ROCKET MAN

By: Christine Farrington

Elton John arrives on stage, backed by a big firework display, and opens his act with the rallying piano of ‘Pinball Wizard’ with its Led Zeppelin-indebted guitar solo. This, and the rest of his show, will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the most epic performances ever to light up the mighty Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm. Sir Elton John, 76, became the most-watched act in Glastonbury headliner history as 7.6 million people tuned into the BBC and an estimated 120 000 fans watched in person as the legendary Rock Star did what he does best – entertain his fans at the highest level.

The star of the Music Festival did not disappoint. Dressed in a gold suit, Elton John belted out song after song as his fingers ran up and down the Yamaha piano keyboard faster than cameras could roll. Fans joined in the singing with hits such as Daniel, Candle in the Wind, Bennie and the Jets.

Brandon Flowers ‘The Killers’ came on stage with a new look and sang Tiny Dancer with the maestro. Then came Elton John’s famous duet, ‘Don’t go Breaking My Heart,’ which he performed with the fabulously evocative Rina Sawayama. Elton made a moving tribute to his friend George Michael, who would have been 60 years old that day. Wow! What a fantastic and classy show.

Singing and playing the fabulous and much-awaited ‘Rocket Man’ was a truly outstanding performance with fans joining in and cheering: resplendent rockers and rollers, sitting on shoulders, singing and swaying along with the whole dazzling light show display thrown across the skies of Worthy Farm. This was ‘Rocket Man’s’ very fitting and final performance.

All-time favourite Yusuf/Cat Stevens, now 74, played guitar and sang some of his great hits: Wild World, Morning has Broken - and then finally my own tears fell when he sang an emotional Father and Son, the classic conversation between an old man and his impatient counterpart. For this, he was joined on stage by his only guest of the afternoon - video footage of himself as a young man singing the high verses. The crowd were on their feet having grown steadily throughout the set. They seemed to agree that it was one of the more likeable legend slots in recent memory.

Blondie’s Debbie Harry looked every inch the edgy rock star as she took to the Pyramid Stage to perform with her band. The singer, 77, was watched by fashion designer Stella McCartney and actress Kate Hudson at the iconic site in England’s Somerset. She wore a black sequinned mini dress and a matching jacket with a black t-shirt and black over-knee leather boots and futuristic mirrored dark visor sunglasses while she stormed the stage ripping out hits such as Rapture – featuring intense guitar riffs, and The Tide is High. The US rockers continued to rattle through hits Will Anything Happen and Atomic, which ended with the guitarist playing his instrument behind his head. Finishing, Blondie told the crowd: ‘We’ve got a long track record with you guys, so thank you very much for that.’

Glastonbury Music Festival is by far the best music festival in the world. It hosts the crème de la crème of top-class artists, musicians, songwriters, guitarists and rock stars old and new who intermingle with and perform to the crowd of over 210 000 revellers that flooded into Worthy Farm for the world’s largest greenfield music festival.

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. We will miss you.