Sir Elton John has said he will perform an entirely new show for his headline performance at Glastonbury this weekend.
The 76-year-old, who is currently playing the final leg of his epic Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, will take to the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm on Sunday night. His set will stretch just over two hours, from 9pm until 11.05pm, and will follow on from performances from the likes of Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Blondie and rapper Lis Nas X.
Speaking to BBC Radio 1 ahead of his set this weekend, he told fans to expect the unexpected. "I'm starting with a song I haven't played for about 10 years, so we'll see how it goes," he revealed to host Clara Amfo in a interview that will be broadcast at 7pm on Future Sounds this evening (June 20).
READ MORE: Join our new WhatsApp community Manc Life
"I've got the setlist down, I've got rehearsal dates booked for the guest artists, so we just have to hope the weather will still be nice."
The piano-playing superstar first announced the 350-date tour back in 2018 and it has since played over 333 dates across five continents. In 2023 it was named the highest grossing tour of all time and the US. leg of the tour concluded with three sell out shows at Dodger Stadium in November 2022 which was live streamed on Disney + in every single territory the channel broadcasts in, a global first.
The tour was originally set to conclude in 2021, giving the 'Cold Heart' singer more time with his family, however many dates had to be rescheduled due to the pandemic and a hip injury he sustained last year. His performance at Glastonbury will be the final UK date of his tour and has been revamped to keep the show fresh.
"It's a different show to what people have been seeing," he added. "On Farewell Yellow Brick Road, there's quite a lot of deep cuts, it's not all hits, and you've got to keep people interested.
"When you put a setlist together, I always say it's a bit like having sex. You start off really well, then you chill out a little bit, then towards the end of the show all hell breaks loose."
Despite a career spanning seven decades, Elton John's appearance at Glastonbury on Sunday will be his first ever performance at Worthy Farm - and his first ever visit to Glastonbury.
In May, he told Scott Mills on Radio 2: “To be honest with you, it’s the first time I’ve been asked to play it, I haven’t turned it down before. But it’s just come at the right time. I’m a great believer in serendipity and fate and this is the most wonderful way to sign off in England and Great Britain.”
Glastonbury's other headliners are Artic Monkeys on Friday, and Guns N' Roses on Saturday. However, Arctic Monkey's cancelled their show at Marlay Park in Dublin last night (June 19) after it was confirmed frontman Alex Turner is suffering from acute laryngitis.
The news has left fans wondering whether Arctic Monkeys will make their festival appearance. @TheGlastoThingy tweeted: "How long do you need to recover from laryngitis? Asking for a headliner" while @EventHotelsLtd commented: "Get well Soon Alex ... Like really soon #glastonbury2023".
