Fan report by Giuseppe Caruso, photos by Nicola.

I was sure that the concert at "Teatro Greco" in Taormina would have been really different from all the other Elton concerts I saw before. The atmosphere of this ancient theatre was really charming and the view that anyone can have just looking behind the black Yamaha piano was astonishing!

A perfect location for an unforgettable solo concert. And - for the first time in my life - I had to travel for one hour only (I live in Catania, near Taormina) to see the Myth! In addition, July 10 is my wife's birthday, so what better gift could I have made to her, after many Elton concerts seen all over the world? :)

Surprisingly, Elton appeared on stage at 9.14 pm, a quarter before the scheduled start time, dressed in an electric blue suite, and of course opened the concert with the worldwide famous intro of "Your song". The 5.000 people attending the event (paying from 65 to 130 Euros) and filling every single seat of the theatre dedicated him a very warm welcome.

The show was absolutely brilliant and many of the songs appeared to me much powerful than in other occasions. I read in some reports that Elton’s voice was not at the top during this solo tour: according to me, it was simply perfect! Already warm in the beginning and even warmer going on with the show!

The crowd seemed to prefer Elton’s 'blockbusters' more than precious jewels as "Ticking" (a very impressive vocal interpretation), "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" and the struggling beauty of "Carla/Etude" and "Tonight", so the highlights of the show were:

The triple shot "Candle in the wind", "Moon river" and “Sorry seems to be the hardest Word".

A ery energetic version of "Bennie and the Jets" (even mixed with some "Song for Guy" notes), followed by the shaking-crowd version of "Crocodile rock".

The only two Elton songs which I don’t like: "The one" and "Sacrifice".

Anyway, after all, my personal favourite was the nostalgic and amazing version of "Moon River": I knew it would have been part of the setlist, but I couldn’t imagine how wonderful could have been Elton’s interpretation!

I have to say that another surprise was the piano versionm of "I guess that’s why they call it the Blues": very rhythmic and completely different from all the other versions I heard before. Also remarkable, an hypnotic "Rocket Man" with very long echoes in the end.

The show lasted 2 hours and 37 minutes, and when Elton said goodbye to us with the plurihonoured "Circle of Life", the 5.000 lucky persons who attended the event were absolutely 'roped and tied' by our small, invincible hero.

Following is the complete setlist of the Taormina show on July 10, 2003:

• Your Song
  
• Border Song
  
• The One
  
• Someone Saved My Life Tonight
  
• Ballad Of The Boy In Red Shoes
  
• Daniel
  
• Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters
  
• Honky Cat
  
• Rocket Man
  
• I'm Still Standing
  
• Ticking
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• I Want Love
  
• Sacrifice
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Candle In The Wind
  
• Moon River
  
• Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
  
• I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
  
• This Train Don't Stop There Anymore
  
• Carla/Etude
  
• Tonight
  
• Take Me To The Pilot
  
• Bennie And The Jets
  
• Crocodile Rock
  
  
• Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
  
• Circle Of Life
  

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