He hoped to adopt a 14-month-old Ukrainian boy this month but was rebuffed by the authorities, so the ever-charitable Sir Elton John had to make do with a fundraiser for a big organ.

At least this was a cause “so close to my heart”: the 62-year-old is a former pupil of the Royal Academy of Music and ticket sales will fund part of its £1.2 million bill for a new instrument weighing in at 14 tons with 2,921 pipes. “I’d never thought I’d be doing a concert to buy a new organ,” said a straight-faced Sir Elton.

He didn’t stint in his efforts for his alma mater, though, knocking out more than 30 songs in three hours, beginning with a solo set featuring rarely performed material.

The piano playing was powerful while the vocal reached Masterchef levels of in-your-face vigour during The One, Sixty Years On and Border Song. Some of the tunes probably remain obscure for good reasons, although the bolted-on synth textures didn't help — and they almost ruined the classic Tiny Dancer. Sir Elton was too busy enjoying this relatively intimate show to contemplate failure, often raising his hands in celebration, and could have departed triumphant after a robust, heartfelt Rocket Man. But that merely signalled the second-half reunion with percussionist Ray Cooper.

Their first collaboration since the mid-Nineties certainly wasn't a nuanced performance. Yet there was pleasure to be had watching bass drums, congas and cymbals getting whacked during Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting.

It added up to an entertaining and sometimes over-the-top show from the indomitable Sir Elton, who even signed autographs after his marathon set.