Live Review: Elton John, 2Cellos

Five years in the making, Perth's newest, biggest and stylistically boldest new venue opened its doors for the first time to welcome one of showbiz's brightest stars. Denied the intended showcasing of the grand open-able roof by a drizzly deluge, our new arena seemed TARDIS-like in being much more accommodating on the inside than the (still slightly unfinished) outside suggests. So, as some 12,500 punters took their seats, the palpable question was: Do we finally have a world class venue to be proud of? The studly duo, 2Cellos, now comfortably settled into their role as Sir Elton's incumbent support act, tore through a short set of classic rock covers, the likes of which would delight families gathered around the season finale of Croatia's Got Talent.

Comparisons to the Elton John concert of December 2011 at (the then) Burswood Dome come to mind as the all new Arena quickly proved itself the unmitigated superior venue for sound quality and aesthetic mood setting. So as the Rocket Man himself took to the stage to thunderous applause, naturally launching with The Bitch Is Back, the collective sighs of Arena management and investors must have been overwhelming. With grand piano centre stage and wearing a natty blue coat celebrating his 1971 Madman Across The Water album, John appeared in fine voice and typically acidic wit. “As you can see,” he knowingly poked, “I am not George Michael”. When he last graced our town, tour fatigue had made for a troublesome and lacklustre event, but the energy from a terrific new venue, as well as the gracious appeal for Channel 7's Telethon had him in full command of his powers. Still touring with the same line-up as last year, including stalwart guitarist Davey Johnstone and drummer Nigel Olsson, the mix of classic hits (Bennie And The Jets, Your Song, Crocodile Rock) and specially selected catalogue excavations (Grey Seal, Hey Ahab) thrived as if this were the first time they'd been played live. Only three nitpicks could possibly be made: That this was the exact same setlist being performed on all legs of this celebratory tour; that the tour's raison d'être (Rocket Man's 40th birthday) wasn't acknowledged, despite a bit of Muse-ish tinkering and, his recent global hit album with Pnau wasn't even nodded to. But these tiny dampeners aside, this was a triumphant celebration of a legendary artist and a launch for a mega-venue that Perth truly can be proud of.