The only rock frontmen Elton John actually liked: “There’s not many”
Nobody knows the art of performance quite like Elton John; for upwards of half a century, the ‘Rocket Man’ has been out there, bedecked in stage gear that would make Liberace seem low-key, without the comfort of a band to alleviate some of the pressure.
Still, not every frontman is blessed with the same set of skills.
Recorded music is one thing, but rock and roll has always been a style best suited to live performance. After all, nothing captures the energetic rebellion of rock quite like being sardine-packed into a venue with hundreds of other sweaty, like-minded rock and roll rebels. As such, the art of performance has been intrinsic to rock stardom since its earliest days, from the sequined royalty of Elvis Presley right through to the shirtless lunacy of Iggy Pop. Stagecraft can make or break a great rock band, and Elton John is more well-versed to discuss that craft than most.
From his very earliest days, playing the piano in a local pub in London, John’s stagecraft was essential to his success. After all, great pianists aren’t overly difficult to come by; Elton John, however, was the only person who could play like Elton John. Hammering away at those ivories in his own distinctive fashion, from behind his oversized frames and technicolour getups, the Pinner pianist came as a revelation amid the perpetual greyness of the early 1970s.
Inevitably, therefore, John’s unique stagecraft did not arrive fully formed, and it was only through a combination of guts, profound musical skill, and an unwavering sense of determination that the pianist ended up becoming the cultural icon we know and love today. By his own admission, “It’s very hard to be a frontman,” and that skill is made all the more elusive when, like John, you find yourself as a solo performer.
Even within the vast landscape of rock and roll bands, though, there are only a handful of names which come to mind when you think of great frontmen. For John, there have only ever been three frontmen notable enough to stand out among the rest. “I mean there’s not many you can think of that have actually pulled it off,” he once shared. “You can think of Jagger [Mick Jagger], you can think of Daltrey [Roger Daltrey], and then you can think of Freddie Mercury.”
Admittedly, John would be hard pushed to pluck out three more iconic frontmen than that. Jagger and Daltrey, in particular, set the standard for rock performance back in the peak of the swinging sixties, inspiring multiple generations of rock devotees with their flamboyant stage craft and constant sense of unpredictability – even if both, but Jagger especially, learnt everything they knew about performance from James Brown.
Meanwhile, Freddie Mercury might have arrived a few years late to the party, but it’s certainly hard to think of many names who could command a crowd with the same tenacity as the Queen frontman. With that iconic set at Live Aid, Mercury forever cemented his position among the most notable frontmen in rock, but his talents extended far beyond that singular performance, so he certainly earned his place within John’s select list of perfect frontmen.
The exclusivity of John’s list is telling of just how difficult it is to perfect the art of performance. It takes a certain type of person, with a certain type of confidence, to truly master their stagecraft to the extent that they stand out among all the rest. Although he has always worked best solo, it’s difficult not to view Elton John as being within that same camp as Jagger, Daltrey, and Mercury, as a result.
