Fan report by Pascal Verburg.

The last time I saw Elton was in 2002 at the same venue. I had to wait 7 years to see him again. Before the show my girlfriend and I went for some shopping in Rotterdam. Back with the subway to Ahoy Arena, you had to walk through a shopping mall and in front of the Ahoy Arena, in the mall I heard an old Elton song. We stopped to listen to it and a few seconds later I recognised ‘The Western Fort Gateway’. Not a song you hear on the radio often so the sound had to come from another place.

We followed the sound which came from an Irish pub were that day only Elton music was played. We decided to eat something over there, it was the perfect atmosphere to get in the mood. Elton's first two albums were played so the atmosphere was like if we were 40 years back in time.

After dinner we went across the street to Ahoy and we were seated in row 12, near the aile which was ending to Elton's piano. After each song Elton thanked the audience with bows and waves. He was in a really great mood.

Elton dedicated "Daniel" to Daniel Pearl again. "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" was dedicated to Stephen Gately and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" to Dutch potographer Ruud van Empel. Starting with "Pinball Wizard" security let us to the stage so finally the audience started rocking. Before that I felt I was the only was who was standing each song. Especially during "Rocket Man" I was going nuts. I was the best version I ever heard and I was screaming all the time.

During "Saturday Night" I was one of the few lucky people to get on the stage and I rocked and sang along with Elton. That was a very special moment for me.

When Elton came back to play "Your Song" he thanked the audience and shaked some hands of fans. When he came to me I gave him a baby-suit and a marker to sign it. My wife is pregnant, so I said to Elton, will you please sign it for my little daughter. He just shaked my hand and said "No sorry man" and walked to his piano and played "Your Song". I guess, while singing his last song, he saw me and my wife with her big belly and changed his mind, because after the last note of the song he walked straight to me to sign the baby suit and he left the stage immediatly after that. I was very lucky to be the only one in the audience to get an autograph.

After the show I think 20 people asked me if I had a good time, I guess everybody saw I was one of the most enthousiastic people in the crowd that night. I had a really good time, an evening to remember and I felt great. Elton really is the best.

Following is the complete set list of the Red Piano show in Rotterdam on October 17, 2009:

• Bennie And The Jets
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Believe
  
• Daniel
  
• Rocket Man
  
• I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
  
• Someone Saved My Life Tonight
  
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  
• Nikita (solo)
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
• Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
  
• Candle In The Wind (solo)
  
• Pinball Wizard
  
• The Bitch Is Back
  
• I'm Still Standing
  
• Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)
  
  
• Your Song

Back to Headlines