Elton John Live At The Marquee Cork Sun 23rd June 2013

Are you cold? Sad? Feeling alone? In need of a hug or some joy in your life? Then you need to catch an Elton John show. It’s one of the greatest cures for life’s maladies.

This past Sunday, Elton, hopped (quite literally) onstage at Cork’s Live At The Marquee to shake away the hangovers and share a selection of hits from his forty-year career.

His set, totalling a dizzying twenty-six tracks, was as packed with infamous ballads as it could be. Having appeared in Ireland not that long ago to mixed reviews, specifically in Limerick’s Thomond Park in 2009, Sir Elton had a lot to live up to but his set conquered any misgivings that were lurking in the crowd.

His reputation for being a ‘diva’ (pardon the use of the term) is almost more well know than his tunes, but none of his seemingly trademark drama was on show. In fact, Elton was as selfless as a star could be.

Predictably positioned at his piano for the whole set, he would jump up and stride across the stage after each song to egg on the crowd, wave, thank them, and by all accounts be thoroughly gracious – he seemed delighted to be there.

The set itself, as mentioned, was a victory lap of his popular material leading off with The Bitch Is Back, closing with The Circle of Life, and picking up Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, Your Song, and Still Standing along the way to name but a few.

The man’s energy was astonishing and his backing band was right there with him. In fact, Elton seemed very much part of his band, which isn’t always the norm with bigger songwriters, so it was refreshing to see him so down to earth.

There isn’t much else to say – the show was perfection and everything you could ask for in a cure for the blues.

Now, it’s fair to say that the cure was far from cheap with tickets starting at €85 and it may not be covered by your medical card or that easy to come by. But take it when you can get it.