Elton John will headline Glastonbury on his final UK farewell tour

Written by Kate Holton and Sarah Young

LONDON (Reuters) – Elton John will headline Glastonbury next summer in the final British show of his long-running world farewell tour at the famous Worthy Farm music festival.

John, one of the best-selling artists of all time, has never played a popular music festival and said an appearance on the Pyramid Stage on the final night of the 2023 event would be the perfect way to bid farewell to the UK.

The 75-year-old singer is on the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour after more than 50 years on the road.

John had his first big hit in 1970 with “Your Song”, the same year as the first Glastonbury Festival in southwest England, when tickets cost £1 and revelers drank farm milk for free.

“Every week I speak to new artists on my radio show and Glastonbury is often cited as a pivotal moment in launching their careers – the festival’s genuine and enthusiastic support of the best emerging talent is something I have long admired,” he said in a statement. .

Glastonbury is the only one to sell out before any acts are announced, due to the strength of previous lineups with stars ranging from Beyoncé to David Bowie to Dolly Parton to Bruce Springsteen and the Rolling Stones.

Paul McCartney (80 years old) played at the Glastonbury Festival last year as the festival returned after a three-year absence due to the Covid pandemic.

Tickets for the 2023 event sold out in just over an hour.

Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis said: “This will be the last UK show of Elton's final tour, so we will close the festival and celebrate this huge moment in our history with the greatest farewell ever.”

John, who dominated pop music with songs like “Candle in the Wind,” announced a farewell tour in 2018, saying he wanted to focus on his family.