At Covelli concert, Elton John delivers like it was first time

Elton John at Covelli Centre

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By GUY D’ASTOLFO

dastolfo@vindy.com

One of the best moments of Elton John’s marathon concert Saturday at Covelli Centre came toward the end of “Honky Cat.”

John, guitarist Davey Johnstone (playing a banjo) and drummer Nigel Olsson jammed together for a wee bit in a scene that united the three original members who are still part of the band. They’ve been going at it for 40 years now and were as tight as ever.

It was just one of the highlights of the show, which at 2 hours and 50 minutes was easily the longest concert at Covelli by a single band.

For the most part, John — clad in spangly black tails and blue shirt — stayed true to the song list that he had been playing on the current tour.

He mixed in “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” to honor a newlywed in the audience, as well as “You’re Never Too Old,” which will be on album he will release later this year with Leon Russell.

From the haunting strains of set opener “Love Lies Bleeding,” John was in fine form. Throughout the greatest hits concert, he proved he’s still humble, pointing to audience members on all sides of the stage — including behind it — and personally thanking them after each song.

John delivered “Levon” as if it were the first time he ever played it, and “Tiny Dancer” brought a roar from the opening notes. It was a reaction repeated often during the concert, as the first few notes brought instant audience recognition. One exception was “Bennie and the Jets” — it required only one note to rev up the crowd. One hour into the set, John was just getting started. He stood and banged the keyboards during “Take Me to the Pilot,” and slammed down the piano hood at the end, just for emphasis. The slightly pudgy rocker got a little rowdy on a couple of occasions, actually, at one point jumping atop the piano and doing a leg kick on the way down.

The set included about two dozen songs, including “Rocket Man.” John and Johnstone — with an amped acoustic, one of about 10 guitars he played over the course of the evening — embellished the ending with a shredding interlude. Judging by the reactions of fans who have been traveling with the tour, it was not part of the routine.

The show ended with a flurry of rockers, including “The Bitch Is Back” and “I’m Still Standing” — which took on a whole new meaning since it came at the 2:30 mark of the concert.

“Crocodile Rock” brought down the lights, but John returned for an encore — and an impromptu autograph session from the edge of the stage. That’s not something you see very often.

The encore included (what else?) “Your Song” and “Circle of Life” from the “Lion King.”

The Youngstown concert was a homecoming for John Mahon, a Canton native (and a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Louisville) who has been with the band for years. In fact, Saturday’s show was Mahon’s 1,000th with the Elton John band. John pointed out that fact — and also teased Mahon — in front of a crowd that included many from Mahon’s hometown.

Mahon played a variety of instruments to fill out the sound, including tambourine, drums, gong, rain sticks, bongos and more.

SEE ALSO: Elton jams downtown businesses.