5 things we learned about Elton John after his Singapore concerts
You may be used to thinking of Sir Elton John as “The Lion King guy.” Or the singer with the collection of funny glasses.
But there’s a lot more to veteran British singer-songwriter, who is 68 this year, than you think.
John, who was in town to play at The Star Performing Arts Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday for his All the Hits tour, is a consummate performer.
We were lucky enough to catch the Rocket Man himself on Tuesday as he tinkled the ivories with his own brand of pop, blues and rock n’ roll.
Here are five things you probably didn’t know about the plucky musician, who’s been rocking on the piano since 1964.
He’s had over 50 Top 40 songs in his career
If you thought you only knew John’s love songs Candle in the Wind or Can You Feel The Love Tonight, you’d be wrong.
Attending Elton’s concert made us realise there are loads of his hits we’re familiar with, without even realising it.
There’s Your Song, performed by Ewan McGregor in 2001’s Moulin Rouge!, Bennie and the Jets, sung by Katherine Heigl and James Marsden in 2008’s 27 Dresses, and Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word, Elton’s 1976 single which was covered by English boy band Blue in 2002.
And you probably know Rocket Man and Tiny Dancer too, at least by name.
He loves his Singapore fans dearly
Despite nursing a “stinking cold”, John promised fans at the start of his show that he would soldier on, and that he did.
Not only did he put in an energetic performance from start to finish, he also stayed on at the end of his concert to interact with fans in the front row.
John signed autographs, gave hi-fives, and carried a young boy up onto the stage, posing for a photo with him.
He may have been knighted by the Queen, but John is certainly not too hoity-toity to mingle with us common folk.
He really, really loves orchids
When John performed here in 2011, National Parks actually named an orchid after him, called the Doritaenopsis Sir Elton John.
He was obviously tickled pink, because he had pots of the orchid placed in his hotel suite for this visit.
And we also hear he requested for the orchids to be placed in his dressing room at The Star Performing Arts Centre.
He’s a true fashionista
Not many men could pull off John’s concert outfit of a long blue sequinned blazer, diamond earrings and tinted red glasses.
They’d probably look like Cyclops on a drunken dare.
But not Elton: He looked snazzy and chic, and completely at home with his bling.
Having been part of the music industry from the Swinging Sixties to the present, John has probably had more fashion looks than Madonna.
A video display at his performance showed some of his iconic costumes, including a cat suit, barbershop man, and a glam rocker a la David Bowie.
He has a cheeky sense of humour
John may be as old as your grandfather, but he still has a spice of mischief in him.
Fans got a glimpse of John’s playful nature when he jumped up to sit on his grand piano, swinging his legs to encourage the crowd to dance along to encore song Crocodile Rock.
He also clearly relished the naughty nature of his song The Bi**h is Back, as the giant display screens behind him flashed the rude word each time he sang it.
Think about that the next time you’re watching The Lion King with your kids.
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