The full moon was rising in the east as the capacity crowd waited for the Rocket Man to take the stage. At 8 p.m., the haunting melody of “Funeral for a Friend” filled the amphitheater, and the crowd rose to its feet. After a minute, Sir Elton John took the stage, smiling and waving to the crowd before taking a seat at the gleaming black piano placed center-stage.

What followed was two and a half hours of rock and roll history. The memories just kept coming — “Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting,” “Levon,” “Daniel,” “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer” — and all the rest of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s hits.

Prior to an encore, which included a song from the Disney film The Lion King and “Your Song,” Sir Elton spent several minutes walking along the front of the stage signing autographs and shaking hands with the throng of fans that lined the foot of the stage. I have waited 20 years to see Elton John in concert, and I did not leave disappointed.

• Concert: Elton john
• Date: July 23
• Venue: Cricket Wireless
• Seats: Section 203