Elton John fans have been hitting back at TV presenter Piers Morgan, after he suggested that the pop legend couldn’t remember the lyrics to his own songs.
The 76-year-old “Candle in the Wind” artist closed the Worthy Farm festival on Sunday night (25 June) with his last ever UK performance.
John’s set received five-star reviews across the board, with the singer cramming his biggest hits into a two-hour set, including “Rocket Man”, “Bennie and the Jets”, “Hold Me Closer” and “I’m Still Standing”.
You can read The Independent’s five-star review of his headline set here.
During the performance, former Good Morning Britain presenter Morgan posted his thoughts about John’s performance on Twitter.
“Is Elton having to read the words to all his own songs?” the 58-year-old questioned.
He also wasn’t a fan of John’s guest stars, remarking: “Who’s the Kiki Dee wannabe? All veering a bit karaoke, Elton…” He appeared to be referring to pop-rock artist Rina Sawayama, who joined the veteran musician for a rendition of “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”.
Many of John’s fans hit back at Morgan, accusing him of “attention-seeking”.
“Jesus Piers, even I’m not a huge Elton fan but even I can see he’s killing it, top performance!!” one follower replied.
“Switch off instead of moaning,” another advised, while travel writer Mary Novakovich said: “Read the room, Piers. You’re on your own with this one.”
“Read the room,” replied one commenter, while another fan asked: “Are you watching the same concert I’m watching??”
One fan of the singer remarked: “Elton John has recorded almost 500 songs. Piers Morgan needs autocue to let him know whether to say good morning or good afternoon.”
“I note that Piers Morgan was rather scathing about Elton John in that he was having to read the words. So what Piers - his performance for a man of his age was outstanding so shove your negative comments up your a***!”
“Not an uber fan of Elton but such a cheap dig from someone who wishes they had an ounce of the talent Elton John has,” tweeted another viewer.
Contrary to Morgan’s stance, many celebrities were left singing John’s praises after his performance on the Pyramid Stage.
Singer Beverley Knight was among those to praise the artist, describing John’s legacy as “immeasurable”.
“Killer song after killer song,” she wrote. “Most of us artists can only dream of having a catalogue like this. What a SET. The legacy Elton leaves us is immeasurable.”
Paul McCartney, meanwhile, was spotted standing side of stage during John’s set, just one year after he headlined the festival himself. Rumours that McCartney was set to come on as a guest star ulimately proved false.
A video has since surfaced of him filming John singing “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” on his iPhone.
It has since been revealed that John’s performance was the most-watched in Glastonbury history, with more than seven million people tuning in to watch on the BBC.
