Watford FC season ticket holders were given first priority for tickets with website members having 2nd choice and a small amount were then released for a very competitive general sale. The whole event was slightly surreal for me as I have wanted to see Sir Elton for the longest time and did not expect that I would be standing among the chanting 'yellow army' supporters when I did, however it was a surprisingly spectacular and special night.
It was a very miserable evening with on/off rain and grey clouds but the Watford FC spirit was still high, as yellow shirts and clothing blanketed the stadium pitch and stands when I entered at 7.30pm (Elton had specified 'dress code: yellow' on the tickets, as it is the Watford FC colour).
The support act was an Amy Macdonald look and sound-alike with band, called Pearl and the Puppets. I can only imagine that it would be a nerve-racking feat to support the legendary Elton John so it's fair to say that her music was pleasant enough, however it sounded like every other Amy Macdonald type musician who is out there making the rounds at the moment with their style of angelic folk pop, and Pearl did not being anything new to the stage unfortunately.
There were lots of firsts for me at this gig as Sir Elton silently entered the stage ten minutes before his published set time, and I have never seen a musician be early before! As Vicarage Stadium erupted into raucous roars of appreciation, Elton understatedly took to his piano onstage and his fingers launched into a flurry of musical creation as he began playing effortlessly.
In a nutshell, that was literally what he did for the whole 2 hour performance - he played and played, with the help of his backing band, which he took time to introduce about half an hour into the gig. During the first half of the set, he rarely even spoke, apart from declaring, "We're all here! We're going to have fun! It's great to be back at Vicarage Road."
Two things were very apparent as Sir Elton professionally ploughed through all of the biggest tunes that shot him to the status that he now holds worldwide: Firstly, this musical maestro really puts our modern day musicians and gimmicks to shame, as his musical talent in playing the piano is unbelievable at one point during a very extended version of 'Rocketman' I think I actually went into a semi coma just listening to the ivories creating this exquisite melodic sound, and it was clear that the crowd felt the same as I was surrounded by the noise of cheering and awe-inspired gasps. Secondly, his voice is incredibly vocally strong on-stage and he held that whole stadium effortlessly; never before have I seen burly football supporters embracing each other and belting out Elton-s lyrics along with him!
Elton was full of energy and zest the whole performance, jumping up from the piano between songs and getting the audience to scream louder, and at one point he ripped open his tuxedo shirt to reveal his own Watford FC football top that he was wearing.
He is definitely passionate about the club as the only time he spoke was usually to commend the club, chairman and fans, and exclaiming his support: "I live and breathe this club and I always will."
There were too many highlights of this gig but there was definitely a special moment during 'Crocodile Rock' where Elton and the band encouraged and allowed the whole stadium to carry the "Laaaaaa, la la la la la" for quite a while (I'm sure you know which bit Im talking about!).
As Elton returned for his encore and played 'Your Song' into the night air after thanking the supporters and club for accommodating him, I was really happy I had been there to see it. The Elton that is portrayed in the media as a rude, spoilt star was nowhere in sight, and the stadium was buzzing with having spent an evening with an extremely talented, demure and well-spoken star.
article by: Fiona Madden
published: 01/06/2010 21:13
FUTURE GIGS
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