On Saturday, September 21, Elton and the band played a poignant set at Wembley Arena, London for the Peace One Day concert. The event was streamed live around the world via YouTube, and also on EltonJohn.com.
The concert marked the UK debut for new bass player Matt Bissonette, who was much appreciated by the British fans.
During the evening Elton praised the commitment behind Peace One Day, and also dedicated Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters to Daniel Pearl, the American journalist who was murdered in Pakistan in 2002.
Here is the complete set list:
Funeral For A Friend
Love Lies Bleeding
Bennie And The Jets
Levon
Tiny Dancer
Believe
Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters
Philadelphia Freedom
Rocket Man
Hey Ahab
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
I'm Still Standing
The Bitch Is Back
Your Song
Here are reviews from some of the fans who were there at Wembley:
“Elton brought the audience to their feet on Friday night with a performance only he can pull off. He really is an old master when it comes to pleasing the crowd leaving the sold out arena begging for more. Although it was a shorter set than usual, Elton combined his classic hits with some of his lesser known work making sure there was something for everybody!”
Kilian from London, England
“This was a completely different Elton Experience for me, having only been to full-length concerts previously. The packed audience waited patiently, and were treated to a brilliant opening set with the 2CELLOS. A little later than anticipated, Elton and the Band took to the stage to rapturous applause as ever. Even though Elton did still seem to be suffering a bit with his recent throat problems, he put in the usual superb performance always thinking first of his fans.
Yes there were ‘technical hitches’ and an obvious time constraint but it did not dampen the audience enthusiasm. It was fantastic entertainment when Elton decided to change the set list without telling the Band! As a big Nigel fan, the highlight for me was at the end of Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me, he started what he thought was the next drum intro and realised no-one else was playing! His face as usual was a picture! I wish I could have heard what he said to Elton...
Nigel and Davey should have been awarded gold medals for taking it all in good spirit. With their 40-plus years experience of working with Elton, they deserve much greater recognition than they get in their native UK.
Am I glad I travelled over 200 miles to be there? You bet! I would go again tomorrow. We got 90 quality minutes of the greatest music in the world.”
Rosemary from Bradford, England
“Thank you Sir Elton for a fantastic performance at the Peace one day concert on Friday. My friend and I had Rocket tickets, which were great seats. We had such a great time.”
Jayne from London, England
“I just wanted to say a huge thank-you for the great tickets for the Wembley concert on Friday night. Thoroughly enjoyed it and had great fun. Elton and the band were on great form - never known Elton to change the set as they were going along! Looked liked they had fun as well.”
Tim from London, England
Photo: 'Madman' is back at Wembley Arena