Stephen Sanchez reveals Elton John changed Glastonbury plans at ...
Coming up to one week since Elton John performed potentially his final ever show at Glastonbury 2023, special guest Stephen Sanchez has revealed that the singer-songwriter changed his plans for the set at the last minute.
The 20-year-old musician joined the ‘Rocketman’ onstage during his headline slot at the Pyramid Stage on Sunday (June 25) and the two duetted on his own TikTok hit ‘Until I Found You’.
He was one of four special guests who joined the music icon on the night, and the show marked Sir Elton’s last scheduled performance of his mammoth ‘Farewell’ tour — which has seen him play over 350 shows across five years.
Now, coming up to a week since the monumental set took place, Sanchez has revealed that he and Sir Elton were initially set to perform the latter’s hit 1983 song ‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues’, but the decision was overturned by the pianist at the last minute.
“We’d spent weeks [preparing for] that and then he came to see me and the boys at The Troubadour,” Sanchez said to Rolling Stone. “The week after, he just rang me and said, ‘Stephen, I’ve had a thought. I don’t want you to sing one of my songs. I think it would be far better if you sang your song and we gave you this big moment for you and your career.’
“I was just blown away by that selflessness and his desire to, you know, expose new artists and new music.”
Sir Elton John performs on stage during Day 5 of Glastonbury Festival 2023 on June 25, 2023 in Glastonbury, England (CREDIT: Leon Neal/Getty Images)Alongside performing all of his most famous tracks, including ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’, ‘Candle In The Wind’, ‘Rocketman’ and ‘Your Song’, Sir Elton was also joined by Gabriels’ Jacob Lusk on ‘Are You Ready For Love’, The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers on ‘Tiny Dancer’ and Rina Sawayama for a duet of ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’.
Elsewhere in the interview, Sanchez reflected on the musician’s dedication to highlighting new artists, and described how it felt for him to perform in front of so many people.
“He knew what that would do for our careers and he knew that it would sit in the glory of being his last show in the UK. He wants to champion other artists and pass the torch, so to speak. It’s just amazing. It’s been a huge honour,” he said.
“When you’re on the Pyramid Stage and you hear all those voices screaming at you, it’s almost like they’re wrapping you up and it feels spiritual. It’s really, really wild, the visual memory of a sea of heads and faces and people with their own lives and memories. I’m still kind of beyond the clouds a bit.”
GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND – JUNE 25: EDITORIAL USE ONLY. Sir Elton John performs on stage during Day 5 of Glastonbury Festival 2023 on June 25, 2023 in Glastonbury, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images)Shortly after his set, it was reported that the performance on Sunday successfully broke BBC viewing records, and was watched by 7.3million viewers.
In a five-star review, NME described the set as “one of the festival’s best-ever headline sets”.
“The crowd present are all ages, with the youngest singing even louder for one simple reason: Elton’s music is timeless and travels. Banger after banger comes, with never a lull,” it read.
“We were spoiled tonight. Flares light the sky, friends hold one another and an epic firework finale sees us into a monumental closer of ‘Rocket Man’. His one stage move (rising from the piano, arms outstretched, and smiling) is all he needs. The songs and his heart do the rest. Everyone here is on his side. Go on Reg.”
