Elton John: Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour 29/06/2022

I’m seeing Elton John five or six times on his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour’ to make up for lost time, after only recently becoming a fan. I’m hitting all the venues that, I think, were among the most exciting/special throughout his illustrious career. My other pick would have been Hyde Park but I’m already going there this year for The Rolling Stones. My top three picks became Madison Square Garden (New York), Vicarage Road Stadium (Watford) and Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles). He is not doing Wembley Stadium in London but has nine or so shows lined up for The O2 Arena next year instead! My dad and I had already booked tickets to see him in Aberdeen at the P&J Live as it was the closest show to us but the event was postponed to 2023 after EJ fell and injured his hip. We considered seeing him in Liverpool on my birthday but chose Swansea because my dad is a huge fan of Wales and had never been to that area before. This was my first trip to Wales. It was a good excuse to see somewhere new, tying in a concert at the same time.

I love seeing so many people in fancy dress at his concerts. I practically dressed up in costume, myself. I wore my glittery Skechers sunglasses (best $10 I ever spent), my ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ t-shirt and Dodger Stadium socks! I don’t think anyone noticed the socks but at least I knew I was wearing them and fully in the spirit of things. My dad thought they were funny and didn’t seem embarrassed to be seen with me in public. We made the mistake of walking to the stadium too early. I hoped to hear the sound-check as that’s always fun but it just didn’t happen while we were in the area. Maybe we missed it or EJ hadn’t arrived yet. All of the sound-checks I’ve stumbled on have been accidental and maybe it’s better that way – much more of a surprise. The walk to the stadium wasn’t as scenic as I thought it might be. Not the route Google Maps chose us, anyway. There wasn’t a lot to do up by the retail park, either. The stadium is in the middle of nowhere and it’s a long way back to the city centre unless you are speed-walking. The football shop wasn’t open, so I couldn’t get a Swansea City cap like I’d planned. We ended up having coffee and orange juice to refresh ourselves at the Harvester beside the stadium but they started putting away all the outdoor seating. Maybe for security reasons, or in anticipation of huge queues later.

My dad took a nice photo of himself outside the stadium but we ended up getting chased away by security! It was easy to just walk up to it, so we didn’t know any better. I thought the stadium looked a bit like a squashed spider, in an artistic way. I have a strange brain. We didn’t hang around long and decided to find a bus heading back to the city before our morning loitering started to look even more suspicious. Swansea is a pretty place and we managed to pass the time there without getting bored. The weather was decent, too. It was a little cloudy and breezy but I still managed to get a bit sunburned, somehow. We went to an Irish bar before the show (which was odd, since we were in Wales) and the guy behind the bar asked if we were going to the EJ concert. My dad laughed because it must have been obvious, with the way I was dressed. I wasn’t the only person walking around in Elton gear, though. Far from it. The bar played a Manic Street Preachers song on the radio, which I loved hearing especially because they are a Welsh band.

We got another bus back to the venue and more or less got straight through the gates. We had our tickets printed out on A4 pieces of paper, which is unusual as it’s mostly e-tickets nowadays. I was eyeing up the new ‘Bennie And The Jets’ t-shirt at the merch stall (though Paul would hate me if I wore it in his company as he hates the song) but they didn’t have any medium or large sizes left. I tried two of the stalls but had to pre-order it on the website as it wasn’t officially released yet. We spoke to a big EJ fan from Cardiff in the second queue and she explained to me what the crystal set was, as I was wondering aloud. It sounded like models/figurines of some kind but I can’t find further information about it online. She said they let her have a look at it. It didn’t seem expensive enough to be a real crystal set, especially by EJ merch standards. A lot of merch had been released since I last checked the website, so it was fun seeing what else was there. I got asked for ID when I ordered a beer, which made me feel good about myself at thirty years old.

