Hello Yellow Brick Road
Erie Philharmonic and Michael Cavanaugh return with The Music of Elton John
BEGINNING SATURDAY, SEPT. 26
The Erie Philharmonic returns after a long, long time with The Music of Elton John Starring Michael Cavanaugh for the 2026-27 Pops Series. Cavanaugh, who previously performed with the orchestra last season as the Piano Man with The Music of Billy Joel, returns to Erie as the Rocket Man to play the hits, jams, and deep cuts of Elton John's discography, from "Crocodile Rock" to "Your Song" and more.
"In my over 20 years of doing this, working in the music business, I have never seen an audience demand a return more emphatically than how much our audience wanted Michael Cavanaugh back," Erie Philharmonic Executive Director Bobby Pape enthused. "A couple of weeks after the concerts last fall, one of my colleagues and I were walking back to our office after lunch on State Street, and a patron and friend of the Phil was driving up State Street, and actually stopped his car, honked at us, and just yelled out, 'You have to get Michael back!' It was incredible."
The level of enthusiasm and audience fervor was evident in the immediate feedback, as Pape and the Philharmonic staff quickly booked him for the upcoming season. "We are so excited to bring back Michael Cavanaugh, and it is very much so because of audience demand. He was a great mesh with Daniel and the orchestra. As an audience, we learned last year that this is not just a regular cover band. He's not coming out in wigs or oversized sunglasses; he embodies the style of the music."
Cavanaugh's previous tenure as the Piano Man in the Broadway musical 'Movin' Out' brings the rock-and-roll experience while paying tribute to the songwriting partnership of Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Pape explained Elton John's musical inspirations, as John would draw influence from African-American musical styles and collaborate with artists like Aretha Franklin, "It's piano rock, but it's also R&B and gospel."
Cavanaugh's setlist pulls from all eras of Elton John's career, including his iconic 1975 live performance at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Pape specifically requested the addition of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," a duet John performed with Kiki Dee released as a single in 1976. For him, it's an essential and poignant song for audiences, championing the influence of Black and LGBTQIA+ artists in the history of American and global music. Fifty years later, that legacy has blossomed as a song that draws on musical inspiration from Motown, disco, and Philadelphia soul.
"It can easily just be a rock show and be a lot of fun, and it will be all those things," said Pape. But it's also a really loud message that all these different types of music from all these different backgrounds, made by all these different kinds of people, can be embraced here. And I'm really excited about that."
The main themes that Pape wants to communicate for this opening to the season are poignant: It's a powerful Pops concert and the Philharmonic's mission is to make music for everyone.
Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m. // Warner Theatre, 811 State St. // $19-$69 // For tickets and info: eriephil.org
