Elton John – Farewell Yellow Brick Road MetLife Stadium 7/24/2022 Review
Written by wmscweb on February 22, 2023
By Noah Aviles
In my previous article, I wrote about attending Paul McCartney’s “Got Back” show at MetLife in June of 2022. Well, one month later, I was back in the same venue seeing a different show and seeing it with a different friend: This time around I was seeing the final tour of Elton John.
To be honest, I think Elton John was the first mainstream music artist that I was introduced to. I first saw him (of all places) guest star on the Bob the Builder Christmas Special “A Christmas to Remember” when I was VERY young. Years later, I saw his guest appearance that he did on “The Muppet Show,” and after actively listening to more of his music I’ve been a fan ever since.
So, of course, I was not going to miss the literal final opportunity to see him live. The seats I got were much better than last time, with a direct front-facing view of the entire stage. We got to our seats, chowed down on some Chinese food, and were excited when the show finally started.
The setlist consisted of around twenty-five different songs, including the encore. While the backing band did a fantastic job, and Elton himself definitely had a ton of energy to him, much like McCartney, his voice has definitely aged quite a bit over the years and perhaps even moreso.
Seeing both of these shows in the same venue was a very interesting experience, as I kind of felt like I was seeing firsthand some of the most prominent members of the previous generation of musicians starting to bow out. These shows definitely gave me an appreciation for the musicians of the past that are still with us, and a desire to support and seek out the new generation of artists coming after them.
My favorite songs of the night were “Bennie and the Jets,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Candle in the Wind,” “Saturday Night’s Alright,” and “Tiny Dancer.” My absolute favorite was by far “Rocket Man.” Seeing that song live in particular definitely felt like something of a full circle moment for me.
Overall, I feel profoundly lucky to have this experience, and I look forward to making more music and concert related memories in the future!
Featured Photo by Al Mannarino
