Elton John - review

Roundhouse, London

4

Betty Clarke

It's 40 years since Elton John last played the Roundhouse. Then, he was supporting the Who. Now, in keeping with the BBC's Electric Proms' eclectic ethos, he's sharing the spotlight with new talent and an old idol.

Very much the master of ceremonies in a floor-skimming frock coat with shooting stars embroidered on the sleeves, and red piping up his trouser legs, John looks relaxed in what is for him an intimate change from the draughty arenas he more usually plays. Sitting at one of the two opposing pianos on stage, he dives into the feisty honky-tonk of his early career with Burn Down the Mission from 1970's Tumbleweed Connection while his band and its ebullient gospel-schooled backing singers whip up a southern soul fervour.

The timeless warmth of Tiny Dancer is matched by the old-fashioned glamour of a giant glitter ball, but it's the unearthered gem Ballad of a Well Known Gun that reveals just how reignited by his past John is today.

But his touch is less sure when it comes to the present. Of guest Plan B's The Defamation of Strickland Banks, John says he hasn't stopped "playing it since it came out". But whatever charm John has discovered in the performer is sadly lacking when Plan B – aka Ben Drew – appears. On a nasal, lightweight take on I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues, Drew looks and sounds out of his league. "From somebody new to somebody old!" John says, as his hero, singer-songwriter Leon Russell, zips on to the stage in an electronic wheelchair.

Russell's seeming frailty, however, is overwhelmed by his imposing authority when he sits, bolt upright, at the second piano for the classic Delta Lady. Following a poignant A Song for You, he's joined by Rumer, who almost steals the show with the gorgeous, Karen Carpenteresque This Masquerade.

Then it's on to what John calls "the hard part" of the show: a comprehensive run through of his and Russell's combined effort, The Union. In fact, the pair make easy work of the album's rollicking blend of country, gospel and soul, infused with pedal steel guitar and plenty of passion. From the celebratory Hey Ahab to the spiritual There's No Tomorrow, John and Russell prove not only kindred souls but also a perfect partnership.

Dividing the spotlight once more, they dip into their respective back catalogues, with Russell ablaze during Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms. But with Your Song, which sparks a singalong, and a particularly vicious The Bitch Is Back, John reclaims the night as his own.