During a recent, successful tour of South America, Elton contracted a harmful and unusual bacterial infection. He is now comfortably resting at home and is expected to make a full and complete recovery.
Elton will be returning to his schedule of live performances starting in London at The Twickenham Stoop on Saturday June 3rd before performing in Derby, Birmingham, Leeds, Blackburn, Peterborough, Ipswich, Widnes and Airdrie in June as part of Wonderful Crazy Night Tour.
Tickets for all shows are available to purchase here. For hospitality packages please contact the venue directly.
Elton John releases his incredible live album ’17.11.70+’ on Record Store Day
Elton John is commemorated as the first ever worldwide Record Store Day legend and will release his incredible live album ’17.11.70+’ on Record Store Day, April 22, 2017. The Tenth anniversary of Record Store Day.
The Legendary album is released on vinyl in newly expanded form with 6 previously unreleased tracks; this format is a 2 LP set on 180gm vinyl, remastered by Bob Ludwig.
‘The album ‘17-11-70’ was not meant to be a live one at all; we did one of the first-ever stereo radio broadcasts live at A&R Recording Studios in New York City in 1970 on the 17th of November. It was Phil Ramone’s studio, one of the greatest producers of all time, and we just went in the booth and played it as a three-piece: Nigel Olsson on drums and vocals, Dee Murray on bass and vocals, and myself. There was a studio audience of about 100 sitting outside the booth, hearing it coming through the loud speakers, and we just played. I’m astonished by how good we were, listening to this record. A lot of it was improvised, and you can do that when you’re a three-piece band because I’m really the lead instrument, and Dee and Nigel were so brilliant at following what I did. There’s a 16-minute track on it that was completely improvised, more or less, and I’m very proud of it: I think it’s one of the greatest live albums ever made. It wasn’t initially coming out as a live album, but there were so many bootlegs in those days that the record company put it out. I’m glad they did because it really is something I’m very, very proud of’ - Elton John
‘Happy 10th birthday to Record Store Day. I love record stores, I can go to the record store in Vegas and spend 3 hours in there. Just the smell of it, the looking at it, the wonder of it, the memories. I love vinyl so much; the tactile nature, the ritual of it, looking at the sleeve...especially with the old albums and the liner notes - who played on them, the process of putting it on, the needle going on and the sound coming out. And it DOES sound better, I know it does! It’s just the wonder of having vinyl’ - Elton John
In November 1970, Elton John performed an intimate concert at A&R Studios in New York, recorded for WABC FM. In front of 125 people, Elton played in his then three-piece line up of himself, Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums. Intended for broadcast only, its pristine quality – engineered by the legendary Phil Ramone (the ‘R’ in A&R Studios) – meant that the recording of the performance became a fast-selling bootleg. Sales were so great that it had to be rush-released as 17.11.70 on DJM Records in April 1971, capturing six of the concert’s tracks on a single album.
However, 17.11.70 often seemed a footnote in Elton’s history, overlooked in contrast to his invincible run of studio albums (and he was productive – this would be his fourth album in two years). By the time he’d become a superstar a handful of years later, when 17.11.70 was picked up in the racks, the track titles confused all the new Crocodile Rockers and Saturday Night Fighters.
17.11.70 is a fascinating artefact: this is the Elton that America fell in love with at the start of their long affair; it offers pure, stripped back performances of those off-kilter, beautiful songs written with Bernie Taupin that invented Americana long before it became a thing.
The album was originally released on May 10, 1971 and entered the Billboard album charts on May 29, peaking at No 11. Elton was the first artist since the Beatles to have four albums charting simultaneously in Billboard’s top 100 albums. Incidentally the live photos on the front and back covers of the album were shot at Elton’s first ever shows in America, at the legendary Troubadour in Los Angeles, a performance that has gone down in history.
This special exclusive Record Store Day edition of 17-11-70+ reinstates six further songs from the concert and thus it is, at last, the most complete edition of the show available. The version of ‘Amoreena’ here has never been released on vinyl. This is a record of which Elton is tremendously and rightly proud. With its mixture of originals and then-recent covers (Elton takes on the Stones, the Beatles and Elvis as if to say ‘I’m going to be joining you at your level soon’), 17-11-70+ is a perfect capture of the warmth, humour and showmanship of a 23-year-old on the brink of international fame.
