Elton John stepped onto the Sullivan Arena stage on Wednesday night like he owned the place. While I have no doubt that with nearly 50 years of albums and tours, he can afford the place; it took a unique interaction with an Alaskan crowd to win the favor of the whole town. To recap the degree of buzz surrounding Sir Elton’s Alaskan journey, you must know that big name artists don’t come to Anchorage. And sometimes if they do book a show in Anchorage, there’s a long history of artists canceling their shows. As I mentioned in a previous post, Elton John originally booked 2 Alaska shows as part of a complete the USA effort to play all 50 states. The Anchorage show sold out in 58 minutes, which led to concert promoters scheduling a second Anchorage show for Friday night, which apparently sold out in 55 minutes.
With a little back story it should come as no surprise to you that there was a lot of energy in the air Wednesday night. Fairly promptly after 8pm, Elton John took the stage to thunderous applause. He made a point to wave and salute each section of the arena. Throughout his performance he consistently smiled and waved, and acknowledged the entire crowd. Speaking of the performance…it couldn’t have been better! He kicked off the two and a half hour set with “Your Song” and mixed in with several lesser known songs from older albums, he thrilled the crowd with classics like “Tiny Dancer”, “Daniel”, and “Levon.”
Above all it was a great reminder of how much Elton John has contributed to the musical landscape over the past 40 years. Everyone has their “Tiny Dancer” moment like one of my favorite Almost Famous scenes. Everyone has a “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” moment or “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” moment. And whether images of Marilyn Monroe or Diana, Princess of Wales come to mind during “Candle in the Wind” the point is that Elton John’s music has done one of those amazing things by moving you, sticking in your mind or just bringing a pleasant memory back to you.
(Anchorage Daily News review)
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3 comments:
can you remember my tiny dancer moment?
Interestingly enough, I've been in an Elton John mood lately myself, and I didn't even know he was touring right now.
Been listening to Madman Across The Water a lot, which led to a yearning for some Yellow Brick Road. I don't even have that on CD, so I had to crank up the turntable to satisfy that itch!
Love "All The Young Girls Love Alice" and "Love Lies Bleeding".
Elton was the 2nd or 3rd concert I ever saw in my life. It was right after the release of Honky Chateau, so I must have been 13 or so. (if I'm remembering correctly that Honky Chateau was around 71)
Never saw him during the "flambouyant" years, wish I had. Looked like great shows, he just never came around here. Good to see he's still attracting all ages :)
I'm SO jealous! I've never gotten to see him.
Someday, perhaps.
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