Everyone has a favourite Elton John song.

:00AM Thursday May 15, 2008
By Joanna Hunkin


He didn't say much, but Elton John enjoyed himself in his first Auckland show for 10 years. Photo / Dean Purcell

Everyone has a favourite Elton John song.

It's a track intrinsically tied to a certain memory that transports you to back to that time and place, evoking the thoughts and feelings of that moment.

Looking around Vector Arena last night as Sir Elton performed his first Auckland show in 10 years, you could see each and every individual reliving those memories.

Their wedding dance to Your Song, crying broken- hearted tears to Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, drunken karaoke to Tiny Dancer ...

It was a slow builder of a show, with the crowd barely moving for the first hour.

But with three hours of stage time, Sir Elton could afford to let things simmer.

It wasn't that the audience didn't enjoy the opening third, rather, they were simply mesmerised by the Piano Man's pure musical talent and magnetism.

As he kicked up his heels, jumping over his piano stool and launching into The Bitch Is Back, the crowd settled in to a comfortable trance, watching Sir Elton come alive as he absorbed the life force of his music.

Most concerts are a shared experience, but last night was a strangely solitary event.

Each audience member focussed on his or her own personal responses to Elton's sprawling repertoire, including a hyper-extended version of Rocket Man that clocked in at well over 10, possibly even 15 minutes.

That song came midway through the show as Sir Elton, having sufficiently teased the audience with various instrumental segues and showed off his prowess on the piano, began to reel of his biggest ballads, including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Daniel and Sacrifice.

It wasn't until the latter third, when Sir Elton cranked out his party hits Crocodile Rock and Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting that the crowd became a cohesive unit, dancing raucously to Elton's honky tonk piano.

The star had few words to say to his audience, apart from some brief commentary on his different album eras and the obligatory introductions of the band.

But it didn't matter. His beaming smile and extensive hand gestures said it all - he was having a grand old time, and he knew we were too.

It would have been easy for Sir Elton to deliver a non-stop hit parade, check all the boxes and leave.

But such is his skill as a performer that he managed to deliver an unpredictable and diverse show, while leaving the crowd in want of nothing.

He even signed autographs for the front row before going back for a brief encore.

Not only is Sir Elton still standing, he is still remarkable.

Everyone has a favourite Elton John song. And everyone should be so lucky as to see him perform it live in concert.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/story.cfm?a_id=328&objectid=10510252