Elton John’s Tampa Concert Postponed Until 2021

Amalie Arena this morning

Postponed - A message in regard to the upcoming Elton John show originally scheduled for May 26. pic.twitter.com/7CWHzKVC5z

— Amalie Arena (@AmalieArena) April 23, 2020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced they’re rescheduling the Elton John concert. The show was set for May 26, but Amalie Arena says “the health of Elton’s fans is of upmost importance.” If you have a ticket for the show, it’ll be valid for the rescheduled date. That date hasn’t been determined yet but they do say it won’t be until 2021. In the announcement, the arena said ticket holders will get specific information on the new date “shortly.” The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour came to Tampa last year. That show also had been postponed for months because of Elton’s health.

Elton John: His 20 Greatest Songs

• 20. “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” from ‘Caribou’ (1974)

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  Like “Candle In The Wind,” it was a bigger hit the second time around; Elton re-recorded “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” in 1991 with George Michael and it was a #1 hit; the original only reached #2. While the second version is great, we’ll stick with the original, which featured backing vocals by Bruce Johnston and Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys, as well as Toni Tennille of the Captain and Tennille.

• 19. “Sixty Years On” from ‘17-11-70’ (1970)

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  “Some of the playing on ‘11-17-70’ is quite incredible,” Elton says in the liner notes to ‘To Be Continued.’ “I get depressed sometimes when I hear it because I don’t know if I can ever play as well as that again. That three piece band, Nigel (Olsson, drums) and Dee (Murray, bass) and myself, we did different versions than the ‘Elton John’ record, and the response… we could not believe it.” And yeah, the original version of this song from Elton’s self-titled album is great, as is the version from ‘Live In Australia.’ But the intensity of Elton’s singing and playing, and the performance by his band at this 1970 radio session, would never be matched again.

• 18. “I Want Love” from ‘Songs From The West Coast’ (2001)

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  With the possible exception of ‘Tumbleweed Connection,’ ‘Songs From The West Coast’ is Elton’s most underrated album. Sadly, by 2001, there were fewer and fewer avenues for an artist of Elton’s vintage to have a legitimate hit. But two things happened that made the ‘Songs…’ album so poignant. One was Elton being influenced by Ryan Adams’ solo debut, 2000’s ‘Heartbreaker,’ which inspired him to make a stripped down album. The other was Bernie Taupin’s third divorce; his lyrics on the album, and particularly on this song, really make you feel his pain. This wasn’t “Time for a new album, write some lyrics.” This was: “Here’s my soul crying out to the world.” Elton and Bernie’s faithful fans who were paying attention were rewarded with one of the best collections of songs the pair have ever unleashed.
• 17. “Take Me To The Pilot” from ‘17-11-70’ (1970)

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  Another gem from ‘Elton John’ that sounded better on ‘17-11-70,’ this is one of the few non-hits that consistently has made it to Elton’s setlists over the years. Even if Bernie Taupin’s lyrics don’t make much sense (he’s admitted that even he doesn’t know what they’re about), it’s one of the most fun songs in any Elton show.

• 16. “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)” from ‘Jump Up!’ (1982)

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  The early ‘80s wasn’t Elton’s best era, and ‘Jump Up!’ wasn’t his most inspired album. But “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny),” a tribute to his friend and collaborator, John Lennon is one of the most moving songs in Elton John’s and Bernie Taupin’s catalog.

• 15. “Bad Side Of The Moon” from ‘17-11-70’ (1970)

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  Originally the B-side to “Border Song,” “Bad Side Of The Moon” isn’t on any of Elton’s studio albums, which is a shame, because it’s another of his most rocking songs from his early years. And it was perfect for the Elton/Dee Murray/Nigel Olsson trio on the ‘17-11-70’ live album.
• 14. “Madman Across The Water (featuring Mick Ronson)” outtake from ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ (1970)

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  Yes, we know that “Madman Across The Water” is the title track of Elton’s 1971 album, but the more famous version isn’t necessarily the best version. In 1970, Elton recorded an earlier “Madman Across The Water” featuring Mick Ronson, from David Bowie’s backing band, on guitar (this was before ‘The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars’). Anyway, if you haven’t heard this version, which has since been released as a bonus track on reissues of ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ and on Elton’s ‘Rare Masters’ collection, check it out now and thank us later. But even the 1971 version, featuring Elton’s longtime guitarist Davey Johnstone, is amazing; this is one of Elton's greatest songs, despite not being a hit single.

• 13. “Burn Down The MIssion” from ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ (1970)

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  Here’s another example of an album track so great, that it has remained in Elton’s setlists through the decades despite never charting. And by the way, the live version on ‘17-11-70’ is great as well, but at over eighteen minutes (thanks to bits of Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup’s “My Baby Left Me” and the Beatles’ “Get Back”), we figured we’d stick with the slimmer studio version, which clocks in at 6:21.

