Fan report by Jason Anderson.

I just returned home after seeing Elton's show here in Portland, OR. Fantastic! He even managed to hit a few falsetto notes in "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road".

The set list was the same it has been, except for the exclusion of "Old 67" from the new album. The new songs sounded superb I thought. "Blues Never Fade Away" and "The Bridge" are some of the best songs he's written in recent years.

A few of the songs need special mention, as they went over extremely well with the audience: "Believe", "Someone Saved My Life Tonight", "Take Me To The Pilot", and "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters". I've seen Elton eight times in concert, and these were the best he's ever played those songs.

Especially "Believe", he sang it with a renewed soul. "Pilot" had a really cool opening bit that turned into a classical piece that really revved up the song. And "Mona Lisas" was played solo.

AS far as Elton talking, he made a few funny comments, like before he played "The Bridge". He stated that this is probably the only one they'll even bother playing on the radio. And when introducing the band, he accidently said he'd like to introduce himself!

Overall it was a great show. His voice was in fine form and it was fun as always. I was hoping for a few more songs from the original "Captain Fantastic", and I wish he'd do a longer set considering how many songs he has in his catalog, but no complaints. We had great seats in the 19th row!

Following is the complete set list of the Portland, OR show on September 24, 2006.

• Funeral for a Friend
  
• Love Lies Bleeding
  
• Bennie and the Jets
  
• Philadelphia Freedom
  
• Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
  
• Believe
  
• Tiny Dancer
  
• I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues
  
• Take Me To The Pilot
  
• I Want Love
  
• Someone Saved My Life Tonight
  
• Postcards from Richard Nixon
  
• Tinderbox
  
• Blues Never Fade Away
  
• The Bridge
  
• Captain and The Kid
  
• Mona Lisa's and Mad Hatters
  
• Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
  
• Rocket Man
  
• Levon
  
• Crocodile Rock
  
• Bitch is Back
  
• Saturday Night
  
  
• Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
  
• Your Song

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