Captain Fantastic does it again
Resplendent in purple sequins and high-heeled boots, 65-year-old Sir Elton John still cuts a dashing figure. He is perhaps the only 5’7” gay man capable of inciting mass hysteria by tarting it up atop a piano in top hat and tails.
The enigma that is Elton has always fascinated me.
He struts around like a sparkly peacock on stage yet is endlessly described as “shy”. He is deeply eccentric yet dignified in a way that only the British are. But that is the mystery of the man behind the multi-coloured glasses. The paradox of his showman and shy man personalities – eternally at odds with each other yet inextricably linked – is what defines him.
Tonight is his estimated 45th show at the Sydney Entertainment Centre as part of his ruby anniversary Rocket Man tour. Speaking with fans before the show, I ask them what it is they so love about their Captain Fantastic.
Clive, 54, has lost count of the number of times he has seen Elton perform. He first saw him in 1975 at Wembley in London on a triple bill with The Eagles and The Beach Boys. He has flown all the way from Brisbane for tonight’s show and expects “brilliance”.
Ali, 24, assures me she “will cry”. The young singer and pianist has seen Elton three times already and is inspired by his brilliant showmanship and virtuosity. When she was younger she camped outside his house in London for four hours straight. In a blizzard. Security eventually took pity on her and came out to tell her that her idol wasn’t home.
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was the first record Claire, 53, ever bought. Her 13-year-old self saved all her pocket money and paid it off on layby. It is still a favourite. She considers Elton to be a “modern Mozart”.
“He set the standard for modern musicianship,” she tells me. “People will be playing Elton John like they play Gershwin.”
Six Grammys, four Brits, an Oscar, a knighting, a wedding, a baby and 250 million record sales later and Elton is most definitely ‘still standing’. But fame is a funny thing.
In his 1976 Rolling Stone ‘Lonely at the Top’ cover story, Elton had reached a crossroads. He believed his sellout performance on the eve of the interview – at Madison Square Garden – to be his last ever. He described it as “a very sad occasion” yet seemed relieved. His reason at the time: “Who wants to be a 45-year-old entertainer in Las Vegas like Elvis?”
Such defeatism is hard to fathom tonight.
Over their 30-year partnership Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin penned some of the most rollicking rock’ n’ roll numbers of all time.
“Saturday Night’s Alright (for Fighting)”, “Bennie and the Jets” and “Crocodile Rock” are clearly still firm favourites. From the opening line of “Tiny Dancer”, every woman in the audience lets out a collective swoon. “Grey Seal” is stunning in its shimmering haze of piano stutters. Then suddenly he is a rocket man in a faraway galaxy, swimming in a sea of stars.
His band packs a real punch too – all seasoned musicians themselves – most notably original member Nigel Olsson on drums.
But the man is most magnificent when left alone at his piano. “Candle in the Wind” is still hauntingly beautiful after all these years. Elton’s voice has aged like whiskey: rich and oaky and a little rough around the edges. Amid all the sparkles and showbiz it is perhaps easy to overlook his extraordinary abilities as a singer, songwriter and pianist. Each craft beautifully honed in its own right. On stage he doesn’t preach, he just plays. And plays. Hit after hit. Hour after hour.
And then, just when you think there couldn’t possibly be any tricks left, out comes “Circle of Life” from Disney’s The Lion King. An unconventional, but utterly Elton, way to end the party.
Jacquie, Andrew and their son Adam are most grateful to Elton for “providing entertainment to so many people over the years”. Casting my eye over the crowd, it’s apparent that people from all walks of life love Elton. Young, old, male, female, gay and straight and I wonder what it is that draws everyone down the yellow brick road.
It hits me during “Your Song”.
If Diana was the people’s princess then perhaps Elton is the people’s pop star. His gift is indeed his song and “Your Song” has become our song: a part of us all.
The Captain, I’m pleased to report, is still bloody Fantastic.
