Elton John to say goodbye with final UK gig at Glastonbury Festival

Published

11 months ago

June 24, 2023

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After months of touring, this is it – the final chance to see music legend Sir Elton John performing live in the UK.

The Rocketman is hanging up his hat (but hopefully not the big glasses) with his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. After some gigs were rescheduled during the pandemic, this now ends in Sweden in July – but the star’s final show on home turf takes place at Glastonbury Festival tonight.

Sir Elton is one of the biggest-selling artists in the world – a performer with 32 studio albums under his belt, 10 number ones, and more than 300m in record sales – but surprisingly has never played at the world-famous festival before. His headline set closing the Pyramid stage will be his first and last chance to experience that 100,000-strong crowd, which so many performers who have experienced it before him describe as like no other.

In interviews, Sir Elton has said performing at Glastonbury “couldn’t be a more perfect ending”.

It’s hard to imagine how the star who has entertained the world for more than 50 years will walk away from performing completely – but what a stage to bow out on.

So will this really be the end?

Tom Smith, NME’s commissioning editor for music, says while there is lots of speculation the star may not be able to resist a comeback later down the line, it feels like this really could be his farewell from live performing.

“There’s always been a kind of ‘will he, won’t he’, but he seems pretty set that this is going to be the last UK show,” he told Sky News. “I think the way that he’s gone about it and prepared for the show and talked about all of the new bands he wants to celebrate in his career, you know, this long tour that he’s been on, it feels like it could be it, it really does.”

However, Sir Elton’s husband David Furnish told Sky News ahead of the festival that this won’t be the end of his music altogether.

“I don’t think he’ll be sitting on the sofa with a remote control,” Furnish said. “He’s going to go back into the studio in October and start his next album. Which will be great. He’s not done a studio album in a long time.”

We know for Glastonbury, the star plans to bring out four special guests – Furnish confirmed it would be a star-studded line-up, but didn’t give anything away.

Bookies are offering odds on everyone from Lady Gaga, Harry Styles and Rocketman star Taron Egerton, to recent collaborators Britney Spears, Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa. Sir Paul McCartney, who headlined the festival last year and was spotted at the side of the stage for the Foo Fighters’ surprise set on Friday, is also now a late addition to the speculation.

The acts that could join Sir Elton on stage

BRITNEY SPEARS – Last year, Sir Elton and Spears collaborated on the hit song Hold Me Closer which was the US singer’s first return to music in six years. He said he wanted the track, which reached number three in the UK charts, to “enlighten everybody” that Spears, 41, is “one of the great pop stars of the world”.

DUA LIPA – The chart-topping 27-year-old singer and Sir Elton released the chart-topping Cold Heart (Pnau Remix) together in August 2021. They performed the song at the end of his US final tour date at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in November last year.

BILLY JOEL – Sir Elton and American singer Joel, also a pianist, have played a series of tours titled Face To Face since 1994. Playing gigs, also in the 2000s and 2010s, the pair have built up a friendship together and Joel is also set to be in London in two weeks for BST Hyde Park on 7 July so might arrive in the UK early.

HARRY STYLES – The former One Direction star has expressed how he looks up to “showmen” such as Sir Elton, Prince, David Bowie, Elvis and Freddie Mercury. Sir Elton has also expressed he would like to work with the 29-year-old singer-songwriter, who is free from touring on Sunday after playing Festivalpark in Belgium on Saturday.

ED SHEERAN – Sir Elton mentored Sheeran’s budding career and he was originally signed to the megastar’s management company Rocket Music in 2011. They have collaborated together numerous times including on the festive song Merry Christmas, which became a chart-topper in December 2021. Sheeran, 32, is playing the FedEx Field in Maryland, US on Saturday and with an early flight could make Sir Elton’s show the next day in time for 9pm to 11.05pm. He is not due to continue his American tour leg until 29 June.

OLLY ALEXANDER – The Years And Years frontman and Sir Elton stunned viewers at the Brit Awards 2021 with a striking rendition of Pet Shop Boys’ It’s A Sin. This version of the hit song was later released to raise money for the Elton John Aids Foundation. Years And Years also has a festival performance in the US on Saturday so getting back in time could also prove a challenge.

