Sir Elton John's road to Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage - and what to expect from his headline set
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History will be made at Glastonbury 2023 when Sir Elton John takes to the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm on Sunday night - staggeringly for the first time – to sign off from live performances in the UK.
It is bound to be some spectacle, and you can watch it on 91热爆 iPlayer or listen on 91热爆 Sounds. Expect big hits, singalongs and a masterful performance from one of pop's enduring icons.
To whet your appetite though, we have delved into the archives to pick out those times over the last 50+ years Sir Elton blew us away – and there are a few sneaky suggestions about how he might surprise us one last time.
Get ready for Elton on 91热爆 Sounds
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Elton John and Me with Russell T Davies
Doctor Who's showrunner, Russell T Davies, picks his favourite tracks by Sir Elton John.
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For Fans of Elton John
A playlist curated especially for Elton John fans - with Nina Simone, Lady Gaga & more.
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Elton John at the 91热爆
In his 91热爆 radio and TV appearances, Elton talks through his key compositions and hits.
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Back To Back Glastonbury
Prepare for this year's festival with these special Glasto show takeovers and music mixes!
'Rocket Man'
Sir Elton’s career truly took off in 1970, the year of his spellbinding American debut at the Troubadour club in Hollywood.
In August that year, a nervous 23-year-old Elton was introduced by one of his idols Neil Diamond and took to the stage as an unexpected headliner for an eight-gig six-night set at the exclusive LA nightclub. It was a night that ultimately propelled him into the stratosphere.
"The atmosphere during those nights at the Troubadour was electric,” . “Something inside me just took over. I knew this was my big moment and I really went for it.”
With the crowd including pop royalty Brian Wilson and Mike Love of the Beach Boys, American record producer Quincy Jones and Sir Elton’s own hero Leon Russell, his hitherto undiscovered sound hit the spot.
In the LA Times, revered music critic : “Rejoice. Rock music… has a new star…a multidirectional talent of the highest order.”
Later that year, Sir Elton released the dolefully powerful 'Your Song' and his career took off.
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'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'
Sir Elton’s mammoth final tour – more on that later – is named after his seminal 1973 album 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' that features mammoth hits 'Bennie and the Jets', 'Candle in the Wind' and 'Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting'. It was the first of seven straight number one albums in the United States, as his music dominated the 1970s.
In November 1974, he played at Madison Square Garden, which would become one of his favourite venues. To the delight of the crowd, he brought with him a special guest, although no one could know at the time this would be John Lennon’s final live performance before he was killed six years later.
Sir Elton returned to California in 1975 for an epic show at the home of LA’s iconic baseball team, the Dodgers Stadium. A bold sequined outfit choice to showcase the Dodgers strip only added to his legend on the other side of the pond, and adorned most of the publicity for the 2019 smash biopic Rocket Man.
Never far from breaking down barriers, Sir Elton became the first Western rock star to go through the Iron Curtain, performing in Moscow in 1979 to great acclaim in the Soviet Union.
And who could forget his turn at Live Aid 1985, having the unenviable job of following Freddie Mercury and Queen who, in Sir Elton’s words, “killed it”? Well, Elton did a pretty good job himself too.
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'I'm Still Standing'
After almost 50 years in the national consciousness, in 2018 Sir Elton announced he was going on the road one last time for his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.
Five years on, it has been a behemoth undertaking – more than 320 gigs under his belt, visiting five continents as well as enduring a two-year hiatus for the Covid pandemic. Now, it is entering the final straight with just two weeks left after Glastonbury.
Naturally, it is already the highest-grossing tour of all time, with more than $850m (£670m) secured. So what will he have in store for this final UK gig?
At past venues, he has brought out pop sensation Dua Lipa for their 2021 duet 'Cold Heart', Kiki Dee who partnered with him on 'Don’t Go Breaking My Heart' in the 1980s and Brandi Carlile to sing 'Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me'.
True to form, he teased Radio 2 listeners in May, saying, “I’ve got guests, but I can’t tell you who they are.” Perhaps he’ll look widely – and given his status, he could probably have his pick of stars from across the globe.
Sir Elton worked with Lil Nas X on his 2021 hit, 'One of Me'. Given the American rapper is already on the Glastonbury billing, this has to be a possibility worth dreaming about. But what about Lady Gaga, godmother to his two children and someone he dueted with at the Grammys in 2010?
Or Ed Sheeran, who he joined forces with to help Christmas number one stalwarts Ladbaby in recent years? Ed is on the US leg of his current tour but is free on 25 June…
Perhaps Olly Alexander from Years and Years will take to the stage with Sir Elton? The two covered 'It’s A Sin' by the Pet Shop Boys at the Brit Awards in 2021 to great acclaim, with both firmly ensconced as icons for the LGBTQ+ community.
Whoever the mystery “guests” are, history suggests he will have called them correctly.
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'Don鈥檛 Let The Sun Go Down'
It’s a mere 12 months since another British musical institution closed the book on his live concerts – and what a performance Sir Paul McCartney delivered on the Pyramid Stage. A two-and-a-half hour show, in front of Glastonbury’s biggest crowd, featuring nearly 40 songs from his incredible career.
If Sir Elton does not want to ape that, perhaps he has taken note of The Rolling Stones who, in 2013, crushed their Glastonbury debut complete with a scrap metal phoenix, jets of fire and a soaring choir for 'You Can’t Always Get What You Want'.
Or maybe he will follow the lead of David Bowie’s 2000 set, who had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he bust out hit after hit?
Regardless, whatever Sir Elton has planned, we’re here for it.
Follow Glastonbury 2023 on the 91热爆
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Watch on 91热爆 iPlayer
Keep up with all the action and highlights from this year at Worthy Farm.
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Listen on 91热爆 Sounds
Soak up the unique atmosphere of the world鈥檚 most famous music festival.