Sir Elton John appeared to drop a hint that his appearance at Glastonbury won't be his final appearance in the UK as he addressed the crowd at Worthy Farm on Sunday night.
With a tribute to the late George Michael, and a string of famous faces joining him on stage, Elton's eagerly anticipated headline set went down a treat as he closed the festival this evening.
Elton teased four stars would join him on the Pyramid Stage ahead of taking to the stage this evening, with Rina Sawayama, The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, Jacob Lusk of Gabriels and The London Community Gospel Choir and Stephen Sanchez all singing with Elton so far this evening.
The Tiny Dancer hitmaker paid tribute to his late friend George Michael on stage in Somerset this evening.
"Today would have been his 60th birthday, I want to dedicate this song to the memory, and all the music which he left us with which is so gorgeous. This is for you George," an emotional Elton told the crowd before performing Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me.
The 76-year old - performing at the festival for the first time in his illustrious career that has spanned more than five decades - is expected to hang up his microphone for good when his 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour' concludes in Stockholm, Sweden on July 8.
Speaking to Music Week last year when the tour was rescheduled after it was originally postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Elton declared: "I can tell you now that this is it.
"I will not be devoid of music but as far as schlepping around the world doing shows, I don't want to do it anymore. I've done it since I was 17."
Back in Somerset, Elton kicked things off on the Pyramid Stage with a rendition of The Who's Pinball Wizard, donning an extravagant gold blazer as he took to his piano as fireworks filled the air around him.
Then, after performing The Bitch Is Back, the superstar got emotional as he told the packed crowd: "Ah wow, I never thought I'd ever play Glastonbury and here I am!
"It is a very special and emotional night for me because it might be my last show ever in England and Great Britain. So I better play well and I better entertain you. Because you have been standing there so long.
"I really appreciate all the outfits and everything. Okay, here we go."
It has long been assumed that his 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour' was so-called for a reason. But the word 'may' in his address has certainly cast an element of doubt over his future on stage.
Fans picked up on Elton's teasing comment too, meanwhile, with many taking to Twitter during his performance to offer their thoughts.
One user commented: "Notice how Elton said this is "MAYBE" his LAST show in the UK. So this may NOT be his last EVER performance in the UK."
Another wrote: "Good man Elton John..."it may ever be my last show". Leaving that door open."
And a third joked: "'Maybe' my last show in the UK… See you next year, Elton."
It comes after rumours began to circulate that music promoters are lining up a series of multi-million-pound offers for Elton John to do an "intimate" multi-night residency in the UK.
Sources say any show would "not be an extravaganza but a smaller, more intimate affair", albeit over an extended run.
A source at one promoter said: "No amount of money would ever persuade Elton to go on tour again but a run of shows in one city is very much a possibility.
"He has made clear that the massive spectacular shows with huge production values are off the cards...but this doesn’t rule out smaller venues, with say a few thousand people rather than the big Arena or Stadium shows."
The source added: "We would love Elton, and would be willing to offer a lot of money to secure him, as others would too. It’s a no brainer as tickets would absolutely fly."
