Live Review: Elton John, 2Cellos, Schmidt

Elton John's merch includes a few varieties of novelty sunglasses: yellow oversized star-shaped frames with blue tinted lenses, or a more realistic-sized pair with red flashing flames. A smattering of fans wear the latter on their heads inside the arena, but it's a far cry from Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto wristband effect. My mum comes in handy as plus one right away, giving her seal of approval for Schmidt's performance: “They're all pretty songs.” There's a pleasing array of instruments onstage, including double bass and three woodwind instruments, but the poor guitarist suffers a string of technical difficulties tonight.

Via pre-recorded video message, Sir Elton John himself introduces the next support act – 2CELLOS. This pair of Croatian cellists open with Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal (which broke them via YouTube) and each of their bows is a flurry of broken strings. Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser mercilessly attack their bodiless instruments and mum shares, “They look all right, too.” It's cello like you've never seen or heard it before and they aptly close tonight with AC/DC's Highway To Hell, with a little help from some members of John's backing band as they trickle on stage and join in the jam.

The pink and gold drum kit is as flamboyant as Elton John as he wanders onto the stage modelling a blinged-out coat in a very unflattering length. “He is portly,” mum observes. As well as amazing drummer Nigel Olsson, who beams with excitement throughout the two-plus hour show, John's backing band also welcomes a separate percussionist. One of the female backing vocalists executes her choreography with a lot less enthusiasm than her three companions and when this scribe expresses annoyance, mum retorts, “Don't look at her then!” When John later introduces his outstanding backing band, we learn it's Rose Stone; one of the leading singers in Sly & The Family Stone and also a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, no less. Her daughter Lisa is also on the payroll and looks joyous as she belts out perfectly formed notes that linger in the air for impossibly extended time periods. When it's guitarist Davey Johnstone's turn to be introduced, we learn he's been by John's side for the best part of 40 years.

Many times throughout the night our ears tune in to John's wonderfully descriptive lyrics. He's meticulous in painting mental pictures of individuals or capturing a specific moment in time. Take the opening line of Tiny Dancer: “Blue jean baby/LA lady/Seamstress for the band.” Daniel strikes a similar chord as lucid visuals materialise in our mind's eyes. John tells us that of all his performances over the years, the most memorable would have to be the “concert for 9/11” (The Concert For New York City) in Madison Square Gardens. He jokes that he couldn't exactly play Crocodile Rock at the event, so instead chose Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters, which mentions New York within the lyrics. This introduction adds gravitas to John's subsequent bare-bones performance of the song. 

John points to individual fans in between songs although we wonder whether he can actually see that far these days. Tears well just below the surface during Candle In The Wind and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The search light effect throughout Rocket Man (which has now been around for 40 years) directs our gaze to the periphery of this vast stadium. John's various shades of bedazzled blue outfit embodies I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues and mum's particularly into this song. We even rise to our feet to jig along with Crocodile Rock and Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting.

Before the encore, John signs pretty much everything his security guard passes up from outreaching hands in the front rows (including a shoe and a personalised “ELTON” number plate). John then dedicates Your Song to all of us and we're left with the following touching sentiment that's enough to make sublimely satisfied singles ache for a life partner: “I hope you don't mind that I put down in words/How wonderful life is while you're in the world.” As we wander back down Olympic Boulevard towards the car, points of discussion include John as piano virtuoso and his ability to tickle the ivories while facing away from, and pointing at, the crowd. He used to put his leg up on the piano though, didn't he? “Oh, no!” Mum insists. “That was Billy Joel. Elton's never been able to get those little legs up anywhere. He's what – five foot nothing?”