Singer Elton John will appear at UTC on Saturday.Elton John’s visits to McKenzie Arena have not been on an annual basis, but the international superstar has played the city’s largest venue more than a few times.
He first played there in 1984 and returned in 1999. In 2010, he and Leon Russell brought their tour for The Union to the arena, and then John was back alone in 2013. He returns on Saturday, March 12, as part of his latest nine-city tour.
Joining him onstage will be drummer Nigel Olsson, who was part of John’s first three-piece band; guitarist Davey Johnstone, who first recorded with John in 1971 and joined the band a year later; John Mahon on percussion, Kim Bullard on keyboards and Matt Bissonette on bass.
The show is expected to feature primarily the hits most fans will recognize. And it’s a long list of songs to choose from. John’s hits, written in large part with lyricist/collaborator Bernie Taupin, include “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Rocket Man,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Levon,” “Island Girl,” “Honkey Cat,” “Your Song” and “Candle in the Wind.”
For Lois Divine Crawford, the chance to see a rock icon of John’s stature so close to home was too good to pass up.