Elton John made an emotional declaration to Liverpool during his performance at Anfield telling the audience “What a beautiful city, what a beautiful stadium, what a beautiful heart you have.”
The singer performed the 230th show of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour at the home of Liverpool FC where those watching included Sir Kenny Dalglish. The Rocket Man star took a moment to say, ‘Kenny I love you dearly, thank you for being an inspiration’, before dedicating ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’ to the former Reds' player and manager.
During a storming set that lasted two hours and 20 minutes, Elton frequently stepped away from his piano to take in and point to the rapturous crowd, which was filled with people wearing Elton-esque sunglasses and Dodger-style baseball outfits.
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Despite already being so far into his epic tour, he looked genuinely happy to be there, beaming from ear to ear. At one point he told the crowd: “I’ve been looking forward to playing this stadium. It’s like a piece of history for us. I last came here with my dad when I was chair of Watford and I haven’t been back since, so I was determined to put on a good show for you tonight.”
Elton, who told fans he first played in Liverpool on January 27, 1971 at the Philharmonic Hall, kicked off the show with a stomping rendition of Benny and the Jets. The audience was charged with energy from the get-go, throwing arms in the air and singing along.
Dressed in a glittering black tux with a huge train and his trademark diamond encrusted tinted sunglasses, he cruised through hits including I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues, Tiny Dancer and Rocket Man, which had a spectacularly indulgent ending that the crowd adored.
After the iphone lights came on for a Candle In The Wind sing along, he soon picked up the pace again, telling everyone ‘It’s time to dance’ as he launched into Sad Songs (Say So Much). His dedication to King Kenny came soon after, and then it really was party time as he followed up with The Bitch Is Back, I'm Still Standing, Crocodile Rock and Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting.
People were singing into drink bottle microphones, dancing around on the pitch and it felt like the whole stadium wanted the night to go on forever.
Elton seemed equally determined to soak up every moment. As the night drew to a close he told the audience: “This has been one of the greatest shows and greatest venues I’ve played in my career. I’ve played a lot of shows. When I was younger I even played at the Cavern.”
He added: “What a beautiful city, what a beautiful stadium, what a beautiful heart you have.”
After briefly leaving the stage, Elton and his band were back for an encore, which kicked off with Cold Heart - Dua Lipa’s part playing on the big screen - followed by Your Song and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
He told the crowd: “I’ve had the best life. After next year this is it for me. How can I ever forget this night? I wish you love, life, happiness and a European f***ing cup.”
For many of us in the audience, it will be the final time we witnessed Elton John perform live - and how can we ever forget it either?
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