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Elton John brings Glasgow to its feet

Rocket man Elton John shows no signs of coming back to earth as he delights a paclked Scottsih crowd, writes James Dunbar


Starting the night off with the haunting "Funeral for a Friend" and then immediately following with the uplifting and energy packed "Love Lies Bleeding"; within two numbers, Elton John had the excited and expectat audience at a packed Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre exactly where he wanted them, in the palm of his hand.

At 64, Sir Elton's outfits may have become more reserved since the Donald Duck days but his performance last night was as energetic and entertaining as you are likely to see from any artist performing today, irrespective of their age. Dressed in a smart black suit with coat-tails and flashings of blue and white down the arms and back resembling spilled paint, each song ended with him standing on top of his piano pointing to members of the crowd that had caught his eye.

Throughout the whole performance, the atmosphere in the arena was electric and he kept it that way. The strobe lights, in their ever-changing colours, spanned the length and breadth of the arena and two large screens at either side of the stage gave an intimate close up of Sir Elton during the performance. But in many ways, the stage and its backdrop were modest. There were no special effects needed; all eyes were on Elton and his piano.

The crowd were treated to the performance of mega hits such as "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting", "Crocodile Rock" and "The Bitch is Back". But there were also lesser known songs such as "Take Me to the Pilot" and "Levon" which only diehard fans would know. He also performed three songs from his latest album, The Union, in collaboration with Leon Russell. "Hey Ahab", "Gone to Shiloh" and "Monkey Suit" . They were well received by the crowd and are likely to be staples of future Elton John tours.

In contrast to the showmanship of earlier years, there was a modest tone to the proceedings with Elton telling the audience how lucky he was to do what he did and how grateful he was to the fans for their loyalty over the years. He made particular reference to the public support shown during the birth of baby Zachary and he even wove sections of "Scotland the Brave" into "Crocodile Rock" as a tribute to his Scottish fans, a move that was met with delight by his adoring audience.

After completing the magnificent "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", he left the stage to thunderous applause and cries of "Encore!” After a few minutes had passed John returned to the stage armed with a black marker pen. In a touching show of gratitude towards his fans, John spent close to ten minutes signing autographs and conversing with his fans at the front of the stage before ending the concert with a beautiful rendition of "Your Song" which he dedicated to his loyal public.

It is clear that time has weathered his voice. A combination of ageing and the rock n' roll lifestyle he used to live have resulted in his voice lowering from tenor to baritone, and many of his trademark 'high notes' now elude him. However there is now an added richness to his vocals and many of his songs have now been adapted in such a way that the whole combination works perfectly.

The contribution of John's original drummer Nigel Olsson and guitarist Davey Johnstone, who have been performing in The Elton John Band since the 1970's, should also be noted. After all these years their performances were as vibrant and entertaining as ever. Bob Birch was also sharp on bass guitar. There was the interesting inclusion of Youtube sensations Stjepan Hauser and Luka Sulic on cellos, which added a new dimension to the Elton John Band. Four backing singers, one of which was Sly & The Family Stone matriarch Rose Stone, were also used to support Elton on some of the more vocally challenging numbers.

Altogether, despite his advancing years The Rocket Man shows no signs of slowing down...much to the relief and delight of his millions of followers worldwide.