Hear Elton John Stun an Ohio Audience on This Day in 1970

In September of this year, Elton John embarked on a massive farewell tour, “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” (an ode to his classic 1973 album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road), and has since traversed much of the U.S., from Philadelphia to Miami to Nashville. From the looks of it, though, this farewell tour isn’t wrapping up anytime soon (at least not for another two years, according to John’s website). That’s good news for Elton John fans across the globe: Between now and December 2020, he’ll play sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden, tour Europe and cover more of the U.S. before finishing up in his native U.K., culminating in one last show on Dec. 16, 2020, at The O2 Arena in London. For all Elton John’s tour dates (most of which are not yet sold out), go here.

If, however, you can’t make to one of those shows, don’t fret: We’ve got plenty of Elton John concert footage right here at the Paste vault. Today, there’s one particular concert that might be of interest. On this day (Nov. 26) in 1970, just over a year after the release of his debut album Empty Sky, Elton John proved his chops as a showman at this concert at the Music Hall in Cleveland, Ohio, which you can listen to below. John played his first ever concerts in the U.S. just a few months prior, at a sold-out six-night residency at Los Angeles’ Troubador club. After the Aug. 25 show, The Los Angeles Times’ Robert Hilburn expertly predicted that John would become “one of rock’s biggest and most important stars.” At this Nov. 26 show later that year, Hilburn’s prediction would begin to prove itself true—John blew his audience away, per the Wolfgangs liner notes detailing this concert: