An emotional night in Belgium
By Fran Gilles
I have never compared the different Elton shows which I often had the chance to attend, but this one was of course special, knowing that it was to be my last!
Thanks to my best friend Jean-Paul, we were partying again last night May 28 at the Sport Paleis in Antwerp, Belgium.
The show was sold-out and although we were half an hour early, I immediately noticed how quickly the venue had already filled up. The average age was relatively young and even much younger than usual. It seems Elton’s recent remix hits have drastically rejuvenated his audience!
Very punctual, Elton appeared on stage at 7:30 p.m. very precisely, to thunderous applause.
He apologized to the public for having made them wait more than 3 years, due to the various postponements because of Covid and promised to give the best of himself to satisfy them.
Of course, he then chained his various hits (the setlist will hardly ever change during these more than 300 concerts).
He was very fit and regularly between each song, he pointed to different regular fans that he recognized in the front rows.
This is one of the things that amazed me the most during this show. Elton, during this Farewell Tour, finally seems to realize how loyal many of his fans are and how much they have meant in his long career.
The acoustics of the Sport Paleis in Antwerp do not have a good reputation and it was sadly felt during the show. Not at all Elton’s fault, but the music-voice balance was not perfect, sometimes preventing us from clearly hearing Elton’s voice.
The band was perfect as usual. A well-honed machine supporting Elton perfectly, even quickly putting him back on track when he floundered a bit at the start of Tiny Dancer!
As usual, Ray Cooper made a well-deserved triumph during the presentation of the band members.
Near the end, Elton didn’t forget to again thank the audience, saying that we all are in his head, in his heart and his soul. Come on Elton, we also thank you to have devoted more than 50 years of your life to entertaining us!
Obviously, the end of the show was emotionally intense. We waved our arms in a final goodbye to Elton.
Final? It’s just a goodbye, not a farewell. All of us fans can’t believe we won’t get to see each other again someday…
Pictures courtesy of Jean-Paul
