There were still two hours to go before the concert, when the18,000 faithful of Elton John, Patron Saint of the sequin, began to arrive at the Palau Sant Jordi, his temple in Barcelona for two days. Some had dressed carefully to pay homage to their idol: colorful costumes with matching hats, feather boas, a good assortment of glitter and extravagant glasses, of course. The range of ages of the devotees was wide - there were even some resigned children accompanying their parents - andthe atmosphere of the tower of Babel: words were heard in Catalan and Spanish, but also in English or German. The pilgrimage to Montjuic departed from the most diverse sites.

Some were going to see Sir for the first time and all for the last time because Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour is their final farewell to the stage. It is only an assumption because he has already said that he does not rule out more specific actions. It seemed that he was serious when in 2018 he announced that the time had come to attend to his family (after a tour of more than 350 concerts and with 70 years). But the brightness of the lights reflected in the sequins and the ovations of thousands of souls have to be, by force, more exciting than home evenings. It is not detachment, it is that human nature is vain.

He appeared on stage with Pnau's Good Morning to The Night playing on the speakers and the first notes of Bennie and the Jets, already seated at the piano, released the contained emotion in the form of applause and standing bodies. Elton John, dressed in Gucci (the firm in charge of all the costumes of the tour), started with that hit and continued strong with Philadelphia Freedom. His greeting was also an apology to the fans who were waiting for him since 2020: "Good evening Barcelona, we are very happy to be here at last, after so long." You can't blame him: a global pandemic first and a hip operation later are not cheap excuses. In addition, the show is well planned to compensate the audience with more than two hours of brightness, self-referential visuals and, huge, monstrous successes.

Border Song represented one of the highest peaks of emotion thanks, in part, to the corresponding mention (invocation?) of Aretha Franklin, who included a cover of the song on her 1972 album Young, Gifted and Black. His relationship with the monarchy is not only reduced to the British but pays homage to a queen who did earn the crown: that of soul. Although in the visuals, related to the struggle for racial equality and peace, Meghan and Harry sneaked in, the couple formed by the most rebellious son of his great friend Lady Di and his wife. In this block, the most ceremonial, more inescapable songs sounded such as Tiny Dancer, Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time) in extended version or Someone Saved My Life Tonight and closed with Candle In The Wind adorned with images of Marilyn Monroe being Norma Jean.

With the audience at his feetand after a short break, he returned with a tremendous interpretation of the funeral hymn/song of heartbreak Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. If any of the attendees entered the venue with any trace of ageism, at that point of the concert they would have had to eat it with potatoes. Elton John and his band members Davey Johnstone, Nigel Olsson, Matt Bissonette, John Mahon, Kim Bullard and Ray Cooper all left youth behind years ago, but there was more vitality on that stage than in a schoolyard at recess.

The final stretch was a live demonstration that Elton John's music is part of the soundtrack of the twentieth century. He has put music to the highest grossing films, has made sing the chorus of I'm Still Standing ("yeah, yeah, yeah!!") even the most circumspect and has led to the most embarrassing dances in discos with Crocodile Rock. The anthems end up having no owner, although this is lined with them: last January, Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour became the highest grossing tour in history with more than 800 million dollars raised according to Billboard.

After making the corresponding final goodbye threat, he returned in a batín because on stage he is at home. The dance version of Cold Heart with Dua Lipa on the screen was the predecessor of the multitudinous karaoke that was Your Song, that weapon of sentimental destruction in which Taupin fit the tremendous verse "I hope you don't mind that I put down in words / How wonderful life is while you're in the world". They can bet without fear of losing that there were tears on the cheeks of many for the loves they once were. The real farewell came with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and one last look as a statement of intent. Elton John said goodbye in tracksuit like a good retiree satisfied with his career that deserves comfort. But his name is embroidered in sequins because a divo is in any circumstance and until the end.

  • Concerts
  • Barcelona

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