Elton John in Cork: Five talking points from the concert at Páirc Uí Chaoimh

Familiar faces in the crowd, a few gripes on logistics, and an emotional farewell 

Elton John at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork on Friday, July 1. 

1. At 75, this is how he rolls

There was a time when Elton John lived the rock’n’roll lifestyle, with a post-gig routine went long into the night, often involving a big bag of white powder at whichever plush hotel he was staying in. Not any more. Fittingly, one of his later costume changes saw him don a dressing-gown type garment. As soon as the show ended, he was whisked off in a garda-escorted convoy to Cork Airport, where a private jet awaited to take him back to England.