Music review: Elton John, Hydro, Glasgow

Originally booked pre-Covid, it has turned out to be the long goodbye and he was feeling forgiveably nostalgic for Glasgow concerts past, particularly at the perilous Green’s Playhouse in the early 1970s.

Representing many of those early albums, the setlist for his final hurrah went right back – to Take Me to the Pilot, the Aretha-covered Border Song and Your Song. “This is your song, Glasgow!” he bellowed. Bet he said that to his previous 319 audiences.

Further Scottish connections: Edinburgh guitarist and band leader Davey Johnstone took his place stage left while the rest of his veteran crew, including Ray Cooper helming what looked like the entire percussion section of an orchestra, were set into a huge wraparound screen, always busy with colourful visuals.

Initially, there was little to light up the fans’ novelty headbands. John can no longer reach the money notes in the chorus of Tiny Dancer, so one of his best songs can't soar as it did. Likewise the wistful Rocket Man is hammered into submission.

The maximalist approach did, however, work for Levon, the entertaining Gothic pomp of Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding and a barnstorming Don't Let The Sun Go Down on Me.

Properly rocking now, Elton and band slammed into the home straight with the crowd-pleasing I'm Still Standing – cue for a career retrospective montage – the party vibe of Crocodile Rock and an energetic Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting before he returned in a silk dressing gown, ready to deliver his touching retirement speech.

He was saving the best for last, and he thus belted out one final Goodbye Yellow Brick Road before gliding across stage on his hydraulic piano riser to take the stairway (stairlift?) to Elton heaven.