Elton puts on Great Yorkshire Show of his own

Just a day after appearing at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace, the 65-year-old star performed a barnstorming show lasting more than two hours.

Dressed in a glittering black jacket with his initials embroidered on the back, he appeared on stage to thunderous applause from the 15,000- strong crowd.

“Hello Harrogate … I never thought I would say that,” he said, having just opened his set with Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.

Sir Elton was in fine form throughout the evening and performed a string of classic hits including, Philadelphia Freedom, Rocket Man and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, that were lapped up by an appreciative audience.

Even the weather just about behaved itself. The forecast had been for rain but it stayed away until near the end and earlier, some fans even managed a picnic on the grass.

It was the veteran singer’s first appearance in Harrogate and for many, like friends Angela Bevils and Kate Harvey, from Harrogate, it was the first time they had seen him.

“He’s just a legend, he’s still got it and the songs still sound brilliant,” she said.

Another fan, Glenn Kindred, who lives in Darley, near Harrogate, but originally comes from the United States, summed up his enduring appeal.

“He puts on a great show and this is a chance to listen to the music of your youth, you can pretend you’re young again,” he said.

In a career spanning more than five decades, Sir Elton has sold more than 250 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time.

The multi award-winning star has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriter partner since 1967 and they have collaborated on more than 30 albums, including Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only the Piano Player.

On Monday night, he joined a host of stars including Sir Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue, Sir Cliff Richard and Dame Shirley Bassey at the jubilee show.

Sir Elton is as famous for his outlandish stage costumes and giant wigs as he is for his back catalogue, which includes more than 50 top 40 hits.

In 1997 he re-worked one of his own song’s, Candle in the Wind – which he played at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales – the single going on to sell more than 30 million copies worldwide.

Last year he celebrated his 300th live concert since he began touring in 1969 and has started a three-year residency at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

Sir Elton is also a tireless fund-raiser through charity gigs and his Aids foundation has raised more than £91m for projects in 15 different countries.

Profits from last night’s concert will go to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), a charity for local rural communities.