Elton John

> Carrow Road, Norwich

Rocket Man Elton John took Carrow Road by storm with a stunning performance. With the stadium packed with 21,000 fans the performer blended new material with classic singles, old favourites and timeless album tracks.

Opening with Pinball Wizard he moved neatly on to Bennie And The Jets which was an early highlight.

If ever there was a song created for the live set this was it with Elton exercising his vocal range and meandering off on intricate piano solos while the band ground out the earthy, chunky riffs of the classic song behind him.

After Daniel the feel of the show moved from the Seventies to the present day with Turn The Lights Out When You Leave, the first of several tracks from the new album Peachtree Road.

Elton quickly settled into the venue delighting the audience with a wonderful range of songs.

Take Me To The Pilot dovetailed into a marvellous version of Rocket Man before the mood turned to melancholy.

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues was followed by Sacrifice which Elton dedicated to Norwich City shareholder Delia Smith and then performed his forthcoming single Electricity from the stage show Billy Elliott.

Before performing Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word he spoke of his work with soul singer Ray Charles who died last year and offered the song as a tribute to him which also explained the performance of Funeral For A Friend next.

That was followed by Love Lies Bleeding which picked up the tempo again.

Yes the crowd loved it and so did Lulu who had offered an enjoyable 45-minute set to warm up the audience.

She spent much of the early part of Elton's show on the side of the stage singing along like a smitten fan.

Lulu had received a rapturous welcome from an appreciative crowd earlier in the evening.

Diminutive and clad in black she said that she was delighted to be in Norwich on stage with Elton John.

Playing material from her forthcoming soul classic album she opened with Kool and the Gang's Celebration and then moved on to the David Bowie song The Man Who Sold The World which gave her a massive hit in the 1970s.

Re-light My Fire was understandably well received and the inevitable Shout brought the crowd to its feet.

It proved to be a perfect evening for a rock concert, fine, not too hot and pleasantly warm among the expanse of seats on the pitch.

What a magnificent venue Carrow Road proved to be for a rock concert.

Let's hope the grounds management is successful - as they have said they hope to be - in attracting more stars of the stature of Elton John to the city.

The stadium was full on three sides and on the pitch with the stage set along in front of the Jarrold stand.

Among the crowd were a few familiar faces, Delia Smith and Norwich City midfielder Gary Holt, who was happy to sign autographs ahead of the show and Marc Edworthy and Darren Huckerby were also spotted.

There was also a sprinkling of local celebs including Look East's Stewart White. It was a night where a good number of Norfolk's movers and shakers were rocking and rolling.

Elton had arrived on stage wearing tails decorated with white floral patterns, pinstripe trousers, white loafers and a sedate pair of spectacles unlike some members of the audience who mimicked his Seventies image with pairs of outrageous and oversized glasses.

Two dozen songs formed a memorable show lasting two and a half hours with Elton supported by a five-piece band that included original guitarist Davey Johnstone and drummer Nigel Olsson.

Billed as the "Hello Yellow Brick Road" stint of the Peachtree Road tour this was the third in a serious of dates at major UK football stadiums.

Others include Stoke, Bolton, Huddersfield, Swindon and Vicarage Road, home of his beloved Watford FC.

The show climaxed with an anthemic version of Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me before Elton picked up the tempo and turned up the volume with some rockers, I'm Still Standing and The Bitch Is Back among them.

Crocodile Rock was a warmly-received encore, along an emotional version of Your Song.

This was a show where Elton John's musical virtuosity and showmanship came to the fore in a fabulous performance.

This was Elton John the crowd pleaser, the ultimate pop performer.