There are music legends and then there are “once in a lifetime” icons.
Sir Elton John falls into the latter category and he made that perfectly clear at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday night (8 January) when he kick-started his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in Newcastle.
The 75-year-old has been churning out hits since the late 1960s and enjoyed chart success for over six decades to etch his name in the history books.
His drawing power is unmatched as well, with Hollywood heavyweight Nicole Kidman, her superstar husband Keith Urban, television personality Richard Wilkins and the Hunter’s own glamour girl Jennifer Hawkins among the audience members.
In fact, the arrival of Nicole and Keith caused more than a ripple of excitement throughout the masses, with people clamouring for photos of the couple.
So much so, they had to retreat to the back of the VIP area.
But, true to his promise, Elton hit the stage right on the stroke of 7pm.
He then spent the next two-plus hours performing classic after classic, with a few surprises thrown in.
Yes, we heard Bennie and the Jets, I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues, Tiny Dancer, Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time), Candle in the Wind, Sad Songs (Say So Much), Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word, I’m Still Standing, Crocodile Rock, Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting, Cold Heart, Your Song and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
However, he also threw in Border Song as a tribute to the late Aretha Franklin and Have Mercy on the Criminal, one of his personal favourites from Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player.
As for Elton, his vocals were impeccable… and right on the money, as were his light-fingered keyboard skills.
He truly is the ultimate showman.
His band, featuring long-time collaborators Nigel Olsson (drummer), Davey Johnstone (guitarist) and Ray Cooper (percussionist), was also faultless, displaying amazing musicianship.
They appeared to be enjoying themselves as much as the main man himself, providing an energetic atmosphere from the opening track.
Full credit goes to everyone at McDonald Jones Stadium – and those behind the scenes, too.
Its transformation, after a couple of days, was incredible.
With such a huge crowd in attendance, most things ran smoothly – from entry into the grounds to grabbing a bite to eat. Kudos to all.
Hopefully, it will be the first of many “big-scale” concerts at the venue (maybe, that’s what Keith was doing there).
So, if you didn’t get to see Elton’s show at the weekend, don’t miss it on Tuesday 10 January.
You won’t be disappointed.
For the record, the production included:
- 20 semi-trailers’ worth of staging
- 24 semi-trailers’ worth of production
- Stage is 66m wide x 25m high x 24m deep
- 700 square meters of LED screen
- Sound system is a state of the art, Clair Global CO12 PA system
- Total of 192 speaker boxes
- 70 x production crew and 2 teams of 30 x staging crew
- Plus 120 x stagehands, 8 x forklift drivers, 12 x riggers hired locally for set-up and pull-down
- 9 x 40 ft shipping containers of gear were sea freighted to Australia after the final US show at Dodger Stadium on 20 November
For more entertainment stories:
- Civic Theatre gears up for memorable 2023
- Lloyd, Sultan among headline acts during Maitland’s stacked summer of events
- Shakespeare Under the Stars to light up Newcastle
Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
