Sir Elton John to kickstart goodbye tour with 11 Victorian shows
Sir Elton John begins his farewell tour with the first of 11 shows across Victoria this weekend, a part of the world that holds a very special place in the music legend’s heart.
Confidential
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When Sir Elton John begins his long goodbye with the first of 11 Victorian shows today, the final farewell will be especially bittersweet.
Sir Elton has a very special connection with Melbourne.
“He’s always loved Melbourne,” Sir Elton’s tour promoter Michael Chugg told the Herald Sun.
“It’s the music capital of Australia, and the fact he’s such a fan and collector of Australian music, the fact is, a lot of it comes out of Melbourne.”
Elton’s first Melbourne show was at Kooyong Stadium in 1971, which was also the year he met music guru and Ian “Molly” Meldrum.
That friendship, probably the rock icon’s strongest link to our city, sparked some of the best-ever Countdown moments, all filmed in Melbourne, topped off by Elton’s caustic wit and zingers.
Elton arrived at the airport, met by two policemen who said the four badges he was wearing would be “damaging to our society”.
One said “Bitch, Bitch, Bitch”. Another was a zodiac sign with a sexual intercourse position.
Elton stopped, put a few Band-Aids over the badges, and kept walking.
During the 1971 tour, Elton fell in love with Daddy Cool.
According to legend, he was inspired to write Crocodile Rock after hearing Eagle Rock.
It was also the start of Elton championing Melbourne music to the world.
He also supported, and signed to his record label, Eran James, a soul singer from Altona, and most recently, gave massive props to Tones And I on his Apple Music radio show.
After the 1971 tour, Elton savaged Australia, telling a British newspaper: “Everything [in Australia] is controversial, even Coronation Street. They have a sign flashing on the screen during the show: ‘Not suitable for children.’
“They are so archaic. We’re still ‘Limeys’ to them. Since I found that out, I have willed every Australian team to lose.
“My cousin lives there and he had to accept the principles of a beer-drinking idiot to survive. It was a nightmare being there, but we’ll go back. Why not?”
Elton returned to Australia three years later.
Molly organised a party for Elton at Silvers nightclub in Toorak, and arranged to take him to the venue in a Rolls Royce. Unfortunately, the car crawled up Toorak Rd, with the exhaust pipe backfiring every few minutes. Elton was furious. “Who’s idea was this?”
An embarrassed Molly whispered to minders: “Don’t tell him it was my idea, say it was someone from Sydney.”
Elton, who is godfather to John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s son, Sean, was in Melbourne the day John Lennon was murdered. Molly had arranged a Christmas-theme dinner at his home for Elton, but the event became a wake.
Molly interviewed Elton many times for Countdown, which was beamed around the country from the ABC-TV studios in Elsternwick.
In a 1978 interview, Elton was on fire, and bagged Boney M (“I can’t stand them, they’re dreadful … my mum likes them”) the Rolling Stones (“I liked ‘Miss You’ … I thought the rest of the album was abysmal, I thought they should give up”) and Billy Joel (“I always felt sorry for the bloke because everyone said, ‘Poor man’s Elton John.’ (If) you listen to ‘Big Shot’ — it’s Bennie and the Jets backwards.”).
Two years later, chatting to Molly, Elton had Bruce Springsteen in his sights. “I like (him),” Elton opined, “but all his stuff sounds as if it was recorded on the lawnmower.”
In 2012, with so much history between them, Elton told Molly: “You’re a legend and you’re a friend and you’ve stuck by me through the good times and the bad. You’re an institution … a mental institution, but you’re an institution.”
There’s an inscription on a wall at Molly’s house, which Elton wrote after Meldrum invited him over for a barbecue.
“Dear Molly,” it reads. “So many years, So many tears, But so many great times. Your friend Elton. Love you.”
Elton’s other links to Melbourne include a 