ELTON JOHN
Elton John returns to Victoria with two sold-out concerts this weekend at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre. Touring to promote his 33rd studio album, Wonderful Crazy Night, John might have seen diminishing record sales, but he remains a strong concert draw.
Preview of rock star’s two Victoria concerts, including (spoiler alert) his tour setlist
What: Elton John and his band When: Saturday and Sunday, 8 p.m. (doors at 7) Where: Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre Tickets: Sold out This month, Elton John will turn 70 — a milestone for a performer some never thought would make it to 30.
Sir Elton didn’t simply survive his addiction issues. He triumphed.
Now one of the top touring acts, he returns to Victoria for the second time this weekend as part of his latest tour, one with dates booked into December.
With two shows at the Save-onFoods Memorial Centre on Saturday and Sunday, it’s clear the demand for the Rocket Man has not diminished. His shows in Victoria, the only Canadian ones on his 2017 itinerary, have long been sold out. Since 1970, he has played more than 4,000 concerts in more than 80 countries.
“It’s thrilling to have Sir Elton John coming to Victoria,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said in a statement. “Victoria has a rich arts and culture scene and having Elton John play here is great profile for our creative culture and great for residents who get to see this wonderful musical icon live.”
John is touring to promote Wonderful Crazy Night, his 33rd studio album. It was named one of the best records of 2016 by Rolling Stone magazine and cracked the Top 10 on the sales charts in both the U.S. and U.K.
John last topped the U.S. singles charts in 1997 with Candle in the Wind, a rewritten version he issued as a tribute to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. It eventually became the biggest-selling song in history, but, according to an excerpt from a forthcoming biography, Captain Fantastic by Tom Doyle, the celebrated AIDS fundraiser is done currying favour with radio programmers in the U.S.
“There comes a point where you have to admit that you’re not going to get played on the radio in America because it’s ageist,” John was quoted as saying on the website Heatstreet. “There’s a whole stream of different music come along now. And you have to face up to it.”
The Crocodile Rock hitmaker has been a staunch supporter of new artists over the years, and has put his name behind everyone from Eminem to Ed Sheeran. Many of his duet partners have gone on to outsell him, a fate to which John has become accustomed.
“My records don’t sell any more because people have enough Elton John records in their collection,” John said last year during an interview with Good Morning Britain. “I love making them, but it’s someone else’s turn now.”
He collaborates with other artists on a regular basis, both in and out of the studio, and appears to have no stylistic barriers; songs with Kanye West, Fall Out Boy, Queens of the Stone Age and A Tribe Called Quest are among his recent collaborations. But while his new recordings have a limited audience, his concert tours have not ebbed in popularity.
The Million Dollar Piano, his long-running Las Vegas residency, remains one of the city’s biggest tourist draws. Since its debut in 2011, the show has grossed more than $83 million US in ticket revenue, according to Billboard. There’s more to come — he’s booked to continue his Sin City run in April and May.
John’s first Las Vegas residency, The Red Piano, grossed a reported $169 million between 2004 and 2008.
The reason for his continued on-stage success is his voluminous catalogue of songs, which includes 29 consecutive Top 40 hits. Another key reason for his enduring appeal is the quality of his concerts. Rave reviews have followed each of his outings.
“My voice, I think, is getting better as I get older,” John told Good Morning Britain. “I’m singing better than I’ve ever done.”
He’s one of the most recognizable people on the planet, but fame has come at a cost. John remains fiercely protective of his family, to the point where he applied for — and won — a U.K. court injunction that would put British journalists in jail for reporting on an unspecified extra-marital affair involving his husband, Scarborough, Ont., native David Furnish.
John has said that his privacy is key for the health of his children, six-year-old Zachary and four-year-old Elijah, according to a statement.
“I am all too aware of how precious the time ahead is. My sons are growing up so quickly. Their early years are just flying by and I want to be there with them.”