The sun goes down on Elton John with a rhapsodic Glastonbury set

The prima acceptable connected 1 of the top careers successful British euphony history, arsenic Elton John played the past UK amusement of his farewell circuit astatine Glastonbury.

The 76-year-old fable treated his fans to a masterclass successful opus and signifier craft, with a setlist that ne'er stopped delivering classical popular moments.

Bennie And The Jets, Tiny Dancer, Your Song, I'm Still Standing - for 2 hours, each opus was a top hit.

"I'm truthful blessed to beryllium here," helium told the crowd. "I won't ever hide this."

Elton burst onto the signifier soon aft 21:00 BST with Pinball Wizard - arsenic promised, a opus helium hadn't played successful implicit a decennary - pursuing it up with a raucous romp done The Bitch Is Back.

Pausing to drawback his breath, helium drank successful the immense crowd, estimated to beryllium implicit 120,000 people, and stretched retired his arms successful gratitude.

"I ne'er thought I'd play Glastonbury - and present I am," helium said.

"It's a precise peculiar and affectional nighttime for maine arsenic it whitethorn beryllium my past amusement successful England, successful Great Britain."

"I'd amended play good and I'd amended entertain you due to the fact that you've been lasting determination truthful long," helium added,

In the assemblage adjacent to me, a instrumentality hollered their encouragement: "Go on, you aged sausage."

The amusement came toward the extremity of Elton's Farewell Yellow Brick Road circuit - present officially the highest-grossing circuit of each time, with container bureau receipts of $887m (£697m).

After Glastonbury, determination are conscionable 7 dates left, with the last amusement successful Stockholm connected 8 July.

It puts to remainder a touring vocation that has seen Elton spell from a young upstart rocking the Troubador successful Los Angeles, to a portion of the stone establishment.

Over the years, he's gained a estimation for flamboyant excess - feather boas, level heels, elaborate headdresses and pianos that burst into flames.

"I don't determination astir the stage," helium reasoned. "I've got to pull attraction somehow!"

But by Elton's standards, Glastonbury was an understated amusement that focused purely connected his emotion of music.

He stayed successful the aforesaid golden lamé suit each evening, giving disconnected the aerial of a antheral who's astatine his happiest erstwhile he's sitting down a piano, letting rip.

There were immoderate beautiful, extended flourishes connected Your Song and I Guess Why They Call It The Blues. On I'm Still Standing, helium pounded the keys truthful hard, they threatened to autumn off.

It has to beryllium said, however, that his dependable isn't what it was. The clipped vowels and marmalade diction person a whiff of Vegas lounge vocalist - but present astatine Worthy Farm, his singing was strangely effective, cutting done the aerial with a clarity that different headliners failed to lucifer this weekend.

Ahead of the show, rumours of peculiar guests had been bubbling each weekend. Britney Spears was supposedly seen astatine Bristol airport. A information defender swore they'd seen Dua Lipa. Harry Styles was expected to beryllium here, past helium wasn't, past helium was again.

In the end, however, Elton went against the grain, championing a caller procreation of musicians implicit popular stars who could easy header Glastonbury themselves.

He invited Jacob Lusk of US psyche radical Gabriels to sing Are You Ready For Love; portion popular newcomer Rina Sawayama took Kiki Dee's spot connected a rousing Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

Nashville's Stephen Sanchez adjacent got to sing a opus of his own, Until I Found You.

"I heard it past twelvemonth connected the radio," Elton enthused, "and I couldn't judge a 19, 20 twelvemonth aged could constitute a opus similar this".

The sole objection was The Killers' Brandon Flowers, who took to the signifier successful a blistery pinkish suit for a handsome duet of Tiny Dancer.

Their show proved truthful moving that TV cameras picked retired a connection successful the audience.

Overall, however, the deficiency of prima powerfulness caused a ripple of disappointment. "Who's that?" grumbled 1 instrumentality arsenic Sawayama took the stage.

But determination was thing admirable astir it, too. Elton stayed existent to who helium was - a euphony obsessive, whose hunger for stone and popular has fuelled and sustained his career.

After 2 hours, the acceptable built to an affectional climax.

Elton dedicated Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me to George Michael, "one of Britain's astir fantastic singers, songwriters [and] artists".

"He was my friend, an inspiration, and contiguous would person been his 60th day - I privation to dedicate this opus to his memory, and each the euphony helium near america with which is truthful gorgeous," helium added.

Then helium drew the curtain connected his UK touring vocation with an extended, elegiac mentation of Rocket Man, arsenic fireworks echoed astir the site.

As helium took a last bow with his band, the closing lyric, "I deliberation it's gonna beryllium a long, agelong time," took connected a caller poignancy.

"It's been an unthinkable travel and I've had the best, champion time," said the star, with a lump successful his throat.

The star;s acceptable was watched by truthful galore fans that Glastonbury issued a "standing only" ruke, asking radical to fold up their chairs and battalion distant picnic blankets.

Also watching was Paul McCartney, actors Matt Smith and Kate Hudson, Jamie Oliver, and Taron Egerton, who played Elton successful the deed biopic Rocketman, arsenic good the film's manager Dexter Fletcher.

"That was incredible," Fletcher told the BBC aft the show.

"You can't truly enactment it into words however affectional it was, and however engaged helium was, and the transportation with the crowd. That;s what it was each about."

The show drew the 2023 Glastonbury festival to a close, aft high-profile sets from Arctic Monkeys, Guns N' Roses, Lana Del Rey, WizKid, Lizzo, Blondie and Cat Stevens,

Organiser Emily Eavis has confirmed the lawsuit volition instrumentality adjacent year, with 2 pistillate headliners already booked.