Elton John Glastonbury 2023: the Rocketman earns his place in festival history
A mindboggling mass of people, equivalent to every single person in York, swarmed to a hallowed spot at Worthy Farm to take in what may well be Elton John’s final UK performance. Throughout the festival, there are utterings from cosmic folks in elaborate hats about the grounds of this city-sized gig being somehow sacred; Elton’s ‘Rocketman’ is as close as Glastonbury Festival got to fulfilling that outer-body promise.
Starting with ‘Pinball Wizard’ after an understated entry might not have caused instant ignition but over the course of the festival, a narrative had developed that Elton would be a must-see. The crowd were with him, and the ley lines were working their symbolic magic. As a result, even not bringing out the heavily touted Britney Spears only underwhelmed by a very marginal fraction that barely caused a flicker on the transfixed grins of the sweaty mass.
While it was evident that there was a touch of the “Dill Dandin” slurs about his performance, Elton enchanted his way around this with the goodwill of the crowd, happy to define his vocals as right on song. With the audience now nicely warmed, he worked his way into the biggest hits, pausing briefly to bring out Stephen Sanchez for a particular moment that ultimately transfigured towards a pleasant surprise thanks to the upbeat nature of the happy-go-lucky crowd.
And the gratitude ran both ways—playing the festival for the first time, even a seasoned showman like Elton was clearly moved by the outpouring of love he had worked up. This was amplified even further when he brought out The Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers for an impressive vocal performance. It was a showing that proved the old adage is still true: if you look like you’re loving it, then the crowd will, too—that’s a message some other acts at the farm would do well to heed.
While he may never have truly scintillated up to this point, the whole happy-clappy feel to proceedings was perfect for the fatigued Sunday crowd. And then he wove his way towards a moment that was truly iconic: the Rocketman blasted off. With a flare soaring overhead, fireworks showering, and a belting band ripping into gear, the masses were immersed in one of Glastonbury’s few truly euphoric moments.
This seemed like the perfect finale to things, and although he has been perpetually retiring for about half a decade now, that shimmering swan song may well see him bow out on a high. Those present at Worthy Farm will be happy to declare him one of Britain’s finest performers on that note.
What could’ve been a sun-drained damp squib with a too-big crowd turned out to be a magical, mellowed experience with a bewildering mass satiated by sweet songs that truly bought into the aura of this legendary gathering.