EMINEM – Sir Elton has spoken previously about his friendship with US rapper Eminem and he once interviewed him for a feature in Interview magazine. At the 2001 Grammy Awards, the pair performed Stan which had originally been released with Dido, and Sir Elton has since spoken frequently about how he “adores” the “amazing guy”.

LADY GAGA – Sir Elton featured on Lady Gaga’s sixth studio album, Chromatica, which was released in May 2020. She was also a co-host at his Oscar watch party and took on Sir Elton’s catalogue as part of the album Revamp.

DOLLY PARTON – The US country veteran recently released a new album, titled Rockstar, which featured Sir Elton, Sting, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr. At the Country Music Awards 2005, they sang The Beatles band member John Lennon’s hit song Imagine.

KATE BUSH – The singer has recorded Sir Elton’s hits such as Rocket Man and Candle In The Wind along with the duet Snowed In At Wheeler Street with the megastar. The 64-year-old, who does not tour often, also attended his wedding to Furnish.

TARON EGERTON – He starred as Sir Elton in the biopic Rocketman which was based on the musician’s life. The 33-year-old also sang Tiny Dancer accompanied by Sir Elton at an Oscars party and recorded the song (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again for the film together.

Sir Elton has also teased that he will play a different set to that played on his farewell tour.

Whatever he sings, whoever he brings out on stage, one thing is certain – he will want to go out with a bang, and go down in the Glastonbury history books.

“You look at Paul McCartney last year – it was an incredible celebration of music for people of all ages, over his career, The Beatles to Wings and solo stuff,” NME journalist Tom added. “Elton’s got that level of repertoire and that goodwill among music fans. There’s every chance in 10, 15 years it could be: ‘I was there for Elton’s big send-off’.”

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Fellow Glastonbury first-timer Rick Astley – who drew a huge early crowd to the Pyramid stage on Saturday morning – believes few artists have had Sir Elton’s impact.

“With Elton, you’re naming one of the people who literally put one of the foundation blocks of music,” he said. “There’s a few people, men and women, who’ve laid down the rule book, the story book – everything – for the rest of us, and he’s one of them. There’s just no one comparable to him.”

One fan who is looking forward to tonight’s show is Alex McGuire, 47, who lives near to the festival site in Taunton.

Now on his 16th time at the event, for the past five occasions he has been making hats to celebrate his favourite acts.

For Glastonbury 2023, he says the decision was easy.

“It’s Elton’s final tour and final chance to see him quite possibly. It’s absolutely amazing for the Eavises to get him,” he told Sky News.

Alex has recreated Sir Elton on the Pyramid stage, complete with a grand piano and rainbow rockets – and it even lights up.

“It’s going to be a legendary moment,” he said. “Like Paul McCartney last year – it’s the ultimate for Glastonbury.”

In the run-up to the festival, Sir Elton has been teasing his performance – even sharing a picture of some spangly custom-made wellies on Instagram.

“It’s just come at the right time,” he said in one interview. “I’m a great believer in serendipity and fate – this is the most wonderful way to sign off in England.”

Entertainment

Sarah Harding breast cancer research project is successfully identifying at-risk young women

Published

3 hours ago

May 19, 2024

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Sarah Harding breast cancer research project is successfully identifying at-risk young women

A groundbreaking breast cancer research project launched in memory of the late Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding is already successfully identifying young women at increased risk of getting the disease.

The BCAN-RAY (Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in Young Women) was launched a year ago in the singer’s name after she died from the disease in 2021 at the age of 39.

While she was having treatment, the star said she was “really keen” for more research into why young women are being diagnosed without a family history of the disease.

One of the singer’s final hopes was to find ways of spotting the disease early when it’s easier to treat.

The BCAN-RAY is one of the only projects in the world trying to identify which women in their 30s are most at risk.

About 2,300 women under 40 are diagnosed with the disease each year in the UK, according to Breast Cancer Now.

