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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Glastonbury viewers stunned at ‘insane’ crowd size for Elton John’s Pyramid Stage concert
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The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers joins Elton John at Glastonbury for rousing performance of ‘Tiny Dancer’
Brandon Flowers joins Elton John at Glastonbury for ‘Tiny Dancer’
Elton John said Flowers was the ‘first’ person he thought of inviting to perform with him at the festival
Glastonbury viewers stunned at ‘insane’ crowd size for Elton John’s Pyramid Stage concert
Glastonbury viewers stunned at ‘insane’ crowd size for Elton John concert
Paul McCartney attracted over 100,000 for his headline set last year, while the Rolling Stones drew a similar-sized crowd
I am speechless
Partly at the audacity of the crowd chanting “one more song”. You want one more song after THAT?! Come on guys, what do you think he was going to follow with? Honestly. But what a show, what a showman. Kate Hutchinson is reviewing Elton for us tonight, and we’ll have that with you very shortly. In the meantime, sit back, relax, and soak in the gloriousness that was Elton John’s headline show on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival.
And we have 15 minutes to go...!
“I’ve had the most incredible time, and I will never forget you in my heart and in my soul,” Elton tells the audience. “Thank you so much Glastonbury.”
This is categorically one of the greatest Glastonbury sets in history
I can’t believe there’s only 30 minutes left of Elton’s two-hour set - it feels as though it’s only been 10 seconds?! And you know why that is, right? Because he doesn’t give you a second to feel bored, not one moment. This is a masterclass in entertainment, I hope the other Glastonbury headliners are watching carefully and taking notes.
This Hell is better... without you?
A certain 1975 frontman is probably feeling mighty uncomfortable right now, given Sawayama called him out (not by name, by it was clear who she was referring to), during her set yesterday:
Rina Sawayama publicly calls out Matty Healy at Glastonbury Festival
Musician appeared to castigate The 1975 frontman for his controversial remarks on a recent podcast episode
Rina Sawayama joins Elton John for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart"
Elton John brings out Rina Sawayama, who played a belter of a set on the Woodsies stage last night, for “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. Elton has supported her basically since her career first began, so it’s no surprise that she should be one of his guest stars.
Glastonbury viewers stunned at ‘insane’ crowd size for Elton John’s Pyramid Stage concert
Viewers at home have been left in awe of the size of the crowd who gathered to watch Elton John’s headline performance at Glastonbury.
On Sunday evening (25 June), the musician played the Pyramid stage, delighting his audience with performances of hit songs including 1973’s “Benny and the Jets” and “Your Song”.
The 76-year-old is the last of three headliners to play at Worthy Farm, Somerset this weekend. His show follows sets from Guns n’ Roses and Arctic Monkeys, who played on Saturday (24 June) and Friday (23 June), respectively.
My colleague Annabel Nugent reports:
Glastonbury viewers stunned at ‘insane’ crowd size for Elton John concert
Paul McCartney attracted over 100,000 for his headline set last year, while the Rolling Stones drew a similar-sized crowd
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