The Rocket Man opened the Atlantic Canada leg of his Elton John's Greatest Hits 2008 tour to a standing ovation Friday evening from an audience sporting bright red boas, outrageous hats and novelty sunglasses.
The pop legend's two concerts at the Halifax Metro Centre have been hotly anticipated events, with tickets sold out within hours of going on sale July 18.
In recent weeks, Halifax radio stations staged contests, awarding tickets to the winners. One Sackville, N.S., woman snagged a pair for having an image of the singer's face tattooed on her leg.
And, in a surprise box-office release Friday morning, tickets were made available for both Friday and Saturday shows at about $115 each.
Scott Ferguson, executive vice-president of Trade Centre Ltd., which runs the Metro Centre, wouldn't say how many tickets were released Friday, only that they were quickly snapped up, the Canadian Press has reported.
Diehard fans who missed out on the surprise release may have been able to score tickets over the internet, where scalpers were trying to hawk them Friday afternoon for about $900 a pair.
Scalpers were also outside the arena, offering tickets for two and three times their face value.
John will perform at the Moncton Coliseum on Sunday, at the Harbour Station in Saint John, N.B., on Tuesday, and at the Mile One Centre in St. John's, N.L., on Thursday and Friday.
His managers turned down a request for a concert at the Charlottetown Civic Centre because of concerns about the security arrangements.
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