Elton John launches the last tour with a three hour show

John has been fondly remembering his years around the world playing live for his fans, telling the crowd: "Although I like to make records, there is nothing such as playing in front of an audience of human beings have been magnificent. "

Still, at age 71, he feels more obliged to spend time with his husband, David Furnish, and his two sons – "I have the most beautiful family and I really have to spend time with them", a- he explained on stage. he bids farewell to the tour with a yearlong world tour, which ends in September 2019.

Although his retirement was deserved, John's Allentown show was proof that rock 'n' roll was losing a masterful live performer, the singer hitting a bad note in his nearly three consecutive hours of slingshot in his rich baritone. He has assembled his rock band with whom he has played in his last five decades of music, led by his long-time guitarist and tour director Davey Johnstone.

His extensive discography is well represented in a setlist that includes all hits – "Benny and the Jets", "Tiny Dancer", "Daniel", "Your Song", "Crocodile Rock" and the title "Goodbye Yellow Brick" Road " – alongside songs that may be more unfamiliar to John's less fanatic fans.The only blow to the singer's performance, which will come as no surprise to anyone who has seen him live in the past, is his contempt for the enunciation, treating the consonants in his words as mere suggestions.

And while everyone on stage has delivered an absolute performance, this is almost expected from John and Co, with the most pleasant surprises of the night from the whimsical visuals that have prevented the show from slipping. Short video clips celebrated John's essential campiness, with a brightly colored montage of fans wearing Elton-inspired outfits accompanying "Crocodile Rock"; a band of drag queens fighting in a pool at "The (Expletive) Is Back;" and the singer himself, wearing feathers, smashing the head of a man in a piano and kicking flying at the face of another opponent at the sound of "Saturday Night's Alright" for Fighting ".

Of course, none of the characters in the video shone more than John himself, wearing several custom-made Gucci outfits, including a sequined knee coat and a luxurious lounge gown, all matching oversized sunglasses.

The video accompaniments of the series became more serious with a short film "Tiny Dancer", a celebration of Los Angeles that became last year the official music video of the song in a YouTube contest; and the clip of "Daniel", which echoes the original meaning of the song as a memorial for a dead soldier, describing the life and death of a young man sent to Vietnam. At other times in the series, John paid tribute to Aretha Franklin with a song she has already played, "Border Song," which recalls the crowd. "You can imagine what I felt when this incredible woman covered this song.

He also remembered Mac Miller after the tragic death of the rapper on Friday, dedicating to him "Do not let the sun come down on me" and telling the crowd: "It is inconceivable that anybody will ever get hurt. as young and so talented can do it … and Mac, wherever you are, hope you're happy now. "

More: Elton dedicates his performance to Mac Miller

The show also made reference to John's humanitarian efforts through his Elton John AIDS Foundation with a montage during his performance of "Believe", a song that he introduced while speaking of the turbulence that he sees in the world today.

"If there is one thing that I have learned in my life, it is the extraordinary healing power of love, compassion and giving, and the only thing I have ever learned. love is really what heals the ills of our sick world, "he said. "We are going through difficult times, not just here but everywhere I go, and certainly in Britain and Europe, and I wanted to sing (" Believe ") because it says everything I wanted to say about the world. love."

It's a love that the crowd has shared throughout John's set, while he was fingering his fists at the end of each song to applaud, ripping several points during the night, with several participants spotted in crying at the end of the show. Saturday's performance was a particularly moving triumph for both the performers and the fans, and even though John John does not entirely withdraw from the music, the editing becomes a funeral when the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" play is mounted. , "ending with the singer climbing on a platform and coming out of the scene as a backdrop, while his cartoon image goes down a yellow brick road to the screen toward the sun.

And while the idea of ​​John joining other recently deceased rock legends is too much to endure, his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is just the kind of experience fans have been waiting for for a long time, after the end of their career. . Because of illness, conflict and death, not all musicians can finish. It's even more of a reason to find a way, over the next year, to see this show.

setlist:

1. "Benny and the Jets"

2. "All girls love Alice"

3. "I guess that's why they call it the blues"

4. "Border Song"

5. "Little dancer"

6. "Philadelphia Freedom"

7. "Indian summer"

8. "Take me to the pilot"

9. "Someone saved my life tonight"

10. "Levon"

11. "Candle in the wind"

12. "Funeral for a friend / Love Lies Bleeding"

13. "Burn the mission"

14. "believe"

15. "Daniel"

16. "Sad Songs"

17. "Do not let the sun come down on me"

18. "The (Expletive) is back"

19. "I am still standing"

20. "Crocodile Rock"

21. "Saturday night is fine for fighting"

22. "Your song"

23. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"

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