With Sir Elton John’s new biopic Rocketman dropping its first trailer yesterday, and news of his farewell tour announcement still ringing in our ears, we got a little excited and started watching Youtube videos of the man himself on stage.

Many would argue it was where, at times, Elton could most express himself. Whether it was through his music, his vocal, deliver or indeed costumes, the stage was somewhere Elton could move freely. The new fil intends to look at this part of Elton’s life quite closely and will focus on the ’70s, a decade which blew Elton into the stratosphere.

So while we were debating delicious low-hanging fruit in the form of biopic-article-headlines (‘Rocketman trailer lands’ etc.), we hit a certain rock on our Youtube spiral and found this utter gem from 1980. The setting is New York’s Central Park and sees Elton, somewhat out of the hedonism of the previous decade, delivering a powerful and stirring performance of his hit ‘Rocketman’ among others.

The gig is a sight to behold and we’ve given you the complete set below which features performances of ‘Your Song’, Bennie and The Jets’ and other classic hits. One of which includes this classic outfit. The concert feels particularly poignant to us, mainly because of Elton’s acceptance of the situation and delivery of the performance.

There is a definite sense that as Elton looks out over a positive sea of people he has accepted his rise to fame and his now perpetual throne on the moon, however alienating that may be. He also delivers a performance which is as professional, impassioned and defiant as any other, it is a true great at work and definitely worth watching on your tea break.

Take a look below.