Elton John pays touching tribute to George Michael with ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me’

‘Today would have been his 60th birthday and so I want to dedicate this song to his memory,’ said John

Elton John has dedicated his Glastonbury performance of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” to George Michael.

John performed the song as part of his headline set on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday night (25 June).

The 76-year-old introduced the song with a touching tribute to the late musician. Michael died aged 53 on 25 December 2016 from natural causes.

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In 1991, a version of the 1974 track that had been recorded live as a duet between John and Michael, reached No 1 in the UK.

After introducing his band members, John then told the crowd: “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. All of the music he left us with, which is so gorgeous. This is for you, George.”

The singer proceeded to launch into a moving performance of his 1974 song “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me”.

(Leon Neal/Getty)

John was the last of three headliners to perform at Glastonbury 2023. His Sunday night (25 June) show followed Gun N’ Roses and Arctic Monkeys, who performed on Saturday and Friday night (24 and 23 June) respectively.

The musician followed through on reports that he would bring out four special guests throughout the evening.

(Leon Neal/Getty)

Over the course of a two-hour performance, John invited Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Jacob Lusk of Gabriels, Rina Sawayama, and Steven Sanchez on stage.

Rumours that Paul McCartney (who was seen in the crowd during the show) and Britney Spears would make a surprise appearance did not come to fruition.

In a career-spanning show, John delighted the crowd with performances of his hits, including 1973’s “Benny and the Jets” and 1970’s “Your Song”.

At the beginning of the show, John suggested that it “may” be his last ever performance in the UK.

Viewers at home were stunned by the BBC aerial footage of the performance which showed the size of the crowd who had gathered to watch John’s performance, with some speculating that it may be the largest audience in Glastonbury history.