• 12. “This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore” from ‘Songs From The West Coast’ (2001)

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  Years before the idea of the Elton biopic ‘Rocketman’ was close to being a reality, this song, which closed ‘Songs From The West Coast,’ saw Elton and Bernie looking back at the era in the ‘70s when they dominated the pop charts. The music video, starring a young Justin Timberlake playing a young Elton, led to rumors that the NSYNC singer might star as Elton. In the song the lyrics “This train don’t stop there anymore,” point out that while other people could play that character, Elton’s no longer that guy. Which was appropriate: that guy didn’t yet have the life experience to sing this classic, and a younger Bernie Taupin couldn’t have written these lyrics.
• 11. “Bennie And The Jets” from ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (1973)

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  How many songs can an arena filled with people identify after just one note? Well, there’s the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” and there’s “Bennie And The Jets.” This #1 single is as funky as Elton gets, and it got him on the R&B charts; he’d later perform the song on ‘Soul Train.’

• 10. “Amoreena” from ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ (1970)

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  In their early days, Elton John and Bernie Taupin were obsessed with The Band, and this song is one of their most Band-like numbers. With all due respect, this song could hold its own against anything off of ‘Music From Big Pink.’ The song is also notable for being the first track that Elton played on with his future rhythm section of Dee Murray (bass) and Nigel Olsson (drums), who were a great band (lowercase b!) in their own right.

• 9. “Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” from ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (1973)

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  Elton’s definitive arena-rock epic, it holds up to the other extended-length classic rock jams like “Stairway To Heaven,” “Freebird,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Layla.” Conceived as two separate songs, they just sound so good together that they became two halves of a greater whole. “Funeral For A Friend,” featuring synthesizers played by future Genesis producer David Hentschel would be great on its own. But “Love Lies Bleeding,” one of Elton’s most aggressive songs, provides the most rocking part of his shows, and allows both Elton and guitarist Davey Johnstone to let it rip.
• 8. “Come Down In Time” from ‘Tumbleweed Connection’ (1970)

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  This song feels a bit out of place on ‘Tumbleweed Connection,’ as it’s a bit less country and more orchestrated; it was originally intended for ‘Elton John,’ and might have fit in a bit better there. Regardless of where it was placed, it remains one of Elton and Bernie’s loveliest and most underrated ballads.

• 7. “Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters” from ‘Honky Chateau’ (1972)

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  Inspired by Ben E. King’s “Spanish Harlem” (which is name dropped in the song), it’s one of Elton’s most famous non-hits. The New York-centric lyrics gave the song extra weight when Elton played it during a solo performance after 9/11 at The Concert For New York City at Madison Square Garden.

• 6. “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” from ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ (1973)

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  Probably Elton’s hardest rocking song ever, it surely must be a favorite of guitarist Davey Johnstone. The song gave Elton the cred to get played on rock radio stations alongside Aerosmith, AC/DC and Van Halen; it sounds like Jerry Lee Lewis backed by the Who.
• 5. “Border Song” from ‘Elton John’ (1970)

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  Is the song about feeling out of place (he sings of a “Brand of people who ain’t my kind”)? Is it about racism (“Let us live in peace/let us strive to find a way to make all hatred cease/there's a man over there. What's his colour? I don't care!”)? Whatever Bernie and Elton had in mind, it may well be the greatest non-religious gospel song of all time. It’s been covered by Eric Clapton, the Fifth Dimension and even the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

• 4. “Your Song” from ‘Elton John’ (1970)

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  Elton’s first hit (it went to #8 in 1970) might also still be his most well-known song; he’s probably played it at every concert he’s done since 1970; according to Setlist.fm, he’s played it more than two thousand times, more than any of his other songs. It’s easy to understand why: it’s beautiful and simple, and is there a sweeter lyric than “I hope you don't mind that I put down in words/How wonderful life is while you're in the world?”

• 3. “Candle In The Wind” from ‘Live In Australia’ (1987)

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  The original, from ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,’ is amazing, and his “Candle In The Wind ‘97” remake is one of the most successful records of all time, but we’re still going with the live version from 1987. Unlike most of ‘Live In Australia,’ this doesn’t feature an orchestra. Instead, it’s just Elton and his piano, accompanied by some extra keyboards. And, sales figures be damned, this is the definitive version of “Candle In The Wind.”
• 2. “Tiny Dancer” from ‘Madman Across The Water’ (1971)

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  It wasn’t a huge hit when it was first released, but the scene in 2000’s ‘Almost Famous’ gave this song another life and a new status as one of Elton and Bernie’s finest moments. You can’t resist singing along to this one.

• 1. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

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  The title track to Elton’s double-album masterpiece, which was released at the peak of his fame and the peak of his powers, the song sees him (or his lyricist, Bernie Taupin) showing some real animosity towards fame. Just like in The Wizard of Oz -- an obvious influence on the lyrics -- the song’s narrator chases a dream for years, only to realize that the keys to happiness are to be found in the simpler things in life, and sometimes were available to you all along. Taupin also looked at the dark side of fame on “Candle In The Wind” and explored similar ground on “A Simple Life” and “Home Again.”