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Pop superstar Elton John performs to sell-out crowd in Colchester
I expect if you ask the average Colchester United fan they would admit
that there has not been an awful lot of entertainment on offer at the
Weston Homes Community Stadium of late.
That certainly changed as Elton John took to the temporary stage at
the home of the U’s, with a packed crowd roaring him on from the very
start.
The superstar kicked things off with a hat-trick of tracks from classic album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which is now 40 years old, including epic opener Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding to launch the proceedings.
As he was rattling off pop masterpieces such as Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer and Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,
interspersed of course with some lesser-known tracks from more recent
offerings, it was a brilliantly entertaining reminder of one of pops
most talented songwriters and enduring showmen.
Wearing a spangly
Rocket Man coat, the diminutive star sparkled in the distance, easily
spotted by those furthest back in the stands.
Plastic ponchos,
rain coats and wet hair are not quite what Elton’s grown used to in
recent years following a stint in Las Vegas but the early-evening
downpours couldn’t dampen the spirits of an eager Colchester crowd.
And things took a little while to get going – a shame as some of the set highlights, including a blistering Grey Seal, were at the front-end of the set.
By nearly two hours into a mammoth set, almost everyone was finally standing for I’m still Standing, followed by a breakneck Bitch is Back and the stadium was rocking at last as Elton and his slick band hit their stride in style.
The encore featured a sing-a-long Your Song and a pumping Crocodile Rock and even after two-and-a-half hours, the crowd still wanted more.
Some
over-zealous stewarding didn’t help get people into the party spirit,
but overall the organisers seemed to have planned the first ever gig on
the pitch pretty well.
A well-known football fan himself, Elton
told the crowd he had enjoyed many trips to Layer Road in the past, but
like for many shivering on the pitch and for much of the night too
self-conscious to get up and dance to the music, it was his first time
at the WHCS.
The signs are good that more big names will stop off in the future after such a successful debut concert.
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