Our seats were exactly on the halfway line, which helped us locate our seats after leaving and coming back. EJ came on the stage at 7pm on the dot and my dad wasn’t quite ready for him, not expecting him to be so punctual. He really doesn’t like ‘Bennie And The Jets’ either, so was happy to get it out of the way first. I turned around in excitement and burst out laughing at his reaction/facial expression. I had to take a picture of him to cheer myself up if I ever needed a laugh. His favourite was ‘I’m Still Standing’, which he likes best normally. Mine was ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’ because it was my first time hearing it live and a new addition to the setlist. I’m so glad he put that song back in, as it was the only single my dad had ever bought of his though he came close to getting ‘Nikita’. I hope the songs change about a bit by the next time I see him in November, though I’m happy to listen to these songs over and over again. I’m still sad he removed ‘All The Girls Love Alice’ and ‘Indian Sunset’. I’d also like to hear ‘Believe’ and ‘I Want Love’, which were originally on the setlist for this tour. The last two swapped places with each other at one point.

He was incredible, of course. Somehow he just keeps sounding better and better! He’s still obviously incredibly passionate about his songs and performing. He always makes an effort to read signs fans write etc. and comment on them, which means a lot to people. He thanked everyone who dressed up and told them he sees them all, pointing people out one by one. We were seated far away from the stage but it didn’t matter much. Our view wasn’t restricted and the screens are so huge. The person beside my dad was saying the names of the band members out loud before Elton announced them, which we thought was a bit unnecessary – he’s obviously a top fan and wants everyone to know it! The woman behind me spilled beer on my shoulder but she apologised profusely and tried (in vain) to wipe it off. It’s difficult to be/stay annoyed at an Elton concert.

I was interested to hear what he would say about Wales. He said it’s his second time playing at this stadium and the first time he performed in Wales was in Narberth in 1970. He talked about how his grandfather was in the Welsh Guards and how he has lots of good memories of the country to share with his boys. He said he won’t be back and this is his final show here. I thought he might mention Taron Egerton, since he is Welsh. I was secretly hoping for a cameo appearance (as always) but no such luck! It was also cool seeing Kit Connor on the big screens alongside TE while they showed clips of ‘Rocketman’, after recently watching the first season of ‘Heartstopper’ on Netflix. He already looks so different.

EJ also teased a new single, after talking about how nice it was to have a number one single (‘Cold Heart’ with Dua Lipa) aged seventy-five. He talked about how much he thinks we will love it but didn’t give a lot away. It’s been released before having a chance to write this blog, so I have already listened to it. It turned out to be a song with Yard Act called ‘100% Endurance’. I had never heard of Yard Act before but EJ said he has been listening to their music for a while and was very excited to collaborate with them. The song didn’t resonate with me much but I will need to go back and listen to it a few more times to see if I will begin to appreciate it properly. I love when musicians give us the inside scoop during concerts and EJ seems to have something new and interesting to say every night.

Nothing will beat the giant golden stage/screen at Madison Square Garden. I wasn’t so keen about the layout of the stage and screens at this one, since the lights in the middle of the main screen partially obscured it. It wasn’t a big deal, just a nit-pick. I spoiled it for myself by seeing him at MSG first. I can’t wait to see him at Watford! I’ve read his autobiography and watched tons of interviews from his past, so I’m convinced it will be a really exciting and emotional homecoming show. He puts everything he has into every performance, which is very admirable. I was watching fans enthusiastically dance in the aisles and proudly show off their over-sized sunglasses. I like to see other people’s positive reactions to his music because I don’t know anyone who loves him as much as I do. My dad is a bit of a casual fan but never gave his music too much thought before. It was great hearing dozens of people murmuring things like “he’s incredible” during and after the show. I’ll be sad when he eventually stops touring but he obviously deserves to spend more quality time with his family. It will be really good for him.

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GALLERY:

Venue map. We entered via turnstile 2

Merch stall

Selfie

Our view 

My dad’s reaction to ‘Bennie’!

Petals 

Davey Johnstone and Ray Cooper

Happiness

Closer pic 

Everyone was captivated