Elton John plays revamped Billings' venue
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20110412/NEWS01/104120310/1002/Elton-John-plays-revamped-Billings-venueComments
BILLINGS— The Metra defied Mother Nature, Sir Elton John defied Father Time and the crowd tested the arena's new roof during a sold-out concert Sunday night.
The legendary 64-year-old pianist, songwriter and singer brought the crowd to its feet as he took the stage, and the more than 10,000 fans rarely sat down for the next 2 hours and 45 minutes as the Rocket Man took them on a journey through a career of hits spanning four decades.
The concert marked the first large-scale event in the Metra since a tornado tore the roof of the building and upended many of the seats on June 20 last year — and John's first time playing the Magic City.
Many concert-goers commented on the Metra as they entered the arena up to two hours before the show started, but the talk soon turned to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who has sold more than 350 million albums and entertained concert-goers worldwide on countless tours since the early '70s.
Scott Reid of Billings anxiously awaited the show by posing for pictures with other fans. Reid, who dressed in a yellow boa, shiny green suit and musical note eyeglasses, was a popular photo mate for other fans — many of whom were decked out in similar John-inspired getups.
"It's just part of the fun of the concert," Reid said of dressing up.
Though Reid, 16, was one of the younger people packing the floor Sunday, he definitely was in the running for biggest fan.
"I'm a big Elton John fan because ... I connect with what he's trying to say and I just love his music," Reid said. "I try not to think of the whole generational thing."
Another big John fan was Annette Robison of Billings, who won two floor seats from a local radio station after failing to get a ticket quick enough when they went on sale and subsequently sold out.
She attended a live event and drawing Thursday, and though she missed out on the 6 p.m. drawing, her name was read at 8 p.m. that night, giving her two fifth-row seats.
"When they first said Annette, I let out a 'whoop,'" she said.
Robison took her mother, who saw John in concert in Las Vegas several years ago, to the Billings show.
"It'll be just such wonderful memories," Robison said.
Once John took the stage shortly after 8 p.m., he provided memories for the capacity crowd until almost 10:45. He sang, jumped, pumped up the crowd, yelled and spoke of his career and his fans. And, of course, he played hit after hit — oftentimes without stopping in between— starting with "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and "Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)."
The artist's energy was contagious, as the crowd clapped, danced and sang along all evening. Throughout the night, John lengthened his songs, often for several minutes, by adding a piano solo in the middle or at the end of many pieces. Though the sound of John's playing was enough to whip the audience into a frenzy, the crowd was able to appreciate his talent even more because of a camera mounted on the piano that showed John's fancy finger work on a large screen on either side of the stage.
While the man at the piano was the star, every band member got a chance to shine, as did the backup singers, including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Rose Stone, a founding member of Sly and the Family Stone.
After playing "Tiny Dancer," which tested the Metra's new roof as much as any song to that point — the crowd sang every lyric, John said he would "go stark-raving crazy" if he didn't play his newer material. He then played "Gone to Shiloh" and "Hey Ahab" off the 2010 album "The Union."
The brief segment of new music ended when John started the first few notes of "Candle in the Wind," causing the audience to stand and drown out the next few bars with cheers and applause. The song quickly turned to a kind of electronic vigil as audience members held up hundreds of cell phones and light-up John eyeglasses as they swayed their arms to the music. Several lighters were flicked early on, but the Metra staff quickly snuffed them out for safety reasons.
From there, John switched to "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," then went into an up-tempo set that started with "Bennie and the Jets," and ended with "Crocodile Rock."
John thanked the crowd after a high-energy version of "Crocodile Rock," and then signed several pieces of memorabilia before leaving the stage. However a deafening roar brought him back to dedicate the encore, "Your Song," to each member of the audience before ending the show.
The legendary 64-year-old pianist, songwriter and singer brought the crowd to its feet as he took the stage, and the more than 10,000 fans rarely sat down for the next 2 hours and 45 minutes as the Rocket Man took them on a journey through a career of hits spanning four decades.
The concert marked the first large-scale event in the Metra since a tornado tore the roof of the building and upended many of the seats on June 20 last year — and John's first time playing the Magic City.
Many concert-goers commented on the Metra as they entered the arena up to two hours before the show started, but the talk soon turned to the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who has sold more than 350 million albums and entertained concert-goers worldwide on countless tours since the early '70s.
Scott Reid of Billings anxiously awaited the show by posing for pictures with other fans. Reid, who dressed in a yellow boa, shiny green suit and musical note eyeglasses, was a popular photo mate for other fans — many of whom were decked out in similar John-inspired getups.
"It's just part of the fun of the concert," Reid said of dressing up.
Though Reid, 16, was one of the younger people packing the floor Sunday, he definitely was in the running for biggest fan.
"I'm a big Elton John fan because ... I connect with what he's trying to say and I just love his music," Reid said. "I try not to think of the whole generational thing."
Another big John fan was Annette Robison of Billings, who won two floor seats from a local radio station after failing to get a ticket quick enough when they went on sale and subsequently sold out.
She attended a live event and drawing Thursday, and though she missed out on the 6 p.m. drawing, her name was read at 8 p.m. that night, giving her two fifth-row seats.
"When they first said Annette, I let out a 'whoop,'" she said.
Robison took her mother, who saw John in concert in Las Vegas several years ago, to the Billings show.
"It'll be just such wonderful memories," Robison said.
Once John took the stage shortly after 8 p.m., he provided memories for the capacity crowd until almost 10:45. He sang, jumped, pumped up the crowd, yelled and spoke of his career and his fans. And, of course, he played hit after hit — oftentimes without stopping in between— starting with "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" and "Saturday Night's Alright (for Fighting)."
The artist's energy was contagious, as the crowd clapped, danced and sang along all evening. Throughout the night, John lengthened his songs, often for several minutes, by adding a piano solo in the middle or at the end of many pieces. Though the sound of John's playing was enough to whip the audience into a frenzy, the crowd was able to appreciate his talent even more because of a camera mounted on the piano that showed John's fancy finger work on a large screen on either side of the stage.
While the man at the piano was the star, every band member got a chance to shine, as did the backup singers, including Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Rose Stone, a founding member of Sly and the Family Stone.
After playing "Tiny Dancer," which tested the Metra's new roof as much as any song to that point — the crowd sang every lyric, John said he would "go stark-raving crazy" if he didn't play his newer material. He then played "Gone to Shiloh" and "Hey Ahab" off the 2010 album "The Union."
The brief segment of new music ended when John started the first few notes of "Candle in the Wind," causing the audience to stand and drown out the next few bars with cheers and applause. The song quickly turned to a kind of electronic vigil as audience members held up hundreds of cell phones and light-up John eyeglasses as they swayed their arms to the music. Several lighters were flicked early on, but the Metra staff quickly snuffed them out for safety reasons.
From there, John switched to "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," then went into an up-tempo set that started with "Bennie and the Jets," and ended with "Crocodile Rock."
John thanked the crowd after a high-energy version of "Crocodile Rock," and then signed several pieces of memorabilia before leaving the stage. However a deafening roar brought him back to dedicate the encore, "Your Song," to each member of the audience before ending the show.
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