Crystal Center, Grande Prairie Canada

26 aprile 2012

Rocket Man" soars in Swan City

di FRED RINNE Herald-Tribune Editor-in-Chief

Elton John rocketed into Grande Prairie Thursday for an intimate – man, his piano, and 4,500 close friends – gig, and the rock legend did not disappoint.

For almost two-and-a-half hours, Sir Elton churned out hit after hit from his storied career to the delight of the house that was literally standing- room-only thanks to some added, last-minute ticket sales.

On a night that was damp and dreary outside, the mood inside the Canada Games Arena was anything but.

Toddlers right up to senior citizens were swaying to the familiar sounds, a testament to the endurance of his music; its ability to transcend the ages.

Now 65, his on-stage energy certainly showed no hint of waning.

The set up for this and the other two Alberta gigs in Lethbridge and Red Deer was similar: No symphonics nor back-up artists nor vocals, just him, his piano and a backdrop that resembled a giant Lite-Brite screen, displaying pictures, graphics and some moving elements throughout the night.

Large screens helped those farther from stage see the star up close, and more impressively, showed his deft fingers skate across the keyboard in unbelievable synchronicity. His variance of volume on each and every note as he moved from one side of the board to the other was pure magic.

It was a show that started low key. “The One”, “60 Years On”, and “Holy Moses”, got the mellow crowd in the mood. He then rolled out a song about a young boy waking to find he has a new baby brother “The Greatest Discovery”, ironic in that he and his Canadian-born partner having adopted one young boy are reportedly seeking a second one.

The crowd cheered when Sir Elton referred to his “close Canadian ties” and that his son “has a Canadian passport.”

With that, it was into “Your Song” the first few recognized keys bringing the crowd to immediate life and voice.

That was followed by “The Ballad of the Boy with the Red Shoes,” a tribute to AIDS victims and a slam against the 1980s U.S. Reagan administration for inaction. “It took a young boy to die from AIDS before they got off their asses and did anything,” he said to cheers from the crowd.

It was at that point in the show his piano mastery really took the spotlight. “Levon” boasted about a five minute rolling piano solo that was baffling to watch and unbelievable to listen to.

“Tiny Dancer”, “Mona Lisa's Mad Hatters,” followed and then the show really hit the next notch with a jazzed up version of “I'm Still Standing.”

With the crowd still buzzing, the familiar sounds of “Daniel” resonated through the building, that was followed by “Rocket Man” and that really put the crowd over the top.

The hits just kept coming.

“I Guess That's Why They Call Them The Blues”, “Someone Saved My Life Tonight”, “You're Never Too Old”, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, “Philadelphia Freedom”, “Nikita”, “Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me”, “Take Me To The Pilot”, and “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” rolled one after the other.

After the umpteenth standing ovation of the evening “Goodbye Norma Jean....” and the crowd goes wild as “Candle in the Wind” floats through the waving building of lighters and lit-up mobile devices.

Right into “Bennie and the Jets,” where the crowd participation part of the program started “Bennie....Bennie...Bennie,”... that part was up to us. A fantastic mid-stream piano solo that rolled into a morphed-up version of "In The Mood", transitioned comfortably back into the original song just as he chimed into “Crocodile Rock”. Again, the crowd was compelled to do the background vocals, with pleasure.

As he waved goodbye to the crowd, the noise of the cheers was deafening, mostly because we all knew he wasn't really gone at all.

Of course, encore!

“Circle of Life” slid right into “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”, from the Lion King, vignettes from that Disney Classic playing on the big screen.

And with adieu, and like a candle in the wind, he was gone.

Without doubt, it was the biggest show of its kind in the history of this city.

Here's to hoping for more like it, if that's possible.

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