Ready for take off

The music maestro was playing a gig in Reading's Madejski Stadium in the build-up to his performance at the County Ground on Sunday, June 19.

And stars such as Cilla Black and Cliff Richard turned out to enjoy the music on the first night of his tour.

The 58-year-old Elton put on a high energy show which included many of his hits from the 70s up to his latest material.

And with the singer on stage for more than two hours, there was no doubt the punters had got their money's worth.

With blue skies above the stadium, the crowd was in rapturous mood by the time Elton took to the seat at his black grand piano.

Decked out in a three-quarter-length jacket covered in a floral pattern and pinstriped trousers, he looked every inch the flamboyant star his fans have come to love.

The set began with his 1976 hit Pinball Wizard before he moved on to Daniel and his early signature tune Rocket Man.

But it was not until the sky began to get darker and the lasers started flashing that Elton played the more recent hit Are You Ready For Love and the crowd really got going.

In the posh seats Cilla and Cliff could barely control their excitement as they waved their hands in the air.

That number set the tone for the rest of the evening and from there on his fans were hanging on every word and out of their seats.

His number one hit Sacrifice sparked a mass sing-along and Elton was working in the time-honoured tradition of saving the best to last.

An extended version of his smash Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me had the couples looking longingly at each other while that was followed by a more tub-thumping performance of Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting.

With so many hits it was impossible for him to fit them all into one show and no doubt there were a few fans aggrieved at not hearing their favourite Elton record.

But he still had time to squeeze in Bite Your Lip and his early ballad Your Song, which was revived recently when it featured in the film Moulin Rouge.

The audience was more than pleased with the night's entertainment and the people of Swindon can look forward to an evening with an artist committed to entertaining.

Elton is due to take in a whole host of gigs as part of his current tour.

He will travel to the likes of Nottingham, Cardiff and Glasgow before reaching Swindon but he showed no signs of being past it last night.

And provided the bar staff in Swindon are a little more efficient than their Reading counterparts, everyone should go home smiling.

Short and sweet that's Lulu

WHENEVER you see a band, the warm-up act is normally someone you have never heard of and never want to hear again.

But Elton John has always liked doing things a little differently.

Which is why on his latest tour he has that Scottish spice girl Lulu on the bill.

Now well into her 50s, Lulu shot to fame at the age of 15 with her version of the hit Shout, delivered in her raucous, growling voice.

She has been performing live ever since and clearly knows how to work a crowd.

As you would expect, she did a fine job of getting the audience in the mood for dancing, bursting on stage with a performance of the upbeat Celebration.

There was David Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World, which she had a hit with in the 70s, and a surprise performance of the New Radicals' You Get What You Give.

The former Eurovision winner has been around so long that it almost feels like you know her personally and she was chatting with the crowd like it was her front room rather than a football ground.

She kept the set fairly short and sweet and gave a glimpse of her new album with the hit Put A Little Love In Your Heart.

But it was with her final song that she gave everyone what they had been waiting for and sang Shout with an enthusiasm and gusto that belied the fact she has spent 40-odd years singing it.

Gareth Bethell