Lest anyone think John is ready to fade off into a Broadway dotage, the show s final run of songs, T

Sure, there was a chandelier hanging above the stage (which would be lowered, Phantom of the Opera style), and there was plenty of pomp (courtesy of Funeral For A Friend, which kicked off the two-hour, 24-song performance), but the stage was an uncluttered affair, and John, wearing a sparkly blue suit, made unassuming entrances and exits. walt disney world park hopper tickets The sartorial overstatement he was once known for was limited to the audience, where oversized eyeglasses, skyscraping platform shoes, and even a few Donald Duck outfits dotted the sold-out house.
He is, he proudly states late in the evening, comfortable in his own skin. He s still a showman, leaping up from his bench after every song, pumping his fists, walt disney world park hopper tickets pointing into the audience, blowing kisses, trying to goose up the already enthusiastic crowd. He teases them, striking the opening chord for Benny and the Jets, then waiting a moment before pounding the full riff, and lounges on top of his grand piano like a film noir siren. But it s the songs that take center walt disney world park hopper tickets stage.
And those songs have proven themselves to be remarkably sturdy. The oldest of the tunes, the gentle Your Song from 1970 s Elton John, and the two-fisted gospel of Burn Down The Mission, have an unforced immediacy and an assured sense of melody. Hey Ahab, from The Union , his 2010 collaboration with Leon Russell, is sharp and catchy. Even lesser known songs the Jimmy Webb -inflected, road-weary Holiday Inn (from Madman Across The Water ), and the Jerry Lee Lewis rocker Your Sister Can t Twist (But She Can Rock and Roll) charmed. The two selections from last year s The Diving Board, however, while fine, feel more like songs seeking a context: walt disney world park hopper tickets Oceans Away, a tribute to the soldiers walt disney world park hopper tickets of WWI, is something you might hear as the credits roll on Downton Abbey , and Home Again might work if sung by the hero in the second act, but as stand-alone walt disney world park hopper tickets songs, they re wanting.
Still, it was the big, mid-70s hits the crowd came for, and John delivered. Diving into Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road, the double album that cemented John s superstar status and celebrated its 40th anniversary last year; the show opens with the first side of the album and peppers additional favorites throughout the set. They re relatively straightforward renditions Rocket Man is given a discursive, Keith Jarrett -esque intro and a bluesy first verse before landing into a familiar, if stately, rendition, walt disney world park hopper tickets while Levon, builds to a rousing, barrel-house coda. John tosses in extra piano flourishes a Professor Longhair walt disney world park hopper tickets roll here, some dreamy Bill Evans runs there and the band, especially old hand Nigel Olsen on drums and Davey Johnstone on guitar, provide crisp, sympathetic backing.
Lest anyone think John is ready to fade off into a Broadway dotage, the show s final run of songs, The Bitch Is Back, I m Still Standing and Saturday Night s Alright For Fighting are pugnaciously energetic, ending the evening on a well-earned, triumphant walt disney world park hopper tickets note.