'The Bitch Is Back'

The last time we went to a concert -- the Police reunion tour -- L complained that we spent $350 on tickets for seats that we hardly sat on. Let's just say that this time round at Elton John, we made full use of our seats.

Not to fault Sir Elton or anything. This is the third Elton John concert we've been to and he's, well, 'Still Standing'. (And that was the song that got the audience on their feet -- other than the one soul in the $500 seats up right in front who danced a lonely dance all by herself at the beginning of the concert).

Sir Elton opened with 'Funeral for a Friend' -- much to L's consternation. I had no problem with that, it never sounded like a requiem to me anyway. And then, the other requiem, 'Candle in the Wind' came later. At which point, I think we were all unconsciously holding our breath to see if he would do the Marilyn Monroe lyrics or the Princess Diana version. L, the rabid Elton fan, said later that he would have gone off Elton if he did the 'England's rose' version.

Also from the 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' album, he did the title track and 'Benni and the jets' (which must've made our friend with that name also at the concert very happy, L leant over to whisper) so he had that album more than covered.

Nothing from 'The One' -- which probably was the first Elton John album I really got into (I can only console myself with memories of 'The One' concert which wsa the first time I saw Elton live). I don't know his early stuff, I'm an Elton John fan only by marriage. Nothing from 'The Lion King' -- that's a soundtrack, not a definitive hit, sniffed L. And noticeably, nothing from the last two albums 'Songs From the West Coast' and 'Peachtree Road' -- which yielded no hits whatsoever. Which is probably a sign of a waning star. And the reason why this tour is touted as the 'Rocketman -- the definitive hits' tour. Rocketman should be so lucky that a 30-year career has yielded enough definitive hits for a three-hour concert (he really earned his pay last night).

I thought it was going to be the usual white crowd and the usual middle-aged crowd and so was surprised to find two expat kids next to me that were probably around 12 or 13. They were kinda lost at the beginning with 'Madman Across the Water' and 'Levon' (to be honest, so was I) but perked up considerably as Sir Elton went through the years and leapt up to 'Crocodile Rock'.

Unlike the Police concert, I didn't see much recording -- until 'Sacrifice' came on and the whole stadium was lit with the glow of LCD screens of mobile recording devices.

Only two cigarette lighters came on at 'Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word'. Instead people were waving their mobiles, their cellphone display screens making little arcs of light as they did so. Either no one smokes any more or the era of waving cigarette lighters is well and truly over.