“We haven’t seen blue skies anywhere else in Britain,” muses Sir Elton, as Edinburgh glows in the low evening sun. “That’s because you voted to stay in Europe. You’re the only fucking sensible people in Britain.” He subsequently sums up the political mood of roughly half of the UK, Scots in particular, by playing I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues.
Dressing in what looks like diamante-encrusted loungewear need not deny a man the right to talk seriously. But when not mincing his words on Brexit, the piano-tickling elder statesman of flamboyant rock’n’roll and his redoubtable backing band are on a mission to help people party and forget. A dowdy old athletics stadium becomes the scene of what feels like a giant open-air wedding reception, as fans of all ages and levels of mobility and even a few high-vis-jacketed stewards dance inexpertly in the aisles.
It’s a hit parade of peerless pomp, with Bennie and the Jets, Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, Your Song and Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me all coming before the sun has even gone down. The latter number emboldens the mildest of stage invasions, as a grey-haired chap strolls on calmly and gets a handshake for his efforts. Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting sees a little girl hoisted on stage for a dance, adding to the feeling of easygoing intergenerational fun. On a more sober note Candle in the Wind can’t help but evoke memories of John as Britain’s mourner-in-chief and hark back almost quaintly to a time when this country still had something like a collective national conscience.
• Elton John plays Henley festival, Henley-on-Thames, on 6 July, and BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park, London, on 11 September.
