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Elly Roberts reviews
at NEC BirminghamMonday 28 June 2004
Greatest Hits 1970-2002
Four Beatles, three Bee Gees – but theres only one Dr Sir Elton John !
A proud but nervous Elton unveiled his new Summer Orchestral Show at a sold out NEC in Birmingham. For the second time in two years, his backing band was the 108 piece orchestra and 50 voice choir from the Royal Academy of Music London ; conducted byhis friend and former band mate James Newton Howard. This was in effect a tribute to the establishment that gave him invaluable musical grounding. In the programme notes he said, I learnt the rudiments of music, I sang in the choir, which was a veryjoyous experience. So the royal Academy has had an incredible influence on my life and my career. His regular Anglo American band were also there, consisting of long time cohorts, drummer Nigel Olsson and guitarist Davey Johnstone.
The Royal Academys most famous student couldnt wait to get his teeth into the specially selected setlist. Drawing mostly on album tracks and some singles, he followed a self imposed protocol. There was nothing flashy about this night,modest lighting and no antics. A concession was made for his flamboyant outfit blue jacket, pin-striped trousers, pink andblack boots, and a pink bowed full length shirt. Huge red festooned drapes provided the backdrop, as the choirand orchestra took up the width of the stage. Seeing thesetlist beforehand, I could see that it was going to be a very different experience for his fans. Opening with 60 Years On, he sat tentatively at the Yamaha grand piano, checking his shirt and trousers, and looking at my camera.
The orchestra hit the dramatic notes as he braced himself for his contribution. It was a slow build up for what was to become a magnificent night. For the next two hours he casually introduced each track, most of which he hadnt played for some time, ornot at all. Delving into albums like Madman Across The Water, Tumbleweed Connection, Made in England,and Captain Fantastic he brought new light to old standards. Believe, and Tiny Dancer brought a bouquet offlowers, whereas, Levon and Carla brought anoisy standing ovation.
He was careful not to go overboard with the album material, so just for good measure, he belted out thePhilly Sound of Philadelphia Freedom, closing with a storming version ofSaturday Nights Alright For Fighting, as a young couple danced at the stage front.
An encore brought the best of the night a glorious and highly emotive Dont Let The Sun Go Down On Me and Your Song. Musically, it reflectedhis own life full of highs and lows full of drama and dynamics, which contained many breathtakingmoments as he realised the full extent of his pianoforte love affair. Stubby fingered he may be, buthis dextrous manipulation of the ivories is unparalleled in modern Pop culture. Pride oozed from the 57-year-old icon,as he regularly paid tribute to his supporting musicians. He almost became apologetic for his concept, which clearly indicateda lack of confidence in thrusting this idea onto a fanbase thats used to back cataloguehits. This was without doubt a definitive night in a continuing dazzling career.
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.