitar. All consumate professionals and closing with a bang AND a whimper is fine by me! He didn’t seem to want to go home!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001n9qh
Elton Glastonbury play list
Pinball Wizard
The Bitch Is Back
Bennie & The Jets
Daniel
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
Philadelphia Freedom
Are You Ready For Love? (With Jacob Lusk and the London Community Gospel Choir)? Is that a gay thing?!
Sad Songs Say So Much
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Until I Found You (with Stephen Sanchez)? All killer no filler!? Dreadful ordinary pop!
Your Song - back to the classics
Candle In The Wind
Tiny Dancer (with Brandon Flowers)
Don't Got Breaking My Heart (with Rina Sawyama)?
Crocodile Rock
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
I'm Still Standing
Cold Heart (Rocket Man Dua Lipa mix version, announced she couldn’t be there?!)
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me (for George - whose 60th birthday it would have been
Rocket Man - great closer with Davey Johnstone on guitar
All good here!
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