Elton John: long, long time coming

By JOHN BENSON

entertainment@vindy.com

Little did we know that

in 1971 when Elton John sang “It’s gonna be a long, long time” from his hit single “Rocket Man,” he could have been referring to the decades that it would take before he played a show in Youngstown. Now, after more than 40 years of pop-rock greatness and with more than 3,000 live shows under his belt, John is finally coming to our town.

He’ll be in concert Saturday with his band at Covelli Centre.

Granted, history won’t remember the concert on the same level as say selling out Dodger Stadium (wearing a Donald Duck costume, nonetheless) in the ’70s or performing with Australia’s Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (dressed as Mozart) in the ’80s, but you better believe the Mahoning Valley will treat it as such.

A classic-rock ambassador and 1994 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Reginald Dwight (aka Elton John) is among a handful of acts that for decades has provided a soundtrack of our existence. Baby Boomers and younger generations can attest to memories of “Your Song,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Rocket Man” and “Bennie and the Jets” helping us get through the ’70s, while “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” “I’m Still Standing” and “Sad Songs [Say So Much]” did the same in the ’80s. Then in the ’90s came “The One,” “Circle of Life” and “Believe.” Also, don’t forget when John helped the world mourn the sudden death of Princess Diana — his friend — with “Candle in the Wind 1997.”

However, the aforementioned hits are just a small sample of John’s popular catalog, which makes him one of the top-selling solo artists of all time with 35 gold and 25 platinum albums, 29 consecutive Top 40 hits and more than 250 million records sold worldwide.

A celebration of his vast career is what John has in store for his barnstorming tour through the Midwest, which includes concerts in smaller, working-class towns such as Grand Rapids, Mich.; Toledo and, of course, Youngstown. Billed as just “Elton John With Band,” the lineup — Davey Johnstone on guitar, Bob Birch on bass, John Mahon on percussion, Nigel Olsson on drums and Kim Bullard on keyboards — will be staging “Rocket Man: the Greatest Hits Live” concert that ran for years in Las Vegas.

If this is the same show note-for-note, fans won’t be disappointed. One hit single after another will fuel what should be a sing-along evening.

Having witnessed the Sin City show a few years back, the lasting memory revolves around an extended rocking version of “Rocket Man,” with video (originally used for John’s 2001 song “This Train Don’t Stop There Any More”) of Justin Timberlake as a young Elton John that touched on his ’70s existence as a closeted rock star and drug addict.

The moment was jaw dropping as John sang “And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time ’til touch down brings me ’round again to find, I’m not the man they think I am at home/Oh, no no no, I’m a rocket man/Rocket man/Burnin’ out his fuse up here alone,” while the video clip depicted a foggy existence filled with backstage vampires and an avoidance of reality.

Let’s hope such touching

moments will come in spades when after a long, long time John brings his special magic and touches down in Youngstown.