On Sunday night, Elton John wowed a colossal crowd at Glastonbury for his final ever UK performance but 55 years ago, the global icon was tinkling the ivories at a nightclub in South Shields as he played keyboard for another act.
Music fans flocked to the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm to see Elton round off an epic weekend of music at Glastonbury with a two hour long set which saw the legendary singer bring out all the big guns from his back catalogue like Bennie and the Jets, Your Song, Crocodile Rock and Daniel. Elton John's Glastonbury setlist also included Are You Ready for Love, I'm Still Standing and Rocket Man, the song that brought the night to a close as fireworks filled the air.
Elton's Glastonbury debut came after he'd been kept busy with a whole host of tour dates at arenas across the UK, however, back in 1967, before there was Elton John, there was Reginald Dwight, who arrived at massively popular Shields nightspot Latino, as keyboard player for blues artist Long John Baldry.
READ MORE: Elton John's Glastonbury setlist in full as legend plays last ever UK show
As well as witnessing Elton's fine musical skills, Latino has another claim to fame when it comes to Elton, as he namechecks the old haunt in the very first sentence of his autobiography Me, in which he writes: "I was onstage at the Latino club in South Shields when I realized I couldn't take it anymore."
Aside from welcoming Elton, while he was still keyboard player Reg, Latino hosted star turns from big names of the time, including Frankie Howard, Tom Jones and Showaddywaddy.
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