Glastonbury 2023 – latest: Elton John says thank-you to festival audience after farewell UK performance
Rocket Man bids farewell as he played what could be his final live show in the UK, with a jaw-dropping, career-spanning set of his greatest songs
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Elton John performed what will go down as one of the greatest headline shows in Glastonbury history last night (Sunday 25 June), to one of the biggest crowds the festival has seen in years.
Lil Nas X was the final artist to take to the main stage before the 76-year-old at Worthy Farm, Somerset, after a joyful Yusuf/Cat Stevens entertained fans with songs including “Wild World” and “Father and Son”.
The revered folk singer-songwriter performed with his band in the coveted Legends Slot, a gig previously handed to artists including Lionel Richie, Kylie Minogue and Dolly Parton. He also gave superfan/comedian Ricky Gervais a shout-out on his birthday, before playing his song “Tea for the Tillerman”.
At 9pm, John launched his performance with some of his best-known songs, including his 1975 cover of “Pinball Wizard” and “Benny and the Jets”. From the moment he sat down at the piano, the show was a pure blast of euphoria from one of the world’s greatest living entertainers, with surprise guests including The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, and Gabriels singer Jacob Lusk.
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Elton John review, Glastonbury 2023: The glitziest, most high-energy retirement party the world has ever seen
A replacement was announced earlier for Japanese Breakfast, who withdrew from the festival this morning amid travel issues.
Eaves Wilder is currently taking their spot on The Other Stage.
A matter of hours now until Elton John performs his last ever live set.
We’ve been told to expect four special guests.
Could Britney Spears be one of them? Stranger things have happened...
Britney Spears ‘drops clues’ she’s performing at Glastonbury
Spears recorded a new version of John’s 1971 hit song ‘Tiny Dancer’ last year
A matter of hours now until Elton John performs his last ever live set.
We’ve been told to expect four special guests.
Could Britney Spears be one of them? Stranger things have happened...
Britney Spears ‘drops clues’ she’s performing at Glastonbury
Spears recorded a new version of John’s 1971 hit song ‘Tiny Dancer’ last year
ICYMI: Mark Beaumont’s full review of Guns N’ Roses last night.
He didn’t mince his words...
Guns N’ Roses are frontrunners for the worst Glasto headliners of all time - review
Axl Rose flips between a lower register that resembles a clogged lawnmower and a higher one that sounds like Barry Gibb suffering the mother of all wedgies
A very moving moment from Lewis Capaldi’s set yesterday...
Glastonbury have issued some advice before what’s sure to be a sweltering day of music at Worthy Farm.
It’s hot enough here in London – I’m told the festival site was a “furnace” yesterday.
This just in on social media: Japanese Breakfast have to cancel their set today. The band, led by Michelle Zauner, were struck by late-in-the-day travel issues.
“Well Glasto… we hustled out of Luxembourg at 9 pm, woke for customs at 3 am, and again for a 6 am ferry, hired an additional driver to floor it for our 12:30 set and due to various travel delays out of our control we are just not able to make it in time. We are devastated.
“I’ve always wanted to play Glastonbury and we did everything we could to be there. Hopefully we will be back for another year.”
Gutted for them.
Checked in with The Independent’s people on the ground at Worthy Farm. Some fallout from Lana Del Rey’s abrupt ending...
“Summertime Sadness” was apparently one of the songs cut off.
“Lots of frustration in the press tent/hospitality that Lana got cut off, when she wasn’t exactly going to be keeping anyone in Exeter awake with her music...”
Here’s a full review of the (not so full) set, if you’ve not read yet:
Lana Del Rey’s Glasto set was a promising performance with a devastating end - review
What would have been a triumphant, career-spanning set for the US artist is cut all too short
A wee look back at some of the highlights from yesterday.
Just one day to go – which will include Elton John’s final ever performance.
Astley certainly had a ball yesterday.
This is a photo from the evening, after his full set of Smiths covers alongside Blossoms.
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