Elton John Performs Private Concert Tonight at Disney California Adventure

The beautiful Hyperion Theater in Disney California Adventure is normally home to the excellent Aladdin stage show, an enhanced version of which will bow on Broadway next year. But tonight (1/25/2013), for one night only, the theater will be taken over by a musical icon even more mesmerizingly mercurial and outrageously colorful than the Genie.

Elton John, a rock superstar since the 1970s, and the Oscar-winning songwriter behind The Lion King soundtrack, will perform a private concert tonight at the Disneyland Resort in conjunction with the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) trade convention currently occurring at the Anaheim convention center across the street. John is schedule play a 5-song set, accompanied by a 70-piece orchestra conducted by James Newton Howard. Other performers appearing include Amy Grant, Chaka Khan, Dave Grusin, Earth, Wind & Fire, David Foster, Dave Koz, LEOGUN, Landon Pigg, Lucy Schwartz, Michael McDonald, Sarah McLachlan, Sinbad and Toto.

Don't show up at DCA tonight with your annual pass and expect entry to see Sir Elton; all 2000 seats are reserved for VIPs and dealers of Yamaha instruments, whose 125th anniversary the all-star event is intended to celebrate. While the concert is scheduled to start at 8pm PST (with John starting around 10:25pm), the park will be open as normal until 10pm. The only disruption evident to guests should be the closure of the Aladdin show all day, and additional security around Hollywood Land in the evening. Traffic may also be impacted around the resort as an inevitable parade of limos departs after the show.

But even if you you can't watch it in person, you have a couple options for experiencing it “live.” A public web stream of the show will be available beginning at 8pm PST at http://eltonjohn125.usa.yamaha.com/. Also, owners of expensive Yamaha DisklavierTV computerized pianos can use the RemoteLive feature to have John “play” their keyboard via a live MIDI simulcast of Elton's keystrokes. If everything works right, the remote piano should synchronize perfectly with live broadcast of Elton and the orchestra in Anaheim.