Critical round-up

Eric Clapton / Elton John

Wembley Stadium

'Eric and Elton held a party last weekend and 200,000 friends turned up. You could tell they were friends because they did not mind that it was all a bit cosy, slightly sedate, and not much of a rave.' Antony Thorncroft, FT

'Once, when they were younger and hungrier, they gave us some decent tunes, but the years sloped on and here . . . the pair's performances were perfunctory at best.' Tom Hibbert, Guardian

'Sporting a bright yellow jacket, pink- rimmed specs and the luxuriant, beatnik-style bouffant, he (Elton John) put a lot of effort into a set which was simply too lightweight to cope with the ergonomics of a venue this size.' David Sinclair, Times

Michael Jackson

Munich

'There were new thrills and surprises too, none more astounding than the climax of the show, during which Jackson laboriously strapped himself into a jetpack/spacesuit contraption and then literally flew out from the front of the stage . . . Whether it was really Jackson or a stand-in who performed the stunt, it was a coup de theatre without precedent, and won him a standing ovation.' David Sinclair, Times