Elton John

One Night Only (2000)

1.Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
2.Philadelphia Freedom
3.Don't Go Breaking My Heart (with Kiki Dee)
4.Rocket Man
5.Daniel
6.Crocodile Rock
7.Sacrifice
8.Can You Feel The Love Tonight?
9.Bennie and the Jets
10.Your Song (with Ronan Keating)
11.Sad Songs (with Bryan Adams)
12.Candle in the Wind
13.The Bitch Is Back
14.Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting (with Anastacia)
15.I'm Still Standing
16.Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
17.I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues (with Mary J. Blige)

Elton John’s One Night Only—recorded live at Madison Square Garden in October 2000—marks his fourth official live album, and arguably his most straightforward. Unlike the conceptual framing of Live in Australia or the stripped-down urgency of 11-17-70, this release plays like a greatest hits reel, tailored less for discovery and more for celebration. And in that respect, it succeeds. Seventeen tracks, most of them household names, performed with polish, precision, and just enough nostalgia to fill the arena.

If someone were tasked with assembling a live set of Elton’s most iconic songs, they’d likely arrive at a list not far off from what’s presented here. From Rocket Man and Bennie and the Jets to Crocodile Rock and Your Song, the selections are crowd-pleasers through and through. Of course, with a catalogue as extensive as Elton’s, any 17-track limit is going to leave something out. But what’s here is hard to argue with.

That said, comparisons to Here and There—Elton’s only other live collection built purely around the hits—are inevitable. And it’s here that One Night Only occasionally falters. While Here and There offered a striking duality (a subdued, royal-approved set in London paired with a raucous, Lennon-guesting affair in New York), this release is more uniform—professional, yes, but lacking in spontaneity. It plays like a highlight reel rather than a living, breathing concert.

There are other issues, too. Nearly all of the songs included predate 1975, and several—Take Me to the Pilot, Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me—have been staples of his setlists for decades. While the familiarity is comforting, the absence of later-era highlights makes the experience feel weighted toward memory rather than momentum. And though Elton’s commitment to performance remains undiminished, his voice—once a crystalline tenor—is now rougher, earthier, shaped by years of hard living and throat surgery. In the studio, this transformation can be softened. Live, it’s front and center.

Guest appearances—now a staple of live recordings—are a mixed bag here. Kiki Dee’s return for Don’t Go Breaking My Heart is a welcome nod to history, but other duets feel more like cross-promotional exercises than organic moments. When Mary J. Blige joins Elton on I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues, one wishes instead to hear the familiar warmth of Elton’s own delivery - by itself. The same applies elsewhere—well-intentioned, but ultimately distracting.

Still, as a broad snapshot of Elton’s most beloved material, One Night Only is a serviceable entry point. It captures the experience of seeing Elton live in his seasoned years—energetic, theatrical, and undeniably professional. It’s not an essential document, but it’s an affectionate one. For longtime fans, it’s a reminder of why these songs endure. For newcomers, it’s an accessible primer.

But if you’re looking for a live album that tells a deeper story—one with contrast, dynamics, and evolution—Here and There remains the superior listen.

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