Rocketman Elton John lifts off in Sydney on farewell tour

Elton John revelled in the return to his beloved Australian fans at his opening concert of a two-night stand at Allianz Stadium on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

Elton John performs his first Sydney Show at Allianz Stadium on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Picture: John Appleyard

Elton John is clearly revelling in the return to his beloved Australian fans he didn’t think would happen on his marathon Farewell Yellow Brick Road victory lap of the world.

At his opening concert of a two-night stand at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, he beamed as he romped through his enviable canon of classics, drawn from his illustrious five-decade performance career.

“I am very happy to be here,” he said after his concert’s signature introduction of Bennie and the Jets and Philadelphia Freedom.

“We never thought we were coming back but we did and we are glad we’re here.”

After two shows each in Newcastle and Melbourne to kick off the final 2023 leg of his world tour, it is ironic John appears to be in the finest voice and at the zenith of his piano-playing powers as he played his first show in Sydney.

Elton John performs his first Sydney show at Allianz Stadium on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Picture: John Appleyard

And his bandmates match him in their supreme musicianship of their instruments and the nuances they bring to the arrangements of these beloved songs.

Guitarist Davey Johnstone, percussionist Ray Cooper and drummer Nigel Olsson are among the most accomplished musical sidekicks in rock’n’roll history and have their own legion of fans to worship their talents and contributions to John’s live legacy.

Their harmonies on tracks like Someone Saved My Life Tonlght were sublime, as was John’s voice which was at his most passionate.

Fark I love Elton John. The bonus Australian concerts for his #farewellyellowbrickroad tour are among the best he has ever performed here. pic.twitter.com/yskOLoMEDj

— Kathy McCabe (@McCabeRadar) January 17, 2023

John may have shirked some of his heavier vocal lifts on previous tours here but on this leg he is in supreme command of his instrument and sounds better than ever.

Eternally the master showman, the Rocket Man would take one of his grand bows from the piano riser after each song, gracefully pointing to acknowledge some of the more exuberant fans in the front rows.

And like any great performer, John is also handy at hamming it up, although no one could doubt he was genuinely puffed as he hunched over the piano top after the energetic playing and singing demanded of Levon.

Elton John was at the zenith of his piano-playing powers at Allianz Stadium. Picture: John Appleyard

The roar after Rocket Man rivalled the decibel levels of any cheer which would greet a try or goal on the stadium’s football field.

It was a field dwarfed by one of the biggest stages to be built in the history of Australia stadium concerts.

And the rebooted stadium in Sydney’s eastern heart proved to be a much better host than its previous incarnation – the sound at his opening show was pristine compared to the muddy hit and miss of previous shows over the decades.

One fan gleefully pointed out the Apple Watch “loud entertainment” alert which heralded the sound was at 90 decibels.

The venue looked stunning with red and blue flashing lights adorning hats throughout the 30,000 plus crowd; as night descended phone lights joined them to create a light scape to rival the colourful brilliance from the giant video screens on stage.

As evidenced by the countless families who filled the stadium, it was clear John’s audience continues to be generationally refreshed, more recently thanks to the 2019 box office smash film Rocket man and last year courtesy of Cold Heart with Dua Lipa and fashioned by Australian electronic stars PNAU.

Mother and daughter Charmaine Coffey and Jo Lewis were among the fans ready for the Elton John Show at Allianz Stadium. Picture: John Appleyard

The setlist remained faithful to the previous shows on this leg, a comprehensive, a grand two and a half-hour exposition of his catalogue from Crocodile Rock – a triumph in audience participation – and Candle In The Wind through to the epic Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding rock operatic suite.

Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me was greeted by a standing ovation while the opening chords of his defiant pop survivor anthem I’m Still Standing provoked an enormous cheer and singalong. Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting had everyone feeling like it was indeed a summer Saturday night.

The concert also appeared to signal the veteran entertainer and member of Princess Diana’s inner circle is Team H&M, with a wedding photo of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex included among other images on the video accompanying Border Song.

Elton John plays again in Sydney on January 18 before winding up this final Australian leg at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on January 21.

SETLIST

Farewell Yellow Brick Road, Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, January 17:

1. Bennie and the Jets

2. Philadelphia Freedom

3. I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues

4. Border Song

5. Tiny Dancer

6. Have Mercy on the Criminal

7. Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)

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 Down the Mission

14. Sad Songs (Say So Much)

15. Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word

16. Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me

17. The Bitch Is Back

18. I’m Still Standing

19. Crocodile Rock

20. Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting

Encore:

21. Cold Heart

22. Your Song

23. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Originally published as Rocketman Elton John lifts off in Sydney on farewell tour