Elton John Glastonbury 2023: Billy Joel teased as special guest
Prior to Elton John’s headline show on June 25th at Glastonbury Festival, a poster has appeared at the event hinting at a special guest appearance from legendary singer-songwriter Billy Joel.
John’s highly-anticipated debut performance at the Somerset event marks the final date of his farewell tour, which began in 2018 and concludes at Glastonbury. Elton’s husband, David Furnish, recently confirmed there would be four special guests appearing throughout the concert but refused to provide the names of any acts.
Speaking to Sky News, Furnish confirmed the show would feature: “Four collaborators of his choosing. People, he just thought, ‘I’d really like to do something with these artists at Glastonbury.” When pressed on an answer, Furnish insisted he was “sworn to secrecy”.
While no acts are yet to be officially announced, a poster on the notice board by the Williams Green area of the festival site suggested a cameo by Billy Joel. It reads: “After three years, are you ready for the piano man? Elton says hello and goodbye at Worthy Farm”.
The duo previously toured together on numerous co-headline tours, which began in 1994 and ran sporadically until 2010. During those shows, they regularly duetted including at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2000 on ‘Yellow Brick Road’.
Additionally, Joel is set to perform in the United Kingdom on July 7th for a headline performance at BST Hyde Park and could already be in the country to prepare for the concert. While the London show is billed as Joel’s sole European headline date of the year, this doesn’t rule the singer out of making his Worthy Farm debut.
In a recent interview with BBC Radio 2, John spoke about his forthcoming set and discussed why he’s never previously played Glastonbury. “It’s too many people for me,” he said of festivals in general. “I don’t like crowds. I have played festivals and I’ve really enjoyed them. But of course, Glastonbury is the crème de la crème.”
Elton continued: “To be honest with you, it’s the first time I’ve been asked to play it, I haven’t turned it down before. But it’s just come at the right time. I’m a great believer in serendipity and fate and this is the most wonderful way to sign off in England and Great Britain.”
See the poster below.
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