One of the best to ever do it brought out his biggest hits
A sound that I really like – in addition to those of a switchblade and a motorbike – is Elton John crooning while pounding away on his piano.
Last night at a packed PPL Center in Allentown, PA, the legendary Elton John took the stage in a trademark dazzling purple suit. The fourth best-selling solo artist of all time sold out the arena in record time. His 2016 trek – dubbed the Wonderful Crazy Night Tour, was just that. John, just shy of 70 years old, reminded the sold-out crowd that he’s still very wonderful, and a little bit crazy.
John strolled onto the stage and sat at his piano, going off on a nine-minute medley “Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” from his 1973 masterpiece Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. After the elegant intro, Elton wasted no time taking this up a notch. He rocked out “The Bitch Is Back,” and the crowd got up on their feet – so Elton got up on his piano.
John proceeded to treat fans to a 25-song set that lasted nearly three hours. Highlights (if you can even narrow it down) included “Benny and The Jets,” “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Your Song,” and others. John also mixed things up with some medleys – “Philadelphia Freedom/Rocket Man,” and “Tiny Dancer/Levon.”
Despite having one of the greatest catalogs in all of music, John refused to rely only on yesterday’s hits. He performed two songs – “Looking Up” and “A Good Heart” – from his new album Wonderful Crazy Night which dropped back in February. The disc peaked at #8 on the Billboard Top 200 and #6 on the UK Albums Chart.
Elton ended the set with his pulsing rocker “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” which garnered a standing ovation. He eased into the encore with his beautiful ballad “Candle In The Wind,” and closed out the evening with his platinum smash “Crocodile Rock.” Earlier in the show, John performed “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.” The track takes on new meaning now for Elton, as he just released a new album as his 70th birthday approaches. He’s proven that he is certainly not ready for the sun to set on his career, and it’s clear that the fans won’t let it.
Elton John is one of the most successful artists in music history. While selling over 200 million albums worldwide, Elton has won four GRAMMY Awards. He is also a two-time Academy Award winner, bringing home the hardware for “Can You Feel The Love Tonight”from Disney’s 1995 animated classic The Lion King and again in 2020 for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” which he wrote for his own biopic Rocket Man. In 1992, Elton was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was inshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two years later in 1994.