Elton John wowed Sudbury (photos added)

Just a man and a piano.

It was perfect.

The daring pop rock icon who once called Keith Richards a bitch, wowed 6,000 adoring fans at the Sudbury Community Arena Sunday night.

The unfortunate controversy surrounding the unprecedented Northern Ontario musical event was immediately forgotten the moment Sir Elton John took a seat at the piano, opening the show with his 1970 hit Your Song.

Donning a tuxedo jacket with tails down to his ankles and a sequined caricature of himself as the Rocket Man on the back, he continued with hit after hit for two and a half hours, often leaping from the piano stool to acknowledge the audience and accept the painfully loud kudos.

Virtually every song received a standing ovation.

He appeared to genuinely enjoy himself throughout the brilliant, soulful and often moving performance.

I'll admit it.

I shed a tear or two.

And I wasn't the only one.

The following is the complete set list.

Your Song
Sixty Years On
The Greatest Discovery
I Need You To Turn To
Border Song
Ballad Of The Boy With Red Shoes
Daniel
Honky Cat
Rocket Man
Tiny Dancer
Mona Lisa Smiles and Mad Hatters
Nikita
Philadelphia Freedom
Take Me To The Pilot
Sacrifice
Ticking
Roy Rogers
Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word
Candle In the Wind
I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
Levon
Carla/Etude
Tonight
Blue Eyes
Bennie and the Jets
Crocodile Rock

Emerging on stage to perform an encore, Sir Elton graciously took a few moments to sign anything and everything handed to him by those in the front row before busting into I'm Still Standing.

He then stated that since his Canadian ties run deep, a reference to his civil partnership with Toronto-born filmmaker David Furnish, he would be spending more time in Canada and promised to return to Sudbury and perform with a full band.

Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me, the final song of the evening, was dedicated to the audience.

Although I managed to score a last minute ticket to the show, SooToday.com was unable to gain press access.

There will be no photo gallery to accompany this story.

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SooToday.com received the following note and accompanying gallery of photos from faithful reader Tanya Mageran Monday evening.

I was one of the fortunate ones to get a ticket for the Elton John concert in Sudbury this weekend.

As you said, he was amazing!

I was able to squeeze my way to the stage and snap some great pictures.

Enjoy.

Tanya Mageran

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