The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra revisits its historic 1986 Elton John collaboration at Hamer Hall, but the most striking element of the new production is also the question it raises: how much orchestra do you need for an orchestral Elton John show?
by Paul Cashmere
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s 40th anniversary return to Elton John’s 1986 Australian collaboration opened at Hamer Hall last night, with conductor Chong Lim and singer-pianist Jason Dean recreating the sound and spectacle of the Elton John songbook. There is plenty to enjoy, but the evening ultimately feels more like Jason Dean and his band with the MSO alongside them than a genuine orchestral collaboration.
The historical connection is significant. Elton John’s original 1986 Australian tour with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra was recorded at Sydney Entertainment Centre on 14 December that year, producing Live In Australia With The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The album was drawn from the orchestral portion of the concert and featured 14 songs, with the 88-piece MSO conducted by James Newton Howard.
Forty years later, the MSO is back at Hamer Hall with Dean on piano and vocals, Superband and Chong Lim conducting new orchestral arrangements. The MSO describes the production as a tribute to the 1986 tour, with performances running through 4 October.
There is also a genuine connection across the four decades. Three MSO musicians who performed on the original tour are still with the orchestra and performed last night: Principal Flute Prudence Davis, First Violin Lorraine Hook and Associate Principal Second Violin Robert Macindoe. Davis has been Principal Flute with the MSO since 1980, making her involvement particularly remarkable.
That continuity adds an emotional dimension that no tribute production can manufacture. These musicians were actually there when Elton John and the MSO were creating something new in 1986.
The difficulty is that the 2026 concert does not consistently make the orchestra the star of the collaboration.
Chong Lim’s arrangements are strong, and when the MSO is given room to expand, the effect can be impressive. The opening overture is the clearest example, allowing the orchestra to establish an orchestral scale before Dean and the band take over.
After that, however, the MSO often feels more like an accompaniment than an equal creative force. The great MSO collaborations with artists such as The Whitlams, Birds of Tokyo, Kate Ceberano and Sigur Rós have worked precisely because the orchestra has transformed the material rather than simply supporting it.
Here, Dean is an experienced Elton John performer, having spent years presenting Elton John and Billy Joel material through The Piano Men. He has the piano skills, vocal ability and stage confidence required to carry the songs. He also embraces the visual side of the production, performing in Elton-inspired costumes.
There are strong musical contributors around him. Lindsay Field and Brett Garsed, both associated with the John Farnham Band, bring considerable experience, although both feel underused in a production that has such a large musical palette available. Garsed in particular is capable of adding another dimension to these songs if we was given more room to showcase the power of Elton band member Davey Johnstone.
Dylan Boyd handles guitar and vocals and is introduced from the stage as Dean’s friend. The personal connection is harmless, but the repeated emphasis on it does little to explain his musical role in a production built around the historical relationship between Elton John and the MSO.
The setlist itself also complicates the anniversary concept. It covers a broad selection of Elton John favourites, from “Your Song” and “Daniel” through “Rocket Man”, “Tiny Dancer”, “Candle In The Wind” and “I’m Still Standing”. But it is not a recreation of the 1986 concert.
“Philadelphia Freedom”, “Kiss The Bride” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” were not part of that 1986 program, while “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” and “Cold Heart” belong to much later chapters of Elton John’s catalogue. That makes the evening a celebration of Elton John rather than a faithful reconstruction of the historic MSO event.
And that is ultimately where the production sits. As an Elton John tribute, it is entertaining and musically competent, with Dean confidently leading a polished band through an extensive catalogue. As a commemoration of the extraordinary 1986 meeting between Elton John and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, it does not quite reach the same level.
The irony is that the ingredients are there. Chong Lim has created substantial arrangements, the MSO has musicians who were actually present four decades ago, and Elton John’s songs have more than enough harmonic and melodic depth to sustain genuinely inventive orchestral treatments.
The strongest moments suggest what the concert could be if the orchestra were allowed to become a collaborator rather than a backing band. That is the real legacy of 1986, and perhaps the biggest opportunity still sitting inside The Music Of Elton.
Setlist
Act One
Overture
Philadelphia Freedom
I Guess That’s Why
Bennie & The Jets
Your Song
Daniel
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
Take Me To The Pilot
Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Kiss The Bride
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting
Interval
Act Two
Sixty Years On
The Bitch Is Back
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Rocket Man
Tiny Dancer
Can You Feel The Love Tonight
Cold Heart
I’m Still Standing
Crocodile Rock
Candle In The Wind
Additional Performances
2 October 2026, Melbourne, Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall
3 October 2026, Melbourne, Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall
4 October 2026, Melbourne, Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra lists the 2 October performance at 7:30pm, the 3 October performance at 7:30pm and the 4 October matinee at 1:00pm. Get tickets here
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