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Elly Roberts reviews

Greatest Hits 1970-2002 Four Beatles, three Bee Gees - but there’s only one Dr Sir Elton John ! A proud but nervous Elton unveiled his new Summer Orchestral Show at a sold – out NEC in Birmingham. For the second time in two years, his backing band was the 108 piece orchestra and 50 voice choir from the Royal Academy of Music London ; conducted by his friend and former band mate James Newton Howard. This was in effect a tribute to the establishment that gave him invaluable musical grounding. In the programme notes he said, “ I learnt the rudiments of music, I sang in the choir, which was a very joyous experience. So the royal Academy has had an incredible influence on my life and my career.” His regular Anglo – American band were also there, consisting of long – time cohorts, drummer Nigel Olsson and guitarist Davey Johnstone. The Royal Academy’s most famous student couldn’t wait to get his teeth into the specially selected setlist. Drawing mostly on album tracks and some singles, he followed a self – imposed protocol. There was nothing flashy about this night, modest lighting and no antics. A concession was made for his flamboyant outfit – blue jacket, pin-striped trousers, pink and black boots, and a pink bowed full length shirt. Huge red festooned drapes provided the backdrop, as the choir and orchestra took up the width of the stage. Seeing the setlist beforehand, I could see that it was going to be a very different experience for his fans. Opening with 60 Years On, he sat tentatively at the Yamaha grand piano, checking his shirt and trousers, and looking at my camera.

The orchestra hit the dramatic notes as he braced himself for his contribution. It was a slow build up for what was to become a magnificent night. For the next two hours he casually introduced each track, most of which he hadn’t played for some time, or not at all. Delving into albums like Madman Across The Water, Tumbleweed Connection, Made in England, and Captain Fantastic he brought new light to old standards. Believe, and Tiny Dancer brought a bouquet of flowers, whereas, Levon and Carla brought a noisy standing ovation. He was careful not to go overboard with the album material, so just for good measure, he belted out the ‘Philly Sound‘ of Philadelphia Freedom, closing with a storming version of Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, as a young couple danced at the stage front. An encore brought the best of the night – a glorious and highly emotive Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me and Your Song. Musically, it reflected his own life – full of highs and lows – full of drama and dynamics, which contained many breathtaking moments as he realised the full extent of his pianoforte love affair. Stubby fingered he may be, but his dextrous manipulation of the ivories is unparalleled in modern Pop culture. Pride oozed from the 57-year-old icon, as he regularly paid tribute to his supporting musicians. He almost became apologetic for his concept, which clearly indicated a lack of confidence in thrusting this idea onto a fanbase that’s used to back – catalogue hits. This was without doubt a definitive night in a continuing dazzling career.

Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008. For prints of any of Elly's concert pics online, email Elly or call 07765 862017.

DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.

PC games reviewed by the editor are on: