Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour 20/11/2022 (THE FINAL US SHOW)

Where: Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles, California (USA)

Venue rating: 10/10 (I know I rated it 9/10 last time but this was a different experience as I was on the floor level and no speakers were obstructing my view, though that sign they never took away was annoying)

Who I went with: Myself

Where I stayed: Metro Plaza Hotel (a 30 minute walk away)

How I travelled there: Walked from the hotel. It can be a bit sketchy in Downtown LA but I survived to tell the tale even though barely anyone from the concert walked back the same way as I did

Beverage of choice: Probably Cherry Coke again (and I got a different cup this time)

SETLIST:

Bennie And The Jets
Philadelphia Freedom
I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues
Border Song
Tiny Dancer
Have Mercy On The Criminal
Rocket Man
Take Me To The Pilot
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Levon
Candle In The Wind
Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding
Burn Down The Mission
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word (New addition)
Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me
The Bitch Is Back
I’m Still Standing
Crocodile Rock
Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
Cold Heart (Encore)
Your Song (Encore)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (Encore)

I was excited to be on the “floor”, by the stage this time. I bought my ticket second-hand on Ticketmaster, which cost a small fortune. I think it was worth the money though. Now I get to brag about attending this historical concert forever, whether my listeners care or not. It was the grandest of all six I went to, with the light-up wristbands (very Coldplay-esque), fireworks and countless guest appearances. These special touches made this concert stand out from the others. The ones at Madison Square Garden in New York earlier in the year had a gigantic golden “frame” around the stage/screen, which puts them in second place for me. It was full of gorgeous illustrations and must have taken a long time to create. I wish all of the concerts were so visually stunning. Sometimes the screens can become obscured but that didn’t happen in New York.

The day passed extremely quickly for me. During my LA trip, I stayed in several hotels throughout Hollywood, Downtown LA and Santa Monica. I didn’t have much time in the Downtown area, so spent the morning/afternoon wandering around and getting quite lost. I stumbled across a tall glass building which was advertising the Disney Plus live-stream, which made me even more excited and reminded me of how the event was fast approaching. I was also thrilled to find a Macy’s – one of my favourite shops in the US. It was only two storeys high, so not as intimidating as the massive one in NY. I bought black leggings with large golden stars on them, which I thought were perfect. Admittedly, I don’t know when I’ll ever wear them again (and Paul hates them) but I’ve included a picture of me wearing them at the bottom of this blog and you can make your own mind up whether they’re as brilliant a fashion statement as I think they are. I also got a “Los Angeles” hoodie, which I still wear at least twice a week. I ended up wearing it on top of my custom-made Elton t-shirt which I wanted to show off since the night turned bitterly cold. The weather would get hot for 3-4 hours before the temperature plummeted, which confused me because Scotland is cold all of the time and I’m not used to fluctuations like that.

My hotel wasn’t as close to Dodger Stadium this time and took over twenty minutes to walk there instead of a mere five. I was nervous about making my way back in the dark, being unfamiliar with the area and constantly on guard in case someone leapt out from the shadows. The crowd kept trailing off and I ended up just following two people, which must have seemed creepy to them. I was sure more people would go back that same way, as Union Station was close to my hotel. There’s a small tunnel between the hotel and the stadium which made me especially nervous but I survived. I still felt a lot safer in LA than San Francisco, which doesn’t paint SF in the best light. I had a terrible lunch after trying to make my own wraps using ingredients I picked up in the supermarket. I never seem to get the balance right and they always end up unsatisfying or completely inedible. My culinary skills are non-existent. I debated stopping at Burger King on the way but thought it might be better to support Dodger Stadium and make the event as successful as possible.

I had anxiety getting in, in case my ticket didn’t work. I had both of my Elton tickets on the same app, so knew it was legit after being granted access on the 17th. I needed to use Paul’s old phone again, as my touchscreen barely works anymore. Once through the gates (and breathing a large sigh of relief) I got a drink in another souvenir cup and garlic fries in a cute Dodgers cap-shaped bowl. It was trickier than expected finding which way I was supposed to go, as I must have entered the stadium at a higher level than I realised. I ended up in a lift to get to ground level and felt really insecure stinking up the lift with the smell of garlic. When I was at the correct level I still had some time, so wandered around to take everything in. There was a stand by the entrance selling Elton’s new glasses range (sold at Walmart and various sites online). Sam’s Club partnered with Elton to make them, inspired by his iconic looks over the years and designed for fans to be able to express themselves freely. I remember reading about them when they were first released and seeing hand-signed pairs, which came in special packaging. I would love a pair but they are, of course, quite expensive. Although some are reasonably affordable, I couldn’t justify buying some when I was already running low on funds. The man selling them was yelling “You’re going to want to look your best, since you’ll be live-streamed on Disney Plus! The whole world is going to see your face!” I stuck with my $10 glasses from Skechers. Someone in the crowd did compliment my makeup, though!

I needed to go elsewhere in the stadium to get a blue wristband before I was allowed to go to my seat. I already had the white light-up wristband but was directed through another door to find someone to issue me with a blue one. I don’t know how this was missed when I was having my ticket checked but I managed to get one without too much stress. I was in Section N, which was about halfway between the stage and the back of the seated area, on the right-hand side. I’m tall enough to see over most people but still had to stretch at points. My legs were in agony by the end of the night! Another annoying thing was that they didn’t remove all the signposts once Elton took to the stage. The one near me (I think for Section M) got in the way sometimes but at least makes it easy for me to locate where I was standing when watching the live-stream. I don’t think I made it on to the camera. The closest I came to making it on to the screens was at one of the concerts in Watford, when I was right in front of Elton in Row G. I think I might have appeared on the screens once or twice but I’m not very eagle-eyed.

Elton opened with ‘Bennie And The Jets’, like he always does. The faraway shots on Disney Plus show how gorgeous it all looked, with the entire stadium lighting up in time with the piano. After the crowd applauded, he stated we are creating history tonight with this concert as it is the first ever global live-stream on Disney Plus. As the show progressed, I kept an eye on where the camera crew were but they didn’t really venture over to our side. They gave Taron Egerton a lot of attention and JoJo Siwa, who was donning the full orange devil costume from ‘Rocketman’. According to Google, a lot of celebrities were in attendance. Some of the many famous faces in the crowd allegedly belonged to Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Joni Mitchell, Jude Law, Miles Teller, Kirsten Dunst, Donatella Versace, Christopher Lloyd and Neil Patrick Harris. I knew I could possibly see celebrities at this event but I have face-blindness at the best of times and didn’t recognise anybody.

Elton reminisced about first coming to LA and how his performance at The Troubadour accelerated his career. He talked about his adoration for Aretha Franklin and how excited he and Bernie were when she covered ‘Border Song’ from their first album. The setlist hadn’t changed much since I first saw him in February but he mixed things up by inviting several guest stars and his best friends in the industry on stage. He did ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down With Me’ with Brandi Carlisle, ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ with Kiki Dee and ‘Cold Heart’ with Dua Lipa. Brandi Carlisle tweeted, “Just obviously playing it very cool on stage with my all time greatest hero, no big deal”, with an image of them together and a grin plastered on her face stretching from ear to ear, comically contradicting her nonchalance. Kiki Dee came on next and they did a rendition of their hit duet from the 70’s. There were mixed reactions online but I thought it was a lot of fun and a good idea to include, since this song was not previously part of the tour and they were clearly having a blast together onstage. It was amazing to see Dua Lipa and ‘Cold Heart’ was much more enjoyable as a live duet instead of pre-recordings of her parts in the song. I’ve heard people discuss how incredible she is live and now I’ve seen her I can’t disagree.

Elton talked about how ‘Someone Saved My Life Tonight’ is one of his favourite songs of his and I always get chills when I hear it. I saw a YouTube video where a rainbow appeared behind the stage when he was performing this song and it was absolutely perfect. People watching the live-stream complained they didn’t show enough of the screens above the stage and the various stories they show, which add another layer to the songs. Some also moaned about the choppy camera work but I didn’t think this was an issue. I thought they did a great job capturing the lively atmosphere. Keane have a DVD where you can view the concert from the camera angle of your choosing but I think that over-complicates things. Although the stories on the screens are a nice touch, I don’t think the lack of footage detracts too much from the experience. I was mostly invested in the videos for ‘Have Mercy On The Criminal’, ‘Candle In The Wind’, ‘I’m Still Standing’ and ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ and I felt they received adequate screen-time. Other people may have different favourites and some fans might not have seen any of the videos before, so I can understand their disappointment.

People started dancing and singing more as the night went on, as usual. Elton knows how to order a setlist. Before ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’, he stated they were going to “change the mood a little bit”. I’m so happy they decided to include it and that they have kept it in. It definitely deserves a place on the setlist. When that song came to an end he encouraged us to give his band “a final Dodger Stadium roar” as he introduced each of the members and talked about how much they mean to him and have inspired him. He dedicated ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’ to the band members he has lost over the years. Brandi Carlisle wore an Elton/Dodger Stadium-inspired white and blue outfit with “Rocket” written on the back and a number 1 on the front in red. Their duet gave me goosebumps and her voice is very pure and refreshing.

When introducing Kiki Dee after ‘I’m Still Standing’, Elton stated “In 1975 my next guest was here and sang with me. So I thought it would be great to re-enact that incredible moment”. I personally enjoyed the performance but, like I said before, a few people anonymously ridiculed it online. Of course they don’t sound exactly like they did when they were younger but it was still a special moment and cool thing to experience. I thought they both gave their best effort and put a lot of energy into it, knowing it was a unique part of the tour and a treat for the audience. I’m sure it would have been very nostalgic for those who were lucky enough to attend all of the Dodger Stadium shows from the 70’s until now and experienced the original duet. They didn’t take themselves too seriously and it was funny to see Elton singing just with a microphone and not being seated at the piano, which is rare.

There was an explosion of yellow confetti at the end of ‘Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)’, followed by fireworks. Elton emerged for the encore wearing his sparkly Dodger Stadium outfit fashioned after his iconic sequined outfit in 1975. The crowd erupted in cheers at the sight of it and he made a big deal of wearing it, outstretching his arms for everyone to see. ‘Cold Heart’ was much better with Dua Lipa there in person. It’s not my favourite song on the planet but it has a special place in my heart because it reached number one and I got a signed version of the single. He mentioned how happy he is to have a number one single at his age and briefly talked about the new single with Britney Spears too. ‘Your Song’ was beautiful and ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ was emotional and melancholy as always. Elton talked about how he has been touring the US for fifty years and said this was his 103rd concert in the LA area, which is very impressive. He invited Bernie Taupin on stage, as well as his husband David and children Zachary and Elijah (who are getting so big). He thanked people profusely for dressing up and for coming to so many of his shows, as well as for their continued love, loyalty and generosity. I’m not totally convinced this will be the last ever time he performs in the US but it certainly was advertised that way. It was even on the news during one of my Uber rides, leading up to the big event. I’m so happy this concert was captured on video as it was such a big deal. I feel really lucky to have been able to attend (against all odds) and don’t know if I’ll ever attend another concert as momentous as this.

GALLERY: