Elton John brought out The Killers’ Brandon Flowers during his final ever UK gig at Glastonbury tonight (June 25).
“My next guest, I first met in 2005 when I started playing Las Vegas. He came round to my hotel suite to play me his band’s first album, which was called ‘Hot Fuss’,” Elton said, introducing Flowers.
“We’ve been friends ever since, and he was the first person I thought of to ask to come and sing with me, even though he’s played Glastonbury six times with The Killers. So I’d like to introduce my dear friend and fantastic artist, Brandon Flowers!”
Brandon Flowers joining Elton John onstage for Tiny Dancer at Glastonbury tonight ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vivrymR3HN
— thekillersmusic⚡ (@tkillersmusic) June 25, 2023
Other guests during the star-studded show included Rina Sawayama, who joined John for a rendition of ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’ – the song John previously duetted on with Kiki Dee.
“When I chose my guests for this show, I wanted to have newer artists, save for one person,” John told the crowd half way into the show by way of explanation of his other guests at the show.
He then introduced 20-year-old Nashville-based songwriter Stephen Sanchez, a “boy I heard last year on the radio in America.”
Elton went on: “I couldn’t believe that someone of 19 or 20 years old could write and sing a song like this. It was a nod to the past but it sounded so beautiful and fresh.”
The song, one of Sanchez’s called ‘Until I Found You’, was then performed by both.
Before that, Gabriels‘ frontman Jacob Lusk joined John on stage with the pair performing ‘Are You Ready For Love?’ for the first time in years alongside the London Community Gospel Choir.
During the introduction for that John fondly recalled Fatboy Slim “regurgitating” the ’70s song to turn it into an early ’00s Number One hit in the UK.
Elsewhere on Sunday at Glastonbury 2023, during his Legends’ Slot performance, Yusuf/Cat Stevens paid tribute to George Harrison with a cover of The Beatles‘ ‘Here Comes The Sun’.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor also opened the famed Pyramid Stage but fans aren’t happy that the set wasn’t live-streamed.
Japanese Breakfast also had to cancel her 12:30pm set at The Other Stage over travel delays. She was replaced by Eaves Wilder. Tonight, the Pyramid Stage will be headlined by Elton John, who will be playing his final show in the UK.
Just before John came on stage, Lil Nas X performed what fans described as an “incredible” slot on the Pyramid Stage.
Check out all the latest from the final day of Glastonbury 2023 on the NME liveblog here, and see more news, reviews, photos, interviews and more here.