Saturday night's alright for a farewell: Elton John plays final Canadian concert

Elton John fans in Vancouver dressed for the occasion and sang along Saturday as the singer and musician known as "Rocket Man" performed one last time in Canada as part of a farewell tour set to wrap up globally in mid-2023.

John, 75, played two shows at Vancouver's B.C. Place, the last Canadian dates of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour, on Friday and Saturday.

"Good evening Vancouver!," he said Saturday after opening with his hits Bennie and The Jets and Philadelphia Freedom. 

"Tonight's a most special night because it's our last show in Vancouver and our last show in Canada, so we better make it a night to remember."

John took to the stage wearing a black tuxedo with tails that had sparkling trim. He wore pink glasses with matching rhinestones.

Many of the thousands of fans at B.C. Place wore sparkling outfits, feather boas and large sunglasses — signature looks the performer has donned over his half-century-long career.

He's released 31 albums since 1969 with many of his songs co-written with lyricist Bernie Taupin. One the duo's biggest hits was Rocket Man in 1972.

Here's what fans in Vancouver had to say about what his music and how it shaped their lives:

'He's an icon'

John's opening song Saturday night pleased Tucson Pearl, 39, who drove from Oliver to see the show. He said Bennie and The Jets is his favourite John tune.

"He's an icon," he said.

He said the concert, billed as John's last in Canada, was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. His wife Kerry Pearl, 40, said they don't often splurge on concert tickets or trip to go to concerts, but this one was a must.

"It's Elton John. I love Elton John. He's my favourite, I love his music, he's got great style," she said. "He has a song for everything and he just helps you through your tired moments in life."

Kerry Pearl said he listened to so many John songs while she and her husband raised their children, that her oldest son named one of their cats Elton John.

Generational love for 'Rocket Man'

John Kubus, 81, came with 15 members of his family, all from across B.C. and Alberta, to see Elton John perform in Vancouver.

Kubus, who lives in Penticton, wore a loud coloured shirt, a glow stick around his neck and large pink sunglasses. He said he is a lifelong fan of John but had never seen him perform live.

"It means quite a bit," he said about being at John's last ever concert in Canada.

When asked what his favourite song was he said, "I love them all," and described John's music, performing style and outfits as "a bit different."

Advocacy for LGBTQ+ people

Lexi Binder, 18, came from Abbotsford to see Elton John in Vancouver and told CBC News before the concert why it was important for her to be there.

"He's amazing. I like that he's very authentic and himself and that's why I'm dressed kind of crazy," she said. "I think that I can dress kind of interesting and I can look around and there's other people [doing the same]."

Binder said she is impressed with John's advocacy for LGBTQ+ people and the victims of the AIDS epidemic.

"I love that he supports it and has always been very open about it, at a time when it wasn't as accepted," she said. "And his music is just amazing, always has been."

She said her favourite John song is Crocodile Rock.

"It's funky, it's a jam," she said.

'Great job at staying relevant'

Sisters Sarah, Helen and Alison Ballantyne fell in love with Elton John's music through their father.

"We grew up with dad listening to a ton of music and Elton John was right on that list, so it's just a part of our upbringing," said Alison Ballantyne, 44 in front of B.C. Place on Saturday with her sisters who were all wearing John-inspired outfits.

The sisters came from Vernon and Kelowna to see the concert, listening to John songs during the car ride.

"Candle in the Wind, Tiny Dancer, there are just so many," said Sarah Ballantyne, 46. She said that John's music has stayed central to popular culture around the world during his long run as a hit-maker.

"I think he's done a great job at staying relevant and didn't just get lost in the 60s and 70s," she said.

The three sisters said it made them emotional to think that, according to the artist, this will be John's last performing tour ever.

"Oh we might cry," they said together.