Elton John’s debut at Glastonbury is also meant to be his last ever performance in the UK – though it’s by far not the first time he has sworn he’s retiring only to make a subsequent return. True to form, when the 76-year-old performer addresses the crowd at the Pyramid stage – surely one of the busiest ever – it is with subtle caveats. “I never thought I’d play Glastonbury and here I am,” he says. “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.”
This, then, isn’t really one for him, but one for us. Unlike other legends of British pop who have played this slot – Macca last year, say – he’s stripped out all the deep cuts to play wall-to-wall hits, deviating from the setlist of his ongoing Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. The vast majority of this show dwells in the 70s, which some may see as an admission of defeat for an artist who is still releasing records, not to mention famously being a new music fan. But these are timeless songs that tell John’s complex story, refracting the pleasures and pains he has survived to become a living legend.
