Fan report by Stephan Heimbecher.

During my two weeks vacation in New York City (which ended yesterday) I took the chance of spending part of my 39th birthday on October 7, 2006 in Atlantic City watching Elton and the band perform at Boardwalk hall (thanks Merck for the tickets, thanks John for the ride).

Believe it or not, this was the first Elton show I have seen in a little over a year (in my professional life I have to travel that often that I hardly ever get a chance to attend Elton shows, not even the one close to my home).

This being the 109th Elton concert I have seen since my first one on May 11, 1984, I was a bit disappointed that the set list at large was very similar to those in the previous years, except for the inclusion of five songs from "Captain and the Kid". Still, Elton managed to "update" some of the classic tracks, most notably the intro to "Take Me to the Pilot", which not only lasted for several minutes but was a great combination of classical elements with Jazz and Funk parts.

While most of Elton's song introductions were pretty much identical to those at many shows before, there were some "highlight moments" including that when a guy selling cotton candy came that close to the stage in between two songs that Elton commented: "One for everyone - this is the first time I see upstage cotton candy in 37 years".

It should also be noted that Elton dedicated "Daniel" to Daniel Pearl (also see 'Elton John raises voice in "Harmony for Humanity"').

Following is the complete set list of the Atlantic City show on October 7, 2006.

• Funeral for a Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Bennie and the Jets
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  
• Believe
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
  
• Take Me To The Pilot
  
• I Want Love
  
• Someone Saved My Life Tonight
  
• Postcards from Richard Nixon
  
• Tinderbox
  
• Blues Never Fade Away
  
• The Bridge
  
• Captain and The Kid
  
• Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
  
• Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
  
• Rocket Man
  
• Levon
  
• Crocodile Rock
  
• Bitch is Back
  
• Saturday Night
  
  
• Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
• Your Song

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