Elton John

The most elaborate costumes worn this past weekend did not belong to the brightly painted fans at the celebrated Gold Rush game between MU and Nebraska. No, they belonged to the slews of middle-aged Columbia residents who sported a whole mess of sequins, boas and big sunglasses at Mizzou Arena on Friday night.

Amid flashes of color and light that were part of a vivid, but not overly reliant on special effects, Sir Elton John, icon of British pop and high-camp, took the stage with his five-piece backing band to the roar of a sold-out house. The band began the set with an elaborate overture, featuring a piano solo from John, as a way to showcase his often-forgotten virtuosity as a pianist as well as a pop star. He then launched into a boisterous version of “The Bitch Is Back.”

John, who acknowledged that many patrons were seated behind the stage, took time after every song to wave at the crowd seated in all directions. He also asked the crowd about the upcoming football game.

Sports reoccurred as a topic of conversation as John chatted up the crowd, turning at one point from college football to Major League Baseball. John interrupted the show to give the final score of the Cleveland Indians-New York Yankees playoff game and expressed his approval when the crowd booed the Yankees.

“This is my kind of crowd,” John said. “I hate the fucking Yankees.”

He then launched into a series of songs from his classic album, Madman Across the Water, starting with the title track. He dedicated the classic “Tiny Dancer” to “all the ladies in the audience” and injected “Levon” with a whole lot of soul.

Much of the evening, in fact, was dedicated to his classic tunes in conjunction with the promotion of his upcoming greatest hits album. Renditions of classics, including “Rocket Man,” “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” and “Philadelphia Freedom,” were well executed without much extra flair from the maestro, who put most of his campy energy into interactions with the crowd and hard-driven classical piano solos.

One of the show’s most intimate and tender moments came during “Candle in the Wind,” when the audience bridged the generation gap by waving both lighters and cell phones.

Only one song from his most recent album, The Captain & The Kid, which was co-written with long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin, was featured. The song, a motivational ballad entitled “The Bridge,” was well received by the crowd.

John chose two of his most energetic and beloved songs to end the main set. “Crocodile Rock” got the mostly sedentary crowd to dance in the aisles, and John let the audience sing the chorus with little intervention.

The band ended with a bringing-down-the-house rendition of “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting,” with John pounding at the piano like a madman and the crowd shouting back the “Saturday, Saturday” refrain.

For the encore, the rest of the band changed outfits, and bassist Bob Birch sported shorts and boots that looked similar to the ubiquitous Uggs. John took several minutes before playing to sign autographs for audience members near the front.

Much to the delight of the ecstatic crowd, John donned a headband with tiger ears, which was given to him by an audience member, for “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me.”

He dedicated his final song of the evening, “Your Song,” appropriately enough, to the audience. The arena glowed with the neon-blue light of cell phones and echoed with the sound of impassioned karaoke voices. The audience performed with as much enthusiasm and as little abandon as the headliner.

Elton John and his band will play Sept. 22 at KeyArena as part of his "The Captain and the Kid" tour.

British actress Kate Winslett will reportedly voice the lead in Elton John's rejuvenated animated film, "Gnomeo and Juliet."
The long-dormant project by John's Rocket Pictures was picked up from Disney by Miramax Films last week.

Sources have described the film as a "Monty Python" type project and told Variety the move to a specialty label will let it have an edgier, hipper tone.

Winslett is the only star attached to the film, but further casting is under way.

John and Tim Rice -- who worked together on Disney's mega-hit, "The Lion King" -- are teaming up for the soundtrack for "Gnomeo," described as a take on "Romeo and Juliet" set in the world of garden gnomes.

The computer generated film will be made in Britain, Variety said.