Elton John played Madison Square Garden on his final tour. (Photo: Getty)

Elton John made a two-night stand at his favorite venue in the world, Madison Square Garden in New York City, as part of his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour,” and it was star-studded in more ways than one.

As I made my way to my seats, I passed Bill and Hillary Clinton, actor Russell Crowe, Clinton aide Huma Abedin and designer Donna Karan.

He delivered a two-and-half-hour show and marvelously performed music from throughout his career. Old chestnuts like “Take Me To The Pilot,” Levon” and “Burn Down The Mission,” sounded as fresh as if they’d been written yesterday.

I’ve seen John at least two dozen times over my career, but for this show, he was like a man possessed. His band was one of his best ever. Percussionist Ray Cooper, guitarist Davey Johnstone and drummer Nigel Olsen were just spot-on.

The newest song in his set list was “Believe,” originally released in 1995 from his Made In England album, but the crowd ate up every note.

One rarely played song, “Indian Sunset,” from his Madman Across The Water album was just superb with just John and percussive blasts from Cooper.

Partner Bernie Taupin wrote the song after his first trip to America, and the images it conjures up are like a novel. Just stunning.

The sound was especially crisp, as were the dynamic graphics that flashed on a huge on-stage screen. Especially provocative was an all-ladies video for “The Bitch is Back.” It was synchronized perfectly and totally mesmerizing.

What other artist can perform two-and-half-hours of hits that everyone knows. Elton John, a singular talent will be missed for sure when he retires from the road. But don’t count out a Las Vegas residency. John would be perfect in that venue.

Short Takes

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