How Long Is Elton John Concert?
The length of Elton John's concerts can vary depending on the show and the venue, although most of his concerts generally last between 90 minutes and 2 hours.
Elton John is one of the most popular singers of all time, and he is known worldwide. This iconic musician and songwriter has 30 music albums to his credit in more than 50 years of music making and has been the recipient of 5 Grammy awards, a Tony Award, an Oscar, and 70+ songs on the Billboard list. He has also been known for giving spectacular and highly energetic performances during live concerts. But to the precise details fans want to know"—or at the very least have a general idea of"—how long the Elton John concert can continue to enchant the audience? Let's take a look.
The Elton Concert Duration Of An Average Concert
On average, an Elton John live show typically lasts for approximately 90 minutes to 2 hours. In his shows, he almost pummels the piano into submission with non-stop tunes, ranging from the oldies but goodies to even fresh compositions, and sometimes ending with back-to-back encore performances. He has one of the largest repertoire in pop music, with over 300 released songs to choose from, he could play way longer if he wished to. But, setting aside that particular instance, it is reasonable to expect the 74-year-old icon to last around 90 to 120 minutes at most these days.
Boult understands that the audience can hope for songs such as Benny and the Jets, Rocket Man, Your Song, and I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues during almost every concert. This could be newer songs that are relatively recent, like Cold Heart, which was released in 2021 with Dua Lipa, or songs from his last album, which is also called The Lockdown Sessions which was released in the same year 2021. Less recent tracks he could perform may include medleys such as The Beatles I Saw Her Standing There or eye-popping numbers like Pinball Wizard, a track from Tommy.
In the process, and not forgetting his vocal performance, Elton has incorporated many costume changes. Rhinestones and luxurious fabrics are combined with over-the-top eyeglasses and other accessories. It was also an opportunity for the master showmen that is Posh to interact with the fans while, at the same time, bringing out some British humor and intelligence.
The show's length and its changes over the years
Although 90 minutes or“ 2 hours can be considered specific to the current Elton's show, the lengths of his shows differed over the years.
During the early stadium and arena touring phase, during the 1970s and into the 1980s, his tours, along with his backing band, were known to last up to 3 hours. And sometimes even longer! He was young in his 20s and 30s when Elton John made his biggest fame and came dressed in the full regalia of what could be only described as Elton-mania. He was still full of youthful vigor and seemed to perform non-stop without taking a breath in between songs. Some sources claimed that he even performed over 4 hours at a show in Russia in 1979 because the people urged him to do more encores, making the set last longer than it was supposed to.
But when Elton proceeded to embark on another major touring cycle to promote his successful album called Reg Strikes Back in 1988, he made a deliberate decision to cut their performances to about two hours per night. He understood that he was growing old just as his fans did too and that meant something. It would also help him to pace his hectic global tours, which he undertook to do more than 100 shows per year. It proved to be quite a wise decision.
In recent decades, the time given has significantly reduced but the Return On Investment (ROI) offered is of a complete value proposition. His Red Piano production, which was internationally recognized and was performed at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace from 2004 to 2009, was maintained to approximately one and a half hours. What this inadvertently did was give the visually sophisticated set and complex choreography their due space to be fully appreciated.
The record-breaking tour, which stands as his longest and, possibly, the longest in the history of a solo performer, "FFarewell Yellow Brick Road, has had performances of various durations since it began in 2018 and is set to end in 2023. Most of the shows have come in around two hours; however, there have been shows that lasted up to 2 and a half hours. To be specific, his show at Hyde Park British Summer Time Festival the same June in London was over 3 hours long because of an amazing encore.
It may mean that show lengths may differ; however, most fans are rather satisfied with the lengthy performances with Elton and his band, as they keep providing night after night.
But Even so, the Structure and the Magic remain the Same.
Yes, occasionally certain obscure songs or songs that have not been played frequently for years may be on the setlist one night and not the next. Yet the icon who was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight some seventy-something years ago constructs his performances exceedingly well even if he is not at the keyboard for over two hundred and fifty minutes as he would in days of pre-rock and roll years.
The inaugural segment frequently begins with a flourish as Elton struts forth to drum it up a bit with a couple of essential dance numbers that always get the audience standing right away. Things then move to middle gear, presenting a cleverer set of songs and piano ballads wherein Elton can go particularly vocal and piano in his mastery. And then comes the show's climactic third act, where often there's a change of clothes to more elaborate outfits, and the excitement climbs exponentially toward the inevitable standing ovations.
And every concert gets an encore of the ages each time the first notes of his Bernie Taupin-penned friendship anthem™ Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me are played. Still, it remains one of the most popular and eye-popping numbers, as it has been about 49 years since its creation for Elton John concerts around the world.
The Amulet Part III: The Legend Prepares for His Final Bow
Elton John himself has publicly declared that his current three-year-and-counting, over 300 dates across the world, Farewell tour is indeed his last one. He remains the ever-devastating showman to ensure that each date is etched passionately for the audience until the final show. This could be the end of the era of four-hour concerts. However, the master of the singer/songwriter and the ultimate showman brings more power and presence per minute into his lengthy concerts than probably any other live music artist around the world today.
Well, of course, when it comes to the duration of the performances, one has to wonder: how long is an Elton concert these days? Long enough to ensure fans go home eternally gratified and thoroughly satisfied. But leaving them may just mean wanting it to be a little bit more. This may be just what Elton has in mind as he plots his exit from the stage to the fans who have loved his songs for so long. Bravo indeed!
