Elton John — so nice, she saw him twice

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/05/2024 (801 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This is the final story in a trilogy of Travelations columns about travelling to London, England, in April 2023 to attend a once-in-a-lifetime Elton John concert. You can read the others here and here.

As a musician and vocalist, Elton John was in fine form when I saw him, even at 76 (as he was then). He hit every single vocal note and played the piano with enthusiasm. Close-ups of his hands on the keys were frequently shown on the giant video screens. He also had some interesting facts to share, like this being his 289th show on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, his 79th concert in London, and his 456th concert in England. I was grateful to be taking in my very first one.

The six other musicians on stage with Elton were equally fascinating to watch. During Levon, each was shown on the big screen, putting on their own micro-performances within the larger show.

Guitarist Davey Johnstone (fron Edinburgh, Scotland) has shared the stage with Elton at more than 4,000 shows since 1971, and played on most of his albums, too. Drummer Nigel Olsson (Wallasey, England) played on Elton’s first album in 1969, and toured with him on and off over the next five decades. Highly entertaining percussionist Ray Cooper (Watford, England), who was up on the second level of the stage all by himself, was Elton’s duo partner in the 1970s.

Multi-instrumentalist John Mahon (Canton, Ohio) has played with Elton since 1997 as percussionist and – once he revealed his singing talent – harmony vocalist. Keyboardist Kim Bullard (Atlanta, Georgia) joined the band in 2009, and being a pianist himself, he especially loved that Elton was a “piano player who rocked.” Bassist Matt Bissonette (Detroit, Michigan), who grew up listening to Elton John, joined his band in 2012.

The encore portion began with Elton John’s most recent No. 1 hit, a contemporary duet called Cold Heart with Dua Lipa, who was pre-recorded on video, singing her parts. He then travelled back 52 years to his very first No. 1 – Your Song – an incredibly moving performance featuring just Elton. That night, in that moment, it really felt like it was my song.

The concert closed with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and a projected reel of video clips spanning his entire career. After taking a bow, he stepped onto a glass lift, glided up to the backdrop, and disappeared through a previously-invisible door. And just like that… he was gone.

I stayed in my seat watching the credits roll (yes, there were actual production credits) ,until after the lights came up and the place was nearly empty. I realized that if I descended a few steps and cut straight across the floor, I would be way closer to where I needed to exit The O2.

Heading down the stairs, I was suddenly stopped by a security guard.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Over there to the exit,” I said, pointing and expecting him to block my path.

“OK,” he said. Then he showed me a piece of paper and asked, “Would you like the set list?”

I was floored by this gesture, and thrilled to have this special little piece of concert memorabilia from this once-in-a-lifetime show.

The next morning, still coming down from the incredible experience, I remembered Elton was doing another show that night. So I checked Ticketmaster just for kicks — and, wouldn’t you know it, there happened to be one ticket left on the floor. It wasn’t every expensive either. I couldn’t believe it!

It took an entire nanosecond to decide to buy it. Later that afternoon, I was back on the train to The O2 for show number two. It ended up being exactly the same as the night before, from the order of songs right down to the stage banter, and it was equally as awesome, too.

My seat was right beside an expat Canadian who moved to the U.K. years ago. We struck up a conversation, and I told her that I had come to London just to see Elton John. She asked me how I got my ticket. I told her that I checked online just that morning and found it.

“Really? You must be lucky,” she said. “This concert has been sold out for years.”

I certainly did feel lucky to be there that night, and to be able to experience Elton John live in London – a once-in-a-lifetime concert that happened twice.