Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.A ghostly voice echoed in my head at the London Palladium. It was the memory of Elton John speaking from the headliner’s stage at Glastonbury in 2023 about “a very special and emotional night for me, as it may be my last show in England”. Yet here he was, beaming at us from beneath a smooth thatch of straw-coloured hair at a grand piano. Of course, Elton has never been the retiring type: witness a wardrobe famed even in the outré sartorial circles of pop for its flamboyance. At the Palladium, the 78-year-old wore a stylish pastel blue suit and chunky red-framed spectacles. Beaming alongside him in a striking cream three-piece suit was the US singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, a fan from childhood with whom he has made an album coming out next week, Who Believes in Angels?The event was a high-grade showbiz affair, with an audience comprising hardcore Elton fans, some Brandi ones too, and the top end of London’s liggerati. Cameras filmed it for television broadcast in the UK and US. It opened with Schitt’s Creek actor Dan Levy quizzing the two principals about their joint album, or rather soft-soaping them. “We need to get on,” Elton barked, not yet ready for a life of sudsy anecdotage. “We need to play.”What followed was a proper set of 80 minutes, a double-cream affair rather than the skimmed brevity of the promotional circuit. Elton sat stage centre at the piano. Carlile stood across from him. They were joined by an intriguingly cobbled-together band. It included Carlile’s accompanists, twin brothers Phil and Tim Hanseroth, on bass and acoustic guitar, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer Chad Smith, his ex-bandmate Josh Klinghoffer on keyboards, and Who Believes in Angels?’s producer Andrew Watt on electric guitar.They opened with the album’s title track. Carlile took lead vocal, with Elton shadowing her: his singing became more forceful as the song progressed. It made a rather too obvious return to his 1970s pomp, toggling between big choruses and ornate calm. But “Swing for the Fences” had the audience on its feet, a dashing synthesis of his piano-rock and her Americana. “Little Richard’s Bible” was another winner, a boogying tribute to the original rock’n’roll pianoman, sung by Elton with the bullish vigour of the next in line to the throne.Carlile, 43, has form as a generational foil for an older star: she played a vital role helping Joni Mitchell return to music after ill health. Elton cuts a frailer figure himself these days. At the Palladium, he moved with difficulty when not sitting at his piano stool. But he performed without fragility. His piano-playing was richly exuberant, scattering notes like a millionaire, including a few false ones. Vocally, he muscled his way through songs. Carlile, a powerful and expressive singer, complemented him to a tee. She had a standout turn with her own song “The Joke”, doing a keening country-rock belt. Elton’s immense back catalogue was filleted for a rarity, “I Need You to Turn to”, from his self-titled 1970 album: it resembled Leonard Cohen with added glitz. Several classics followed — “Tiny Dancer”, “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”, “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” — performed solo by Elton at the piano. “Well, look at me, I’m coming back again,” he sang in the closing number, a vibrant full-band rendition of “I’m Still Standing”. Love of the limelight is a compelling inducement for a star not to exit the stage. But Elton really does seem to come alive while playing music, as if motivated by an impulse that goes beyond applause or the numerous ovations that he was awarded at the Palladium. His partnership with Carlile is not a fresh start, but rather a sign of unfinished business.★★★★☆‘An Evening with Elton John and Brandi Carlile’ is on ITV and ITVX in the UK on April 19, and on CBS in the US on April 6
