CORPUS CHRISTI — Fans reminisced about Elton John’s biggest hits then jumped to their feet dancing as he opened his Corpus Christi show Tuesday with a 12-minute jam.

The more than 9,000 people who turned out to hear Elton also got plenty of the hits as he quickly followed his opening number with his 1973 hit, “Saturday’s All Right For Fighting,” stirring the crowd into a frenzy.

Joined by a band of just five other musicians, John appeared excited to perform, running to the front of the stage between songs, coaxing the crowd to its feet.

“This is our first time to Corpus Christi. I don’t think I’ve ever played here before, if memory serves,” he joked with the crowd. “But we’re all very psyched to be here.”

So were Lorraine Short and Aida Andrade, who won tickets on Star 107.3 FM, and donned brightly colored feather boas for the occasion.

“I thought this is the least we can do to get dressed up for an Elton John show,” Short said.

“This is our chance to have fun, we’ve never seen him in concert before,” she said.

Some wore their best Las Vegas suits, others wore homemade T-shirts and star-studded sunglasses.

Some like Marsha Smith and her older sister, Bobbie Bettencourt, heard his music in his heydays of the ’70s and ’80s.

“I remember skating to ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ as a teenager,” Smith said. “There are so many songs we want to hear. They all bring back memories.”

Others were newer fans, who also remember Elton from their childhood.

“My mom played a lot of Elton John when I was a little girl,” Priscilla Guerra said.

“They played ‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues’ on the radio when I was growing up in the early 1980s.”

Guerra said Tuesday’s show is one of the concerts she has always wanted to see, but figured Elton would never come anywhere near Corpus Christi.

“I think it’s cool that he’s coming here to perform,” she said. “It shows that Corpus Christi is a place that is growing.”

Willie Alejandro Jr. of Robstown has gone to Vegas regularly since 1998, but never managed to catch one of Elton’s shows.

“When I heard he was coming here, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I got ready two hours before they went on sale and got tickets as soon as they came online.”

“Elton John and the Band” will continue to play around the country through April, headed next to Lubbock and then Austin.