music: Elton John Rolls Through Chicago On Farewell Tour

Photos: UnitedCenter/Twitter

Friday night featured Elton John’s first of back-to-back shows at the United Center in Chicago. John is on his second pass through Chicago during his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. This two-night affair marks his first trek through Chicago since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leading up to Friday night, John had just overcome catching COVID-19 a couple of weeks ago. The Chicago shows were in jeopardy of cancellation but luckily the only performances nixed were his Dallas shows. This specific concert had been rescheduled multiple times over two years due to the pandemic and John’s hip surgery. Alas, anticipation was through the roof.

Elton John The Showman

John started the show with the classic ‘Bennie and the Jets’ in a sparkly suit coat. The whole night, John was accompanied by a six-piece band that hopped through all variations of his style. The set was similar to the first leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour but there were a few changes.

His set consisted of the hits ‘Tiny Dancer, ‘Rocket Man’, ‘Still Standing’, and ‘Crocodile Rock’ even made the list. Each song was paired with a video featuring either still pictures, animations, or choreographed snippets. The night also included multiple costume changes. After ‘Candle In The Wind’, the stage cut to fog and a thunderstorm for a costume change. John returned in a pink checkered suit coat. The tempo slowed down for this portion of the show only to build back up for the last four songs. For the encores, he changed into a dazzling shiny robe.

One constant throughout the night was the United Center crowd singing along the entire time. The set lasted 2.5 hours consisting of 22 songs and the energy was out of this world. After every song, John would slam his piano lid and emphatically point like he was congratulating his fans for singing through the song and just being there to share the moment.

Encores

For the first encore song, Elton John played new music. He collaborated with a few other pop artists such as Dua Lipa, Charlie Puth, and Miley Cyrus during the pandemic for a project called The Lockdown Sessions. John selected ‘Cold Heart’ featuring Dua Lipa from that project. The song is currently No. 10 on the Weekly Billboard Top 100. John performed the song solo with pre-recorded Dua Lipa vocals in the background.

He then performed ‘Your Song’ and suitably finished with ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’. Before starting ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’, John spoke a few words about his career and Chicago. He talked about his first show in the Windy City taking place at the Auditorium Theatre.

“Tonight (was) my 50th concert in Chicago! I’ve loved every single minute of coming to this beautiful city!” John exclaimed.

The audience erupted leading into the conclusion of a wonderful night of music at the United Center.

Elton John’s Chicago Setlist – Feb. 4, 2022

1. Bennie And The Jets
2. Philadelphia Freedom
3. I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues
4. Border Song
5. Tiny Dancer
6. Have Mercy On The Criminal
7. Rocket Man
8. Take Me To The Pilot
9. Someone Saved My Life Tonight
10. Levon
11. Candle In The Wind (solo)
12. Funeral For A Friend / Love Lies Bleeding
13. Burn Down The Mission
14. Sad Songs (Say So Much)
15. Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me
16. The Bitch Is Back
17. I’m Still Standing
18. Crocodile Rock
19. Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
20. Cold Heart (solo)
21. Your Song
22. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Elton John’s Next Chicago Appearance

While this show and Saturday’s show are part of Elton John’s “farewell” tour, he will return to Chicago for the Stadium leg of it. On August 5, 2022, Elton John will perform at Soldier Field. There are plenty of resale tickets available, so don’t miss out on the last opportunity to catch Elton before he retires. His show is priceless. Elton John is a must-see act!

Stay tuned with On Tap Sports Net’s pop culture team for further music news, reviews, and more throughout the year.

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