Sir Elton John paid the fondest of farewells to Leeds in what he declared his final show in the city.
Sir Elton John, 76, will always have an affinity with Leeds First Direct Arena having been the first act to officially play the venue back in 2013. Nearly 10 years later, the masses packed it out as the music icon paid a stop on Tuesday evening as part of his farewell tour - a schedule of shows which has so far seen the great perform to over 300 audiences worldwide.
The relatively early start, of 7.30pm, didn’t seem to take many by surprise with barely a spare seat to be found when Sir Elton opened with Bennie and The Jets. The icon was positioned prominently on the hugely impressive stage set up with his backing band, which he described as one of the best ensembles he’s performed with, immersed into the structure.
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Fans of Sir Elton will know his last appearance at the Leeds city centre venue has been many, many years in the making - more than intended. The coronavirus pandemic, of course, was a factor but the music star also had to push the appearance back after suffering an injury.
Finally bringing the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour to Leeds, Sir Elton joked: “Thank you for being so patient. We are finally here and we are going to have the best show possible.”
The capacity crowd were with Sir Elton all the way through with thousands singing those famous lyrics back at the star. Many of the devoted masses were adorned in the famous Sir Elton glasses and outfits. Judging by the amount of plastic flashing lights dotted around the venue, it would appear, the vendors outside made a pretty penny on Tuesday evening.
Throughout the night, Sir Elton, sat playing the piano keys with the instrument rather theatrically motoring across the stage at times, effortlessly belted out his still impressive vocal range. The performance of Tiny Dancer was the first of many occasions where he had the power to make the little hairs on your arms stand on end.
A relatively early airing of Rocket Man concluded with Sir Elton doing a lap of honour waving to each corner of the stage. He loved each whoop and cheer, regularly asking for a little bit more, and to be honest, after 50 years perfecting his art, who can blame him?
Watching Sir Elton there’s no escaping just how showbiz he is - unashamedly so. The Leeds gig came just days after a viral video surfaced of the football addict spotted celebrating Manchester City’s FA Cup win over rivals Manchester United with Pep Guardiola and his squad. Just one of the countless rock 'n' roll power plays we've seen from Sir Elton down the years.
On Tuesday evening, his fans were treated to tales from the industry with particular affection for the late Aretha Franklin with Border Song dedicated to her memory. Of course, on the night, there was the glamour, the costume changes and the grand, rather fabulous, scale of the production - you’d be disappointed if there wasn’t.
But Sir Elton, who has a back catalogue spanning 50 years, displayed so much humility throughout his visit to Leeds. From regular shows of affection to his band, particularly percussionist Ray Cooper, to dedications to the Leeds - he could never be accused of phoning it in.
Many in attendance would agree, the most touching moment of the evening was when Sir Elton stopped the proceedings to pay tribute to a visually impaired boy on the front row. Addressing the child, in the video accompanying this article, Sir Elton said: “There’s a little boy in the front row. He can’t see me but he can hear me and he just broke my heart all night.”
Lots of cheers and applause followed for the child who was shown on the venue’s big screens. Sir Elton continued: “You are so special and you made me feel so great tonight. I tell you what, we are going to get your telephone number and I’ll keep in touch with you.”
In a career which has seen the musical great release just the 31 albums putting a setlist together is no easy feat. Of course, some big numbers were omitted (Are You Ready for Love? Anyone?) but it was rather special to see Sir Elton include a song he described as one of his favourites in the shape of Someone Saved My Life.
He later dedicated Sorry Seems to be The Hardest Word to ‘all the lovers in the audience’. Sadly, there was no guest appearance by Blue. Although, the fans seemed rather pleased with what they got.
Many, many of them were up on their feet from I’m Still Standing to the conclusion of the concert. The lyrics to the spirited and so wonderfully defiant Sir Elton calling card reverberated all around the First Direct Arena. During many of the songs the screens which formed parts of the stage displayed clips from some of his most famous music videos and cameos with nods to The Simpsons, South Park and his work on The Lion King.
There were also references to his time in charge of Watford Football Club. While clips of Taron Egerton’s critically-acclaimed portrayal of the superstar, from the film Rocketman, also appeared.
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The music legend couldn’t resist a giggle when confetti showered down upon him and he was forced to take off his trademark glasses while still playing the piano as the fun neared an end. Starting and finishing earlier than most headline performances the main set concluded with Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting.
Sir Elton, returned to the stage for the evening’s encore in a dressing gown. A less than subtle hint that bedtime was nearly upon us. Collaborating with an on-screen recording of Dua Lipa, the retiring star spoke of his pride at scoring a recent worldwide No.1 single with their track Cold Heart - a reworking of his classic Sacrifice.
This was followed by a performance of his first No.1 Your Song which was released back in the 1970s. In typically understated Sir Elton-style, instead of just trotting off after taking his bow, fans saw him ascend to the sky in a lift attached to the set. This was soundtracked by raucous adulation from the fans below.
If this is truly the last we’ll see of Sir Elton John in Leeds then what a way to say goodbye.
Setlist
- Bennie and The Jets
- Philadelphia Freedom
- I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
- Border Song
- Tiny Dancer
- Have Mercy on the Criminal
- Rocketman
- Take Me to the Pilot
- Someone Saved My Life Tonight
- Levon
- Candle in the Wind
- Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
- Burn Down the Mission
- Sad Songs (Say So Much)
- Sorry Seems to Be The Hardest Word
- Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
- The Bitch Is Back
- I'm Still Standing
- Crocodile Rock
- Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
Encore
- Cold Heart
- Your Song
- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
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