CONCERT REVIEW: Elton John brings emotional farewell trek back to Toronto

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Even The Rocket Man is a Raptors fan.

Elton John returned to the city that gave him his husband — Toronto’s David Furnish — on Wednesday night as his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour touched down for the first of two more shows at Scotiabank Arena.

The 72-year-old British music legend last played Toronto in September 2018 when the first two dates of his three-year goodbye trek landed before he announced two more shows in The Six this year.

But he was also in the venue on Tuesday night when the Toronto Raptors got their NBA championship rings and their championship banner was unfurled and said he was impressed at the way the city had thrown its support and love behind the basketball team.

“So I’m now here three nights in a row at Scotiabank Arena and I’m thrilled,” said John, decked out in sequined and colourful Gucci suits and sparkly sunglasses while eye-popping visuals played behind him all night long on a large, framed LED screen.

Since he last visited, the singer-songwriter-pianist has been very productive, releasing both the 2019 bio-pic Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton, and his autobiography, Me.

But John reiterated on Wednesday night his reason for packing it — his and Furnish’s two young boys, Zachary, 8 and Elijah, 6.

“They need me and I need them,” said John, who got teary thanking the audience for all their support over the last 50 years that he’s been touring.

“I have a Canadian family. My two boys have Canadian passports!”

Wednesday night’s two-hour-and-50 minute show was John’s 25th Toronto concert and 50th Ontario performance overall and he didn’t hold back, enthusiastically playing and singing with his six piece band — longtime musicians Davey Johnstone on guitar, Nigel Olsson on the drums, and Ray Cooper on percussion, and newer recruits John Mahon on percussion, Kim Bullard on keyboards and Matt Bissonette on the bass.

Beginning with Bennie and the Jets and ending with the title track from his best-selling 1973 Goodbye Yellow Brick Road double album, the set list remained unchanged from last time with the exception of the addition of Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word, but it was an epic and marathon rendering of Levon that truly stood out amongst all of the classic songs.

Coming in a close second was an emotional take on Believe, after John spoke of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which has raised $450 million to fight AIDS and HIV, while photos of him and Furnish visiting people all over the world played on the side screens.

John performs at Scotiabank Arena again on Thursday night.

SET LIST

Bennie and the Jets

All the Girls Love Alice

I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues

Border Song

Tiny Dancer

Philadelphia Freedom

Indian Sunset

Rocket Man

Take Me to the Pilot

Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word

Someone Saved My Life Tonight

Levon

Candle in the Wind

Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding

Burn Down the Mission

Daniel

Believe

Sad Songs (Say So Much)

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

ENCORE

Your Song

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road