Sir Elton John delivered an epic 24-song marathon at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil.
The iconic performer shifted his slot forward by 65 minutes on Monday evening, amid expectations that his set might be shortened due to the storms that had battered the city for the previous three days.
However, the British legend delivered a complete concert, spanning 24 tracks over two hours and 15 minutes, with the downpour easing as the show got underway.
According to Billboard, this performance eclipsed the numbers posted by earlier headliners at this year’s festival: Foo Fighters 19, Avenged Sevenfold 14 and Calvin Harris 21.
John explained that his decision to head to Brazil came after completing his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in July 2023, because Brazil had been left off the itinerary previously.
“I felt a touch guilty about that,” he said. “I accepted Rock in Rio’s invitation to thank you once again for all the love you’ve shown me throughout my career.”
Tickets were sold out for the show, which drew more than 100,000 people on Monday despite the bleak weather forecast.
The Brazilian crowd sang along with the opening number, Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, and kept up the momentum with classic tracks such as Tiny Dancer, Sacrifice, Rocket Man, Candle in the Wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Sad Songs (Say So Much) and Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.
John paid tribute to the Brazilian audience by dedicating Crocodile Rock to them.
