DETROIT — Superstar entertainer Elton John paid tribute to the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin during one of two dynamic shows at Little Caesars Arena this week, saying even as she battled cancer, she performed at one of his shows.
Wearing his signature sparkly glasses and sitting at his piano Wednesday for his second Detroit show during his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour, John said one of Franklin's final performances was at one of his concerts and she "was so ill." Franklin died in 2018 after battling pancreatic cancer. She was 76.
"I love her so much and I still do," said John. "I have so much respect for her."
John, 74, who last performed in Detroit in 2018, recalled how not long after he and songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, released "Border Song (Holy Moses)" in 1970, Franklin covered it and released on her 1972 album "Young, Gifted and Black." John and Taupin were thrilled.
After sharing his love for Franklin, John, who said he's performed 25 times in Detroit, sang "Border Song" again.
The legendary superstar who tested positive for COVID less than a month ago cranked out nearly all of his hits during a dynamic 2-hour show Wednesday, including "Bennie and Jets," "Candle in the Wind," "I'm Still Standing" and "Rocket Man."
During an encore while wearing a purple robe with sparkly cats on the back, John sang his latest hit, "Cold Heart," a remix with star Dua Lipa.
"Now I'll sing my first hit," said John, ending the concert with his first hit, 1970's "Your Song."
John's "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour is crisscrossing the country after kicking off in September 2018. Delayed because of the pandemic, it's supposed to be John's final tour. At the end of his concert Wednesday, a video showed him walking off into the sunset on a yellow brick road.