The two-year study is using money from Cancer Research UK, the Christie Charity, and the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal – backed by her family and former bandmates.

It looks at risk factors most commonly found in young women with the disease and will form a model to identify them in future.

Anna Housley, 39, from Hale, Greater Manchester, is one of the women taking part in the trial. After being tested last year the mother of two was surprised to find she’s at increased risk.

With no history of the disease in her family, she told Sky News: “I’m really grateful that I have been found because now I know that I’m going to be looked after and I can be screened.”

Speaking about the work of Harding, she said: “All I can say really is thanks to her for being such a brave advocate to young women.”

The new information means she’s now eligible for annual mammograms and medication should she want it.

It’s hoped all women will eventually be able to have a risk assessment when they reach 30.

A thousand women in the Greater Manchester area will take part, including 250 with breast cancer who don’t have a family history of the disease.

Saliva samples will hopefully help experts identify certain types and patterns of genes that could raise a woman’s risk.

These will be considered with factors such as period timing, breast tissue density, alcohol consumption and use of the pill.

Harding’s consultant Dr Sacha Howell from Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, who is leading the study, said of the singer: “I think she’d be absolutely thrilled that she was part of this and her legacy is that we will be helping more and more young women like her.

“But what we’re all hoping is that by detecting those cancers earlier, they won’t unfortunately have that end result that Sarah did, which was to pass away with the disease.”

Harding’s legacy won’t just be her successful music career, it will also be her work in raising awareness around breast cancer and potentially giving many more women in their 30s a future.

Entertainment

Is buying vinyl bad for the planet – and what can be done about it?

Published

9 hours ago

May 19, 2024

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Is buying vinyl bad for the planet - and what can be done about it?

Taylor Swift’s new album helped fuel the highest weekly vinyl sales in 30 years – but is our rediscovered love of owning records environmentally reckless?

PVC (poly vinyl chloride), the plastic from which records have traditionally been made, isn’t great for the planet, and concerns have also been raised over packaging as vinyl sales have risedn in recent years.

Rou Reynolds, frontman of chart-topping rock band Enter Shikari, believes leading artists need to shoulder some responsibility to “push forward” change.

“The bigger you are as an artist, the more influence you have, the more you can push things forward and accelerate progression,” he says.

In an interview with Billboard in March, Billie Eilish criticised how “wasteful it is” when “some of the biggest artists in the world” make “40 different vinyl packages”, each with “a different unique thing just to get you to keep buying more”.

“Its reasonable criticism,” says Reynolds, “but I think it’ll basically dissipate as soon as it becomes the standard to use BioVinyl, for instance – that will really take away the possibility of criticism”.

Rather than make records out of regular PVC pellets, over the last few years it has become possible to use renewable sources such as cooking oil or wood pulp.

“Traditional vinyl is an oil-based product,” Reynolds explains. “No one really wants to support the extraction of any more fossil fuels.”

Enter Shikari now insist all their records are made using BioVinyl, and Reynolds is optimistic that if more artists make demands about what their records are made from, it would become the new norm.

“A lot of independent artists, like myself, we can light these fires, then it spreads and before you know it, it will become the industry standard.”

‘The advances are incredible’

Leading voices within vinyl production want the music industry to listen.

“Along with the Vinyl Alliance and the Vinyl Records Manufacturers Association, we’re looking at the whole manufacturing chain,” says Karen Emanuel, chief executive of Key Production, the UK’s largest broker for physical music production.

“I’ve been in the business probably about 35 years and the advances that have been made, it’s incredible. A lot of the big plastics companies, for PVC they’ve found a way replacing the fossil fuel elements [which] could mean as much as a 90% reduction in the carbon footprint of the vinyl.”

The catch, at the moment, is the cost.

“It’s a bit more expensive to manufacture but if enough people manufacture with it then the price point will come down… it’s something that we’re really trying to push people towards.”

Would fans be happy to pay more for a greener product?

Lee Jefferies, the owner of Leicestershire-based vinyl pressing plant Sonic Wax Pressing, is such a big vinyl lover, he spent £100,000 buying the world’s most valuable Motown record.

