Elton John closes Glastonbury with emotional farewell
London, Jun 25 (EFE).- British singer Elton John closed Glastonbury in style on Sunday night with an emotional and packed debut show at the famous music festival, which was also his final United Kingdom concert.
The 76-year-old veteran on his farewell tour opened with “Pinball Wizard” on the majestic main Pyramid stage in Somerset wearing a gold suit and his large signature glasses.
After playing “The Bitch is Back” and before continuing with one of the audience’s favorite songs, “Bennie and the Jets,” John confessed that he never imagined he would take the stage at the mega festival.
“I never thought I’d play Glastonbury and here I am,” he said. “It’s a very special and emotional night for me as it may be my last ever show in England, so I better play well and entertain you as you’ve been standing there so long.”
In front of an audience made up of several generations and many famous faces, the artist played a run-down of his decades of hits, such as “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” and “Someone Saved My Life Tonight,” one of his “favorite songs.”
During the two hours on stage, he also performed classics such as “I’m Still Standing,” “Your Song” and “Candle In The Wind,” a song originally written for the actress Marilyn Monroe and later rewritten for the 1997 funeral of Princess Diana.
Although it had been speculated that the musician would bring artists such as Britney Spears, Dua Lipa, Eminem or Harry Styles on as surprise guests, none of them appeared.
Instead, he was accompanied by others not yet as well known, such as Jacob Lusk from the British-American gospel-soul group Gabriels, to play a version of “Are you Ready For Love?” which was first released in the UK in 1979 and was “reborn” in 2003 thanks to a remix.
John also introduced Nashville singer-songwriter Stephen Sánchez as “an amazing young talent” who impressed him when he first heard him last year on the radio and together they performed “Until I Found You,” a Sánchez song).
The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, whom the musician referred to as his “dear friend and fantastic artist,” accompanied him on “Tiny Dancer,” and British-Japanese artist Rina Sawayama joined him to perform “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”
In the final stretch of the show, John dedicated “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” to “one of Britain’s most fantastic singers, songwriters, and artists” George Michael, who died in 2016.
“He was my friend, an inspiration, and today would have been his 60th birthday – I want to dedicate this song to his memory,” he said.
Before ending the show with “Rocket Man,” which was followed by a standing ovation, John addressed the audience, visibly moved, to thank the crowd “for showing up in your costumes and your glasses and your outfits.”
“You make me feel so happy, make me feel loved. I want to thank you also for 52 years of amazing love and loyalty you’ve shown me. It’s been an incredible journey and I’ve had the best, best time. I will never forget you, you’re in my head and my heart and my soul.” EFE
prc/tw