Track listing:
A1 Take Me To The Pilot
A2 Honky Tonk Women
A3 Sixty Years On
A4 CanIPutYouOn
B1 Bad Side Of The Moon
B2 Burn Down The Mission (Incl. My Baby Left Me / Get Back)
C1 Indian Sunset (Previously unreleased bonus track)
C2 Amoreena (Newly remixed bonus track)
C3 Your Song (Previously unreleased bonus track)
D1 Country Comfort (Previously unreleased bonus track)
D2 I Need You To Turn To (Previously unreleased bonus track)
D3 Border Song (Previously unreleased bonus track)
D4 My Father's Gun (Previously unreleased bonus track)
Matt Gresham announces debut London headline show
Fresh from supporting UK’s James Arthur on his 16-date March tour, Perth born singer songwriter Matt Gresham has announced his first London headline show at The Islington on Friday 26 May.
Tickets go on sale 9am Friday 7 April.
Now residing in Berlin after signing to Warner Germany, Matt is delving into a new chapter of creativity. His recent single ‘Survive On Love’ which was co-written with up and coming LA based producer Jaymes Young (London Grammar), marks a new beginning for the Australian musician.
The last two years have been non-stop for the singer, with a sold-out Australian tour already under his belt plus several well-received performances at SXSW, winning ‘Song of the Year’ at the Western Australian Music Awards and not least playing to two sold-out crowds at Shepherds Bush Empire on the James Arthur tour, Matt has already built a strong and loyal fan base and this is only the beginning.
This show will undoubtedly mark Matt as one of 2017’s ones to watch and showcase his talent to a whole new audience.
Full details and tickets can be found here.
Céline Dion announces first Glasgow performance in over 20 years
Global music sensation Céline Dion has this morning announced she will be bringing her LIVE 2017 UK and European tour to the SSE Hydro Glasgow, Scotland on 5th August. The show will be the only Scotland performance of the 25-date summer tour that has seen record demand since announcing earlier this year. Céline’s return to Glasgow will be her first visit since her last performance in the city at the SECC 21 years ago. Prior to that, Céline performed a sell-out concert to over 65,000 fans at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium, one of her last stadium shows on UK shores for over 19 years.
Members of Team Céline will have access to a pre-sale beginning on 4 April. Exclusive VIP packages will also be available. Tickets go on sale to the general public on 7 April, 2017.
One of the most successful and widely respected female performers in music history, Céline’s return to Glasgow, will see her performing to over thirteen thousand fans who have been eagerly waiting twenty one years for another chance to catch the legendary music icon in action.
Céline commented: “It is going to be a special night in Glasgow. I have not seen the beautiful sights of the city for over 21 years and cannot wait to celebrate the return with my amazing Scottish fans.“
The CÉLINE DION LIVE 2017 Tour will feature an array of smash hits from her incredible 30 year career in music, which has produced over 250 million album sales, five Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, seven American Music Awards, 20 Juno Awards (Canada) and an astonishing 40 Felix Awards (Quebec). In 2004, Céline received the Diamond award at the World Music Awards recognising her status as the best-selling female artist of all time. In 2007 she was honoured with the Legend Award at World Music Awards in recognition of her global success and outstanding contribution to the music industry, and 2016, she was presented with the prestigious ‘’Icon Award’’ at the Billboard Music Awards.
The legendary music icon announced her first UK and European Tour in over eight years on 25 January, 2017 and the response from her fans across the UK and Europe has been incredible.
Full details and tickets for Céline's UK tour can be found here.
Elton John celebrates 70th birthday and 50-year partnership with Bernie Taupin
Tomorrow, March 25, a gala fundraising event celebrating Elton John’s 70th birthday and his 50-year writing partnership with Bernie Taupin will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) and the UCLA Hammer Museum. Held at Red Studios in Los Angeles, the evening will be hosted by Rob Lowe and will feature a gala dinner and special musical performances by Lady Gaga and other surprise guests.
Watch a short film with a selection of highlights
from Elton’s amazing career here.
In keeping with Elton's commitment to philanthropy, he is eager to leverage the celebration of his 70th birthday and his amazing songwriting collaboration with Bernie Taupin in order to support two worthy causes that are the driving passions of his life: ending the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, and art in all its many forms. To that end, this event will raise urgently needed money to help fund the grant-making initiatives of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and exhibitions and programs at the Hammer Museum in LA.
