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Glastonbury fans think Paul McCartney might be one of Elton John’s surprise acts

The ‘Rocket Man’ singer will headline the festival for the first time on Sunday 25 June

Maanya Sachdeva
Saturday 24 June 2023 09:36 EDT
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Glastonbury fans believe they may have uncovered the identity of one of Sir Elton John’s four guest collaborators during his headlining act.

John is set to perform his last ever UK show at the Worthy Farm festival on Sunday 25 June, which also marks his debut on the Pyramid Stage.

While the musical acts began on Friday 23 June, Glastonbury co-founder Emily Eavis opened the festival gates to attendees on Wednesday 21 June. This year’s hefty line-up includes performers such as Lana Del Ray, Lizzo, and Cat Stevens, with headlining acts by Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, and John.

Follow along with all the updates from Glastonbury at our live blog

During an interview with Sky News last week, John’s husband, the filmmaker David Furnish revealed the “Rocket Man” singer will bring on four special guests “of his choosing” during his landmark set.

When asked about the identity of these stars, Furnish said he was “sworn to secrecy” but hinted that John’s setlist for Sunday has “a lot of changes”.

After fans spotted Sir Paul McCartney at Glastonbury, enjoying the Foo Fighters’s not-so-secret gig, they began speculating The Beatles star might be one of John’s surprise acts.

One person reportedly tweeted: “I’m thinking Sir Elton is going to bring our Sir Paul McCartney and Eminem on Sunday by the way.”

“Paul McCartney watching the Foo Fighters secret set at #Glastonbury23 … sticking around to play with Elton John on Sunday? What else are the rumours apart from Britney Spears?” another wrote.

Spears, along with Lil Nas X, Dua Lipa, and Rina Sawayama, are all rumoured to be among John’s collaborators for his first Glastonbury show.

Other Twitter users wondered whether Macca was getting ready to join Guns N’ Roses’ headlining performance on Saturday 24 June instead.

“So Paul McCartney was watching the Foos at side of the stage. Surely he’s there for “Live and Let Die” with Guns’N’Roses tomorrow?” one fan theorised.

Another wondered whether Saturday night’s performance might make Glastonbury history. They tweeted: “Very nerdy Glastonbury question… Paul McCartney played ‘Live And Let Die’ during his set last year.

“So, if Guns N’ Roses do it tonight, is that the first time the same song has been played by a headliner two years in a row? And both on the Saturday night too.”

McCartney invited both Foo Fighters’s frontman Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen on-stage during his own lead performance at Glastonbury last year.

You can read The Independent’s five-star review of McCartney’s set here.

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