Music has the power to be evocative, create atmosphere and bring emotions bubbling to the surface. But it truly comes to life in a live setting when a crowd are entranced by the collective ambience and power of song. It’s this atmosphere that only Sir Elton John knows how to create.
In late 1986, Elton had his biggest run of Australian shows yet. The ‘Tour De Force’ tour took over the country with over 26 shows. The ambitious collaboration with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was unlike any pop concert Australia had seen before. It brought pop-rock and orchestral music together in a way that audiences had never experienced.
The full-circle story
When Elton landed in Sydney in 1986, he was met by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to create the unique tour. It was to be a symphonic rock concert that lasted three and a half hours and split into two halves.
The first half showcased the best of Elton John, backed by his band; he sang and played his classic hits. The second half is what created a buzzy history that marked a milestone in Australian pop music. Elton performed with the 80-piece Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, dressed in a Mozart Wig.
40 years after this iconic tour, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra are reliving the memories all over again by bringing The Music Of Elton to life once more.
Bringing Elton John’s music to life
The 1986 tour was largely composed by James Newton Howard, with Elton’s influence in direction and feeling. The 2026 tour will see Chong Lim AM, best known as John Farnham’s long-time musical director, arranging.
One of the original touring musicians, (who has held the position of principal flute since 1980) Prue Davis says that Chong’s direction brings “a newness to Elton’s songs, but they will still be ‘Elton’”.
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra will be joined by Jason Dean on lead vocals and piano and backed by his band, Superband.
For Prue, revisiting the tour “brings back the happiest of memories, not only for the exceptional opportunity that it was to tour nationally, but to tour with the man who had provided a huge part of the soundtrack of my youth. I was already a huge fan, so for the MSO to step sideways and embrace what became an outrageous success was brave and groundbreaking.”
Reflecting on the tour then, and bringing it to life again after 40 years, Prue calls it a “testament to the enduring quality of him and his music.”
How Elton John’s music still resonates
For Prue, Elton’s music has a “simplicity and complexity, beauty and edginess” to it that allows it to “speak to everyone and has done for generations”. It’s this connection that means the music “does not date”, allowing everyone to enjoy the tracks just as he intended.
For audiences who never had the chance to experience Elton John live, this concert offers a glimpse of the “atmosphere and ambience” that made his performances so memorable. Prue hopes the show will have you “feeling the intangible swell of emotions collectively”, as only an Elton show can do.
Four decades after those unforgettable, history-marking performances, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra is once again inviting audiences to share in the songs that have shaped us all. For Prue, it’s a chance to revisit one of the happiest chapters in her career, while for audiences, it’s an opportunity to hear Elton’s music in the same symphonic setting that made history 40 years ago.
Performances take place from 1-4 October at Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall. Book tickets through the MSO website.
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