"Elton John stood on top of his glittering piano and was hailed not just as a man of many faces but as THE rock king, THE master showman, THE pop ambassador and THE master clown," wrote Steve.placeholder image
"Elton John stood on top of his glittering piano and was hailed not just as a man of many faces but as THE rock king, THE master showman, THE pop ambassador and THE master clown," wrote Steve.

Elton John in Leeds: When a Rocket Man touched down in the city centre

Andrew Hutchinson
By Andrew Hutchinson

Specialist Reporter

Published 6th Jun 2023, 11:30 BST

"Salute Captain Fantastic!" read the headline of the Yorkshire Evening Post review.

"He came, he sang and boy, did he conquer" observed journalist Steve Kendall who was at Leeds Grand Theatre to watch Elton John perform in April 1976. This gallery using rarely seen images from the YEP archive uses snippets of his review to tell the story of the performance. Were you among the crowd that night? READ MORE: The night Freddie Mercury and Queen rocked Leeds LOVE LEEDS? LOVE NOSTALGIA? Join Leeds Retro on facebook

"And in among all this he did a mock Highland jig, told jokes - some a lot better than comedians - and attempted madcap acrobatics on the safety railings."

7. Elton John at The Grand

"And in among all this he did a mock Highland jig, told jokes - some a lot better than comedians - and attempted madcap acrobatics on the safety railings." Photo: Steve Riding

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"If there was a lull - and 135 minutes is a long time to sustain - it was with one too many numbers from the Captain Fantastic album which unfortunately coincided with a quirk in the sound system."

8. Elton John at The Grand

"If there was a lull - and 135 minutes is a long time to sustain - it was with one too many numbers from the Captain Fantastic album which unfortunately coincided with a quirk in the sound system." Photo: Steve Riding

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Share your memories of Elton John in concert at Leeds Grand Theatre in April 1976 with Andrew Hutchinson vi email at: andrew.hutchinson@jpress.co.uk or tweet him -@AndyHutchYPN

9. Enjoyed this gallery?

Share your memories of Elton John in concert at Leeds Grand Theatre in April 1976 with Andrew Hutchinson vi email at: [email protected] or tweet him -@AndyHutchYPN Photo: YPN

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