Review: Elton John at Allstate Arena

by: Daly Tongren

I witnessed a murder on Saturday: Elton John mercilessly beating the life out his piano.

At age 66, he is still selling out stadiums. The piano man took his stand in the auditorium known as the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL this past weekend.

The arena erupted with mad cheers as John stepped on stage, sparkling in his bedazzled suit and bright red shoes that he could have stolen straight from Oz. He opened up the night’s performance by playing side one of what could be considered his best album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

The first half of the set featured the more mellow side of John, featuring a barrage of hits such as “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man,” and “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues.” Things took a livelier turn for the second half of the almost three hour set, as the crowd moved to their feet for faster paced songs such as “I’m Still Standing” and “The Bitch is Back.” Before exiting the stage, John ended his pre-encore performance with “Saturday Night’s Alright,” which was fitting for this Saturday evening that had turned out to be a lot more than just “alright.”

After some coaxing from the audience, Sir Elton John came back on stage for his highly anticipated encore. Bringing the buzzing crowd down a few notches with “Your Song,” John managed to pick it back up by ending the night with the famous jive, “Crocodile Rock.”

 

The man’s piano playing is flawless. Although his speaking voice sounded a bit under the weather, it was not apparent in the music. John played it safe when it came to high notes. He steered clear of any falsettos that wouldn’t come out perfectly. He took those times as an opportunity to get the crowd involved, leaving those notes up to them.

The diversity in the concert’s attendees is a testimony to John’s craftsmanship. There were children who couldn’t have been any older than nine, and I sat next to a couple old enough to be my grandparents. In line for drinks I saw a man wearing a Megadeath t-shirt, and women dressed up in dresses rivaling ball gowns. Things I learned last weekend in Rosemont: everyone loves Elton John.

The honkey cat and his band are a bunch of old guys that rock, it’s that plain and simple. The night’s set list included all of the hits you’d want to hear at Sir Elton John’s show, plus tracks from his newest album, The Diving Board, and left nothing to be desired. The live performance was beyond impressive, and I feel very lucky to have been given the chance to spend an evening with such an incredibly influential and legendary artist.