Sir Elton John & Band and the enchanted 5,000 fans
The best concert of the year?
November 22, 2011 will forever go down in history as one of the most important dates for Malaysian Elton John fans, as they, along with visitors from around the region, witnessed a majestic and mesmerising performance by The Rocket Man himself, Sir Elton John.
The legendary performer, singer, composer and songwriter graced the stage of the Arena of Stars in front of about 5,000 fans, the first time he has ever performed in Malaysia, as they bellowed, cheered and sang along to all the hits that he has racked up throughout his career.
Be they evergreen classics such as “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word”, “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” and “Candle In The Wind” or newer, more recent songs from his latest album, 2010’s The Union, the crowd just could not get enough of whatever that Sir Elton John threw at them.
The three-hour show kicked off with a performance by opening act 2CELLOS, made up of young Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser who were recently snapped by Sony Music after taking YouTube by storm. They later joined the ensemble throughout the concert that ended at 11 pm. Crowd euphoria and excitement reigned as Sir Elton, accompanied by his long-time band comprising dedicated and superbly talented musicians Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Bob Birch, Kim Bullard and John Mahon, stepped onto the stage and blew away the fans. They were also backed by four incredible backing singers; Rose Stone (of Sly And The Family Stone) together with Lisa Stone, Tata Vega and Jean Witherspoon.
Sir Elton John has won five Grammy Awards and has sold 250 million albums worldwide throughout his 40-year career, and is still performing more than a hundred shows per year. He is among the top ten best-selling artistes in music history and is renowned as a philanthropist as well, with his AIDS foundation having raised more than US$220 million and has installed benefit programmes in 55 countries since 1992. His biggest selling single, “Candle In The Wind (1997)” has raised over US$40 million for charity. The song was dedicated to the late Princess of Wales, Princess Diana, following her death in 1997.
His “Greatest Hits” tour has taken him across the globe, performing at places where he has never been before, including Malaysia and Indonesia. Other destinations that are part of his tour itinerary include London, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Croatia, Abu Dhabi, Turkey, and Australia. The tour will go on until November 2012.
Elton John & Band Greatest Hits Tour in Malaysia was the first project by Tune Live, the entertainment arm of Tune Group. Tune Live is the promoter for the concert.
