Rocket Man Sir Elton John proved to be a winner when he took to the stage at Birmingham NEC last night - 24 hours later than planned.
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Last night's show was originally scheduled for Tuesday but former Watford chairman Elton swiftly switched dates when the World Cup draw meant England were also performing that evening.
Unlike England, Sir Elton didn't fade in the second half, turning in a magnificent two-and-a-half-hour show that was as thrilling as Joe Cole's goal against Sweden.
Bennie and the Jets, Philadelphia Freedom, Rocket Man and Daniel all received a rapturous response from the capacity audience.
And the classics just kept on coming - Crocodile Rock, The Bitch Is Back, Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting and I'm Still Standing among the highlights. And he's still churning out quality material as was demonstrated by Turn The Lights Out When You Leave and They Call Her The Cat, tracks from his last album Peachtree Road.
But it was Elton's hits we really wanted to hear and the encore of Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me and Your Song concluded an evening to remember.
Elton announced that despite having just performed at Worcester's cricket ground, he wanted to come to the NEC because 'it's a great venue". It maybe some time before he tours again as he is set to begin work on another album. He's sure to have a warm welcome when he returns.
John Hudson
