Elton John at AAMI Park
Photo Credit: Jonathan White
Rocketman takes us on one last journey to the moon.
Elton John has returned to Melbourne for the long-awaited continuation of his encore performances of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour; showcasing the spectacle that is his incredible 50-year career. Commencing the tour back in September 2018, the 2.5 hour masterpiece has everything you could ever hope for in a fitting send-off for one of, if not the most, successful male solo artist of all time. The bittersweet performance marked Elton’s 51st show in Melbourne and 56th in Victoria – performing every hit imaginable back-to-back as we said goodbye and marvelled at his well-deserved final lap of honour in our hometown. Walking up the steps of the yellow brick road at AAMI Park, we were both honoured and privileged to witness Sir Elton John in all his glory, backed by his fabulously talented band.
On a perfect Melbourne evening, the show began at 7:30 pm sharp. There was no support artist, no fanfare for his arrival, just Elton and the band walking onto the stage in broad daylight and getting straight into it with Bennie and the Jets and Philadelphia Freedom. As Elton first addresses the sold-out crowd, he exclaims ‘Good evening Melbourne. I never thought I was coming back but here we are – we are gonna have the best time possible tonight’. Dressed in an elegant tailcoat designed by Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele, Elton is waving to the audience, smile beaming as he fires up the crowd in between each song.
Elton takes time in-between songs to tell stories about his career and in particular, the moments that he believes to be his personal highlights. The first of these stories is about his relationship with Aretha Franklin, who covered his 1970s hit Border Song from his self-titled second album Elton John. With tales of fond memories of the ‘queen of soul’, Elton is thankful to have met, sung, played and recorded with her, and most importantly, had the chance to hang out with her. Her last ever performance when she was unwell was for the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and he wanted to take the chance to dedicate this song to her long-lasting and incredible talent.
The best part of attending an Elton John gig is that every song is considered a classic – so there’s no time for drinks or toilet breaks as he pulls out all the stops. Tiny Dancer, Have Mercy on the Criminal and Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) are all performed early in the night – speaking volumes to the catalogue to come. While Have Mercy on the Criminal is a relatively new addition to his live set and features an amazing solo from guitarist Davey Johnstone, the long instrumental second half of Rocket Man has the crowd off their feet and amped up for the big night ahead as things start to take off. Each song takes you on a different journey of emotions that are felt across the stadium; everyone is rocking out to Take Me to the Pilot and singing every word, as well as one of Elton’s favourite songs he’s ever written – Someone Saved My Life Tonight. While the crowd stood in awe during the electrifying Levon, they slow-danced the night away swaying to Candle in the Wind.
Both Elton and the band depart the stage briefly, giving the audience a chance to catch their breath as we process all of the feelings from the first part of the set. Returning to the stage for Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies, we see the first costume change of the night (but not the last), as Elton wears a colourful bejewelled jacket and settles into Burn Down the Mission with some on-screen flame effects as things start to heat up. We sing and dance along to Sad Songs (Say So Much), before the mood changes ‘for the lovers in the audience’ as Elton performs the most heartfelt song of the night with Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word. At this stage of the night, Elton decides to introduce the talented performers who he shares the stage with and with whom he is fortunate to work alongside. His speech was incredibly humbling, as he tells the Melbourne audience that ‘all his musicians give 150%’ and ‘this band are my favourite – so much fun because they kick arse so well’. Elton introduces John Mahon on percussion and vocals, keyboard wizard Kim Bullard, bass guitar and vocals Matt Bissonette and on drums and vocals, Nigel Olson. There’s a special shout out to musical director, guitarist and vocalist Davey Johnstone who is responsible for organising the band’s rehearsals so that Elton doesn’t have to, and an extra special mention to world-renowned percussionist Ray Cooper – hands down the most animated percussionist we’ve seen to date.
As Elton continues to speak about the important people in his career and those who are responsible for his success in Australia over the years, Elton makes mention of one man who has changed his life – Molly Meldrum – expressing, ‘Thank you so much, I love you’. Before performing the next track, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Elton makes a final speech about some of the tragic losses in the world recently, and dedicates the next song to both Jeff Beck who he described as ‘the best guitarist of all – he could play anything’ and Lisa Marie Presley who Elton knew since she was 6 – dedicating the song to both these souls who have touched his life. Launching into The Bitch is Back, we see a man storm the stage to get up close and personal with Elton. Before we know it, Molly Meldrum is standing side-by-side with his best mate Elton, laughing, singing, pretending to play the piano – even taking time to moon the crowd. As the song concludes, we see the pair hug and Molly gives Elton his best and biggest sloppy kiss in front of the entire audience. The crowd cheers and does not stop cheering as the set begins to peak with I’m Still Standing as a slideshow of Elton’s life and pop culture references are displayed across the screens. Ramping up right near the end of the set, Crocodile Rock and Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting have every single person on their feet, not just singing but yelling out the words at the top of their lungs. As a confetti cannon blasts at the peak of the song, the band depart one final time before coming back for the encore.
The whole band’s performance appears effortless in how easy these incredible feats of performance look – the piano solos, the guitar solos – even down to playing the triangle. Everything about the live set is the perfect send-off to Elton’s lengthy and successful career. In the final moments of the night, we find ourselves questioning how to say goodbye to such a legend. Elton joins the audience for Cold Heart and thanks Australia for Pnau who have launched the single to new heights, before playing everyone’s favourite Your Song – in this instance, it was Melbourne’s song. As Elton thanks the audience for their undying support since 1971, he thanks everyone for coming along, for dressing up, for making him feel so incredibly happy. While many things are said, the thing that stuck with us the most was ‘for the love, the loyalty and the devotion, I love to play to you more than anything else’. As we conclude with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and Elton is seen walking down the yellow brick road and off the stage, we begin to appreciate every moment of the special night and the magic that is Elton John.