Entertainment
Glastonbury viewers in bits as Sir Elton John pays tribute to late friend and ‘inspiration’ George Michael on his 60th birthday-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro
He dedicated Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me to the late star.
Sir Elton John became tearful as he remembered George Michael at Glastonbury (Picture: Getty)
Glastonbury viewers were left emotional after Sir Elton John’s heartfelt tribute to the late George Michael.
Headlining the Worthy Farm festival on the final night, the Your Song hitmaker, 76, took a moment to remember his good friend, who died on Christmas Day in 2016, aged 53.
The Wham! star would’ve been celebrating his 60th birthday on Sunday, with Sir Elton dedicating a performance of Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me to Michael.
In 1991, a version of the famous 1974 track that had been recorded live as a duet between Sir Elton and Michael topped the charts in the UK.
After introducing his band to the thousands-strong crowd this weekend, Sir Elton explained: ‘It’s a very, very special day today and I wonder how I’m going to approach it.’
He continued: ‘George Michael, my friend, my inspiration. Today would have been his 60th birthday and so I want to dedicate this song to his memory.
Sir Elton dedicated Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me to his late friend and collaborator (Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Sir Elton performed the duet alone, but brought out other guests during the set (Picture: Dave Hogan/Hogan Media/Shutterstock)
‘All of the music he left us with, which is so gorgeous.
‘This is for you, George.’
The singer performed a really moving rendition of the much-loved tune, leaving viewers in tears as images of Michael appeared on the screen.
Sir Elton was seen wiping away tears himself after the heartfelt tribute, which saw the whole crowd singing along with him at the top of their lungs.
It wasn’t the first time Sir Elton had dedicated a performance to Michael, having done the same on his birthday in 2022 when performing at BST.
Watching along at home, one viewer tweeted: ‘in an alternate and fair universe, george michael is on that stage right now with elton, just two legends sharing space. his loss is always such a gut punch. would have been 60 today. no age at all’.
‘When you’re watching Elton rocking Glastonbury at 76 on George Michael’s 60th Birthday, you realise how fast, fabulous and unpredictable life is. Make the most of every precious second!’, another tweeted.
The Wham! icon sadly died on Christmas Day in 2016 (Picture: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
‘Such a touching sad moment. George would’ve been up there singing with his friend Elton on his special farewell gig. Two legends who will live forever in our hearts’, one fan added.
‘I thought it was so touching that he sang the words alone, not inviting anyone else on stage to sing George’s part’, another tweeter noted.
Indeed, Sir Elton chose to sing their duet by himself, despite bringing out four special guests at various points during his two-hour set.
Despite rumours that the likes of Britney Spears and Dua Lipa would be joining him, Sir Elton ended up bringing out Jacob Lusk, Stephen Sanchez, Brandon Flowers, and Rina Sawayama, with fans praising him for giving smaller artists a platform.
His set went down a storm, as he also performed renditions Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Your Song, and Candle In The Wind.
The set list, of course, included all the classics, from I’m Still Standing to Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.
It was clear the show meant a lot to the music icon, as he repeatedly thanked the crowd and expressed his appreciation in betwen songs.
The show was billed as his final UK gig before he retires from touring at the end of his Farwell Yellow Brick Road tour.
Sir Elton told the Glasto crowd: ‘I never thought I would ever play Glastonbury and here I am.
‘It’s a very special and emotional night for me because it might be my last show ever in England, so I had better play well and I had better entertain you, you’ve been standing there so long and I really appreciate all the outfits and everything.’
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