SIR EJ

We shelled out the XXX GBP per ticket to see the man at Royal Albert Hall. An interruption in his current Red Piano Tour, it was fundraiser for the Royal Academy of Music's Organ Fund. Not just any old organ, but a 14-tonne, Swiss-engineered monster that will cost £1.2million to install, a sizeable chunk of which will be met from the proceeds of this long, commanding and expensive performance.

Sir Elton John accepted the multiple standing ovations throughout the evening, sitting as a solitary figure on stage with only a black grand piano. Him wearing a black tuxedo and tails, with pink trimming. Understated but still Elton.



He played for 2 hours and 45 minutes, apart from about an hour's worth of jammin' with the percussionist, Ray Cooper, it was all Sir Elton. He sang through the decades of his music, bringing back memories of time gone by. All performed without the aid of other instruments, sheet music, or lyric sheets. Just the man and his music.

To quote an overnight review: "It was a hardcore and highly impressive display of the piano man’s craft." Indeed.

Sure, it dates me but I loved it.