Elton John, two weeks shy of 70, kicked off a double header in Victoria last night. I saw him on his last visit to the city in February of 2011, not all that long ago, but there is still next to nothing that can prepare you for an Elton John show. His extended piano solos before “Levon” and “Rocket Man” were simply spine-tingling and out of this world. Perhaps what sticks out the most for me about John is that no one in the entire building is having more fun than he is.
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It took him a few songs to find his ivory fingers. He looked a bit tired and unsure during the first songs, “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies bleeding” and “Bennie And The Jets,” but he settled in after that, showing Victoria just how at home he was on stage, which he said he would take any day over being in the studio.
John took a moment between songs—and his routine bows at the end of every number—to tell us he would be 70 soon. Despite the fact that 50 years has passed in his partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin, he told the audience that he can still remember where he was when Taupin gave him the lyrics to “Your Song”—which was done last night without flaw, and with justice to the many years and generations it has touched—and thought, “I better not mess this up; this is beautiful.”
The heart, the energy and the passion in his performance is unparalleled. John is performing here again tonight and anyone lucky enough to go will find themselves in the presence of one of the most talented and creative minds to ever live. The sound of his fingers hammering Yamaha keys is electrifying, chilling, and invigorating.
Despite a few technical hiccups with the bass during “Rocket Man,” this performance was flawless. The few glitches were a short ripple in a pond that gathered 50 years of the unifying magic of auditory art and creative process.