A ‘WONDERFUL Crazy Night’ in Newcastle confirmed that pop music fans are in for a treat when Elton John performs in Widnes next summer.

The legendary singer-songwriter and his band continue to prove that age is just a number as they had a packed house at the Metro Radio Arena cheering from the rafters.

Most of them may be eligible for free bus passes nowadays but they are masters of their crafts and it was one of the best gigs I’ve seen.

Showcasing a few of the top tunes from Elton’s impressive new Wonderful Crazy Night album and the vast majority of the international superstar’s most famous hits to an impeccable standard, you couldn’t help but be blown away like a candle in a gale-force wind.

Others included Elton proving himself to be in a league of his own as a pop piano player with a jaw-droppingly good, five-minute long intro to Rocket Man, a cute young boy being brought on stage to jam with the ageing but brilliant band as a rookie tambourine player and, ironically, a scrap breaking out in the audience just moments before Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting was sung.

But with 69-year-old Elton having admitted publically he wants to spend more time with his two young sons, it is fair to say that fans should catch him live while they still can.

Whether you are a big Elton fan or not, he puts on one hell of a show and unless you have been living in a cocoon you are bound to know the majority of the songs. The likes of Your Song, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, I’m Still Standing, Bennie and the Jets and Crocodile Rock are as well-known as you can get – and they are all on the set list.

My only criticism is that none of his Lion King songs feature. Circle of Life and Can You Feel The Love Tonight surely should be on there. One thing is for sure, the Geordies were feeling the love for Elton on Saturday night – and deservedly so.

n Elton John's Wonderful Crazy Night Tour comes to Widnes’ Select Security Stadium on June 18. Visit selectsecuritystadium.co.uk/elton

DAVID LAWRENSON