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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Here it is!
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That’s me done for the night
Thanks for following our liveblog this evening - I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon to guide you through the latest news, gossip, comment, reviews, pictures and video from Saturday at Glastonbury Festival.
Jazz’s take on Arctic Monkeys is expected any moment now - I’m as keen as you are to find out what he made of it.
Night for now!
The fans are getting restless
After dragging out calls for an encore for 10 minutes, Arctics return with... another ballad. “I Wanna Be Yours.” Actually, Alex, the fans just want the hits. Come on, man, it’s a Glastonbury headline set, even Radiohead conceded to doing “Creep”. And don’t even get me started on Paul McCartney’s set last year. This, by comparison, is a real snoozefest.
Glastonbury 2023: Full line up and stage times
Your full guide to the festival’s mammoth line up, including headliners Arctic Monkeys and Elton John, plus major draws such as Lizzo, Lewis Capaldi and Lana Del Rey
Glastonbury 2023: Full line up and stage times
Your full guide to the festival’s mammoth line up, including headliners Arctic Monkeys and Elton John, plus major draws such as Lizzo, Lewis Capaldi and Lana Del Rey
Apparently the Ancient Futures tent is where it’s at
Ben Bryant, one of our on-site team, says it’s all kicking off away from the Pyramid Stage.
“Nothing but vibes,” he says of the Ancient Futures tent, sharing a video clip that shall never see the light of day. Just because I’m scarred for life doesn’t mean you need to be, too.
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