Elton John, Doncaster, July 12th
Elton John made a whirlwind visit to Doncaster
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Monday, 14, Jul 2008 11:24
5:12pm - a helicopter lands at Doncaster's new Keepmoat Stadium. Elton John has arrived for the latest date of his UK summer tour and his first ever performance in the town.
Staff at the venue - which officially opened just last year - were clearly proud to be welcoming such a star. A sea of stewards in high visibility tabards, braced for any possible contingency, filled the stadium while regular updates of exactly when Sir Elton would be appearing on stage were broadcast over the tannoy - "Could you please proceed to your seats, our main attraction Sir Elton John will be on stage in ten minutes".
Ex-Corrie actor and Soapstar Superstar winner Richard Fleeshman, who embarked on a music career last year, proved a likeable and well-received support act.
Highly proficient on both piano and acoustic guitar, he wowed the crowd with his great voice. However, Fleeshman's music might fairly be described as generic, indistinguishable singer-song writer fare - a cover would not have gone amiss here.
After a quick set change, Sir Elton strolled on stage to the pounding chords of Funeral For A Friend.
Flamboyant as ever, wearing a black and scarlet tailed suit with sparkly gold 'Rocket Man' detail, red shoes and dark glasses, he met with rapturous applause as he bowed to the audience. But the Keepmoat Stadium apparently did not warrant any of his infamous costume changes.
After congratulating Doncaster Rovers on their success in the last football season, Elton embarked on a marathon of note-perfect renditions of tunes spanning his four-decade career.
Lesser known material and a complex piano solo were interspersed with crowd-pleasers such as The Bitch is Back, Tiny Dancer, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Daniel.
About half-way through his two-hour-plus set Elton seemed to shift up a gear and, gathering momentum, effortlessly reeled out hit after hit after hit - much to the joy of the near-capacity crowd, many of whom rose from their seats, swaying and dancing for the remainder of the concert.
An extended airing of Rocket Man was followed by Honky Cat, which saw steward no. 65 (I'm sure you know who you are) conducting the audience in their swaying and clapping at the back of the stadium.
Brilliant, flawless tunes just kept coming: Sacrifice, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues, Candle In The Wind, Bennie And The Jets, Are You Ready for Love?, I'm Still Standing and Crocodile Rock - there really was something for everyone.
The magnitude of Elton's back catalogue seemed borne out by the apparent nonchalance with which Candle in the Wind - the biggest-selling single since records began - was slipped into the final third of the set.
It's refreshing to see such a well-established artist performing the songs he knows the crowd will love.
Appearing back on stage for the encore, Elton signed autographs for those lucky enough to be at the front of the stadium before launching into a raucous version of The Who's Pinball Wizard, closing the evening with a moving version of Your Song.
Just minutes later Rocket Man Elton's helicopter was spotted rising above the stadium as he jetted-off to his next destination.
Hannah Baker