This very special evening will honor the many strands of an unrivalled career and life that still continue to enrich, enthrall, and inspire. Elton John is a true musical and cultural iconoclast, with a record that speaks for itself. He has achieved worldwide sales of over 250 million records and has 58 Billboard Top 40 singles in the United States. He has written the music for the stage and screen successes Billy Elliot: The Musical, Elton John & Tim Rice's Aida, and Disney's cinematic and theatrical sensation The Lion King. A tireless live performer, Elton has played more than 3,500 concerts in over 80 countries. He has collected 12 Ivor Novello Awards, six GRAMMYS®, two Brits, an Oscar®, and a Tony. He has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and The Songwriters Hall of Fame, and has received a knighthood from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. He is a tireless charitable campaigner and philanthropist, notoriously outspoken for the causes he believes in. Elton John is an undisputed pop culture legend. His knowledge and championing of new music has helped many new artists achieve recognition and success. He is constantly moving forward, never resting on his laurels, never becoming complacent, predictable, or dull.
Of his career with Bernie Taupin, Elton simply says, "It's the same excitement now as when we first started. That this year marks the 50th anniversary of my partnership with Bernie Taupin is mind boggling for me because it seems like only yesterday that I met him. It's an amazing achievement to stay with one person for 50 years on a creative basis, in an industry where that doesn't really happen very much."
On reaching his 70th year, Elton notes, "I'm interested in moving forward all the time, with what I create, my collaborations, and also with discovering the work of other people. I think age is immaterial, provided we keep our minds alive by being open to new things. I can be as excited by a new artist who plays me their demo as I am by a new record of one of my musical heroes. I can be excited by playing a new city I've never played before, or revisiting somewhere I know well and seeing how it's changed. Life is a constant state of flux for us all, and I like to embrace that. I also feel very happy to use my position to bring attention to injustice in the world, and to try to help where I can. At this time in my life I'm the happiest I have ever been."
Bernie Taupin says of Elton, "It's been an unconventional partnership and while we pretty much patented the two-rooms technique I'd venture to say you'd be hard pressed to find a couple of songwriters more in sync with each other and their craft".
Elton John and his band perform across the UK this Summer on his Wonderful Crazy Night Tour. Full details and tickets here.
P!nk announces second show in Berlin
Due to sensational demand a second and final show has been added to P!nk’s run of European Summer shows. The new date is Saturday, 12 August.
Tickets for the new show will go on public sale on Friday, 23 March at 10:00AM CET.
In addition to these two Berlin concerts exclusive to Germany, P!nk will only be appearing this summer at the Sziget Festival in Budapest on 9 August , and co-headlining the Virgin V-Festival in the UK on 19 & 20 August.
P!nk announces Summer dates in Hungary and Germany
A further two dates have been added to P!nk’s European summer tour. On Wednesday, August 9th P!nk will perform at Sziget Festival, Budapest before heading to Berlin to play the Waldbuhne on Friday, August 11th. Announced last month, P!nk will round off her visit to Europe by playing the Virgin V Festival on Saturday, August 19 and Sunday, August 20.
Since her debut in 2000, P!nk (Alecia Moore) has released seven records, sold over 60 million albums, over 130 million singles, over 2.4 million DVDs worldwide. She is the recipient of three GRAMMY® Awards, three Billboard Music Awards, six MTV Video Music Awards, two MTV Europe Awards, two People's Choice Awards and was named Billboard's "Woman of the Year" in 2013.
She has just released a new single with Producer and DJ-Duo Stargate and Australian superstar Sia: “Waterfall”!
Steps add dates in Birmingham and Cardiff due to demand
Due to huge demand Steps have added two extra dates, in Birmingham & Cardiff, to the ‘Party On The Dancefloor’ tour.
Saturday 9 December - Genting Arena, Birmingham
Sunday 10 December - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff
Tickets go on sale at 9am Friday 24 March.
Party On The Dancefloor full tour dates:
November 2017
Sunday 12 - Belfast SSE Arena
Monday 13 - Dublin 3Arena
Tuesday 14 - Belfast SSE Arena
Thursday 16 - Glasgow The SSE Hydro
Friday 17 - Aberdeen GE Oil & Gas Arena
Saturday 18 - Liverpool Echo Arena
Monday 20 - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
Tuesday 21 - Leeds First Direct Arena
Thursday 23 - Brighton Centre
Friday 24 - London The O2
Saturday 25 - London The SSE Arena, Wembley
Monday 27 - Bournemouth BIC
Tuesday 28 - Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Wednesday 29 - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
December 2017
Friday 01 - Birmingham Barclaycard Arena
Saturday 02 - Manchester Arena
Sunday 03 - Manchester Arena
Tuesday 05 - Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
Wednesday 06 - Liverpool Echo Arena
Thursday 07 - Glasgow The SSE Hydro
Saturday 09 December - Birmingham Genting Arena
Sunday 10 December - Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Don't miss the return of Steps later this year. Book tickets here.