“Ultimately everything works from retail back,” he says “And with retail prices already being quite high on vinyl it’s very hard for people to have the extra money to buy biodegradable vinyl.”

But a recent survey conducted by Key Production found more than two thirds (69%) of vinyl buyers indicated they would be encouraged to buy more if the records were made with a reduced environmental impact.

The findings also revealed that the vast majority, 77%, of regular vinyl customers are willing to pay a premium for reduced impact products, signalling a significant market demand for eco-friendly alternatives.

Is there a bigger problem?

Ultimately, either the consumer, artists or labels will have to shoulder the cost if vinyl is to be made more sustainably.

But while a big old hunk of PVC might feel like the least green option, are we getting ourselves in a spin when we should also be looking in another direction?

Figures from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) put global vinyl sales for last year at about 80 million – using the IMPALA indepdent music companies association’s music emissions calculator, that works out at producing around 156k tonnes of CO2 emissions.

If you compare that to streaming, with Spotify alone – responsible for about a third of the market – its own estimates for its global carbon emissions were 280k tonnes last year, with vast amounts of electricity being used to power its data storage servers.

For Enter Shikari’s Reynolds, the potential to make vinyl greener is exciting.

“It has the same quality, the same appearance, you really wouldn’t notice the difference, which is incredible,” he says. “I think it speaks to, you know, a lot of the time people think that the transition society is about to go through, we think we’re going to lose luxuries… but I think this is just an example of why that’s not the case.

“You know, all it takes is some thought and some adaptation, and then some adoption… it’s super exciting.”

Perhaps now it’s time for the music industry to take note.

Entertainment

Dabney Coleman, actor who starred in Boardwalk Empire and 9 to 5, dies

Published

23 hours ago

May 18, 2024

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Dabney Coleman, actor who starred in Boardwalk Empire and 9 to 5, dies

Lily Tomlin, Morgan Fairchild and Ben Stiller have led tributes to “one-of-a-kind” actor Dabney Coleman following his death aged 92.

Coleman made his career playing comedic villains, mean-spirited bosses and villains in films including 9 to 5 and Tootsie, as well as playing Commodore Louis Kaestner in Boardwalk Empire.

Lily Tomlin, who starred alongside him in 9 To 5 with Jane Fonda and Dolly Parton, said: “We just loved him.”

In her post to X, the actress shared a photo of her character Violet Newstead dressed in a Snow White costume beside a tense-looking Coleman as her egotistical boss Franklin Hart Jr.

Morgan Fairchild, who starred in Falcon Crest and Friends, described Coleman as a “great one”.

“So very sorry to hear of the death of the wonderful #DabneyColeman”, she wrote on X alongside a black and white photo of them together.

“We went out for a bit in the ’80s and I adored him. This town has lost one of a kind!”

Coleman “took his last earthly breath peacefully and exquisitely” in his Santa Monica home on Thursday, his daughter said in a statement on Friday on behalf of the family.

“My father crafted his time here on Earth with a curious mind, a generous heart and a soul on fire with passion, desire and humour that tickled the funny bone of humanity”, she said.

“As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery.”

Ben Stiller, Zoolander and Meet The Parents actor, praised Coleman for paving the way for character actors.

“The great Dabney Coleman literally created, or defined, really – in a uniquely singular way – an archetype as a character actor.

“He was so good at what he did it’s hard to imagine movies and television of the last 40 years without him.”

Coleman starred in a number of films and TV series in the 1960s, then made his breakthrough as a corrupt mayor in the satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, in 1976.

His film credits include a computer scientist in WarGames, Tom Hanks’ father in You’ve Got Mail and a chief firefighter in The Towering Inferno.

He won a best actor Golden Globe for The Slap Maxwell Story and an Emmy for best supporting actor in Peter Levin’s 1987 legal drama Sworn To Silence.

Coleman also won two Screen Actors Guild Awards as part of the cast of crime drama Boardwalk Empire and received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his starring role in the NBC sitcom Buffalo Bill.