Voice of London

Sir Elton John has been revealed as the first headline act of Glastonbury 2023, where he will perform his final UK performance. It’s finally his official goodbye, to the yellow brick road. 

It has been announced that Elton John will be taking to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday 25th June, 2023. While this will be his first time performing at the iconic festival, it will be his last UK performance as it completes the last leg of his Farewell tour. 

The tour was originally planned to end in 2021, but had been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a hip injury. The tour has been ongoing since September 2018, and is now set to end on the 8th July, 2023, in Sweden. He has just completed his final US show at the Dodger Stadium in LA, on the 20th November, 2022, where he performed with Dua Lipa, Kiki Dee, and Brandi Carlisle. The performance is available to stream on Disney+. 

While he has been performing his famous tracks such as ‘Your Song’, ‘Candle in the Wind’ and ‘Rocket Man’ – aptly ending on ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ – he also performed his song with Dua Lipa, ‘Cold Heart’, which topped the charts in 2021. But that has been the only new song which he performed. Will this be the same for Glastonbury? 

Elton John released an album in 2021 called ‘The Lockdown Sessions‘ where he collaborated with artists such as Miley Cyrus, Rina Sawayama and Lil Nas X. He has also just released a remix of his hit song ‘Tiny Dancer’ with Britney Spears, called ‘Hold Me Closer’. While these songs are hitting the charts and being enjoyed by a younger audience, keeping him relevant today, he has not been performing many of them on his tour. 

Hopefully, in order to appeal to a wider audience, he will incorporate these into his Glastonbury setlist. As it’s his final performance he is likely to make a spectacle – in true Elton John fashion. In his Instagram statement announcing the show, he says: “I couldn’t be more excited to be headlining…and celebrate the greatest festival in the world!…It’s going to be emotional”. 

Maybe he will bring out a few of his recent collaborators as special guests, or some of his most notable costumes, but either way it will be a performance to remember – marking the end of his live-performing career in the UK. 

Writing: Summer Rogers | Subbing: Shakira Bruce-Abubakar