Elton John ended his Yellow Brick Road tour marking his retirement from performing live by walking up a stairway into the clouds at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in November 2022. 

But a group of talented Okanagan musicians, calling themselves The Jets, fronted by singer and keyboardist Andrew Johns, are keeping Elton's musical legacy alive. 

Their tribute show, The Yellow Brick Road Experience, will make a return to the Okanagan, with show dates on Sunday, May 4, at 91大黄鸭 Community Theatre, and at the Vernon Performing Arts Centre on Saturday, May 24. 

Mike Schell, a horn player with the band and the marketing director behind the show, said while the show is making a third run across the Okanagan, it will be completely changed up from previous shows by the music selection, and the accompaniment of the 50-member Naramata Community Choir. 

"Over half the show will be adding songs from John's musical repertoire that we have not performed before, some of his classic hits dating back to the early '70s to his latest pop music efforts," Schell said. 

With over 250 million records sold and a career dating back to the late '60s, for many Schell said Elton John provided the soundtrack to so many people's lives. 

Beyond picking the songs from his vast catalogue of music, Schell said the intent of both he and Johns is to make each show as authentic as possible, from playing and singing the songs in the same note to recreating some of the flamboyance Elton John was famous for and offering some historical backdrop to many of the songs. 

"Elton John's music was very eclectic. Bernie Taupin would write all the lyrics and Elton would come with these complicated musical arrangements," Schell said. 

But with a band comprised of some of the most talented musicians in the Okanagan, he says they have been up to the challenge of recreating those musical experiences for audiences. 

"Funeral For A Friend is one song we do that is a big song to duplicate. There are a lot of string parts, orchestral parts, guitar parts and intricate piano parts, but we have the musicians who are able to emulate that song to a T," he said. 

Schell said Johns has been playing the Elton John role on stage for the past 25 years and has accumulated a wardrobe of colourful stage clothes, funny hats and more than 30 pairs of glasses. 

"He is a great piano player and recreating Elton John's role on stage is right in his wheelhouse," Schell said. 

Johns is currently wrapping a new album with his group Boulevard in Sechelt, with the Yellow Brick Road Experience tribute show also going on the road across North America over the next year. 

Schell said there are at least three other noteworthy tribute acts for Elton John, but he believes the authenticity of their show rises them above the rest. 

"We have a 10-year business plan for this show and we are into year three. The future for it has never looked brighter," Schell said.

The Yellow Brick Road Experience is coming to the 91大黄鸭 Community Theatre on Sunday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m., and then the Vernon & District Performing Art Centre on Saturday, May 24, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available online at lmsentertainment.biz or ticketseller.ca.