By: Lindsey Nolette
Anticipation, electricity in the air settled among the crowd at TD Garden last Tuesday night. The legend, Sir Elton John strolled leisurely onto the stage to encompassing applause.
Approaching his piano, like so many times before, John began. With one hit of his piano keys, the audience stood no chance.
Mixing old and new songs, John kept his audience captivated for his two hour and forty five minute show, demonstrating that at 66, he has still got it. The concert featured hit songs such as “Tiny Dancer”, “Rocket Man,” “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” and newer songs from his album Diving Board, “Oceans Away” and “Home Again.”
The audience was able to sing along to the more popular songs and soak in the slightly lesser known songs, absorbing all John has to offer.
With the album Brick Road reaching its 40th anniversary, “John leaned heavily on playing its title track, “Candle in the Wind,” “Bennie and the Jets,” the opening “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” and deeper cuts such as “Grey Seal” and “All the Girls Love Alice,” among others,” said the Boston Globe.
The stage was stunningly elegant. John and his band were surrounded by a circular yellow brick road and the backdrop was a screen featuring different videos which attributed to certain songs. An American flag was shown billowing during “Philadelphia Freedom” and a celestial background played for “Rocket Man.” A color-changing chandelier graced the top of the stage, fitting for John.
Bedecked in a glittery, purple jacket and rose tinted glasses, John bowed to the crowd after every song, mouthing the words “Thank you, thank you.”
Not much has changed for the aging rock star. Elton John thanked his fans and also stated how thankful he was to be able to perform, and to have lived the life he has. John personalized his visit to Boston by giving personal acknowledgment to his Boston friends, “Including Live Nation’s Don Law, who promoted John’s first show here, and Patriots owner Robert Kraft, whom John called “one of my best friends in the world.,” according to the Globe.
His newest album Diving Board, was released on Sept. 13 is his 29th solo studio album.
The Globe stated, “that record [Diving Board] pared John down to mostly just piano, drums, and bass, but his latest tour is appropriately full scale, with his longstanding five-piece band, four backup singers — including the great Táta Vega, who was featured in the recent film 20 Feet From Stardom — and the cellists from 2Cellos.”
The concert took place on Nov. 12, for a sold out crowd of more than 10,000 people.
Boston was the 14th stop in his world tour, which began in Las Vegas, Nevada and will end in Bercy, Paris, France. Although John is growing older, his music still remains strong. The concert audience members ranged from old to young, from families to friends, showing how Elton John connects within us all, and connects us to each other.
