This article first appeared in THE WEEKENDER

19th January 2008

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Rock stars are hardly ever on time. And they’re never early.

But Elton John gave the lie to this stereotype when, ten minutes before he was due to appear onstage at Sahara Park Newlands in Cape Town to kick off his nationwide tour last week (the other concerts were in Durban and Johannesburg), he sauntered out unannounced, gave a brief wave to the still-growing crowd and sat down at the piano.

This could be put down to a glitch in communications backstage, but it feels better to attribute it to Sir Elton’s enigmatic character as a performer. He doesn’t talk much between songs, and doesn’t dominate the stage during them. When he stands up at the end of each number to receive the audience’s applause, he cuts an almost comical figure; strutting forward in his trenchcoat, thrusting his hands out as if to point to each fan individually, he would almost call to mind – if he weren’t so jovial – a stunted dictator receiving a post-speech ovation. Perhaps it was to preclude this that, back in the 70s and 80s, he appeared in those famously outlandish outfits; nowadays, however, there’s no need. When he’s seated (or, when the music takes over, standing) behind the piano, there can be no doubt that Elton John is, as one ardent supporter’s banner read, “the king of pride rock”.

The concert started off with a few lesser-known pieces, but soon it became a parade of one hit after another, some penned by John himself and some in partnership with long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin: Believe, Yellow Brick Road, Daniel, Sacrifice, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues, Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word and Candle In The Wind. In these pop ballades, Sir Elton’s smooth, instantly recognisable voice ranged from deep and melancholy, to high and heartbreaking, to scratchy and soaring. But he also belted out a few reminders of why he is an authentic rock’n’roller – Crocodile Rock, Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting) and I’m Still Standing – with an energy and tempo that brought the 20,000-plus crowd irresistibly to its feet, young and old alike.

Sir Elton was clearly enjoying himself, as was his band. There were the seasoned musos, ragged-looking but hard-playing, who have been with him for decades: Nigel Olsson, the drummer in the original Elton John Band, and leather-clad Dave Johnston, who played an assortment of guitars from double-necked to acoustic six-stringers, and even a banjo. Bob Birch was on bass guitar, and two younger band members matched the old stagers note for note and beat for beat – John Mahon on percussion and Guy Babylon on keyboard.

There was an extended rendition of Rocket Man, in which Sir Elton and his band demonstrated their virtuosity by bringing the song down to near silence and building it up to a crescendo of sound matching the large-scale lighting of the impressive stage rig. Circle of Life also stood out after John declared it a song that “changed his life” – presumably because he cleaned up from drugs and alcohol after The Lion King – dedicating it to the owners of a game lodge that he and partner David Furnish stay at each time they visit South Africa. He also spent a few moments describing how gratifying it was to play at Newlands cricket ground, which he had “watched on TV as a child”.

It’s likely that the stadium will be used more often as a live music venue in future; the sound quality on the playing field seating was excellent, although some spectators in the stands complained of an echo effect. One thing’s certain: the rousing harmonies of Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me and the iconic melody of Your Song (which Sir Elton left for the inevitable encore) stayed in the air for many hours after the final note sounded.