By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Elton John returned to Honolulu triumphantly last night.

Elton John: He wows
the crowd all by himself

By John Berger
Special to the Star-Bulletin

SIR ELTON John had only to pound out a single chord to get the crowd roaring last night. He hit the first chord of "Bennie And The Jets" and the fans went wild.

The song came almost 2-1/2 hours into first night of a three-nighter this weekend in Blaisdell Arena. John surpassed expectations last night. He's as good a high-impact solo artist as he's even been.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Sir Elton covered the breadth and width of his
career in a 2-1/2 hour set.

The whole show ran about 2 hours and 45 minutes. No opening act. No formal introduction. Just John and his magic piano ( "Magic" because it looked like a basic grand piano but must have had a few extra electronic toys inside it since several arrangements consisted of more than solo piano).

Precise lighting sequences, a little stage fog, and video clips were the only other embellishments.

Going by the volume and intensity of the audience reaction it appears that "Crocodile Rock," one of his less substantial million-seller singles, is still the all-time favorite here. Many in the crowd began dancing as soon as they recognized the opening bars, and John had no problem getting them to sing the "la la la la" bits.

TICKETS AVAILABLE Tickets: $45 and $65 Still available: for the Sunday show Call: 591-2211 Online: http://www.ticketslive.com

John would have had a hard time doing justice to all his Top 40 hits into a 3-hour set anyway and so skipped some obvious choices to make time available for some more obscure songs that evidently mean more to him these days.

So he omitted "Levon" but included "Tiny Dancer," one of the great early singles that probably should have charted higher than it did. He skipped two 1975 million sellers, "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" and "Island Girl." He also left out "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"and "The Bitch is Back."

Instead he featured some of his earliest material, some songs that were never released as singles in the US, and some songs from albums that most of the crocodile rockers evidently never bought. The crowd obviously loved him but still gave him less respect than he deserved when he shared the less familiar songs.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
The solo performance afforded the rock superstar
intimate contact with his audience.

A few jerks also showed their stupidity by yelling as he introduced "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)," his requiem for John Lennon.

All in all though it was a tremendous party. If anything, the old original versions of his Top 40 hits never fully displayed his skill as a straight pianist. John's insertion of a boogie-woogie style rendition of "In The Mood" into the bridge of "Bennie And The Jets" was a musical highlight -- and certainly no surprise for true fans aware of his work in Bluesology and backing Long John Baldry in the Sixties.

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Elton John received an aloha shirt from Richard Finn, a fan in
the front row. Even without a backup band, the singer and
pianist was able to get the crowd dancing.

John's powerful instrumental approach to "Honky Cat," and the several blues-based variations of "Rocket Man," created impressive alternatives to the classic arrangements of 1972. "Take It To Pilot" was another great showcase of his skill on keyboards.

John closed with "Candle In The Wind," the song that became a Top 10 hit for him 14 years after he first released it on the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album. He looked like he could have gone for another hour. The hardiest of his fans will be back in the arena with him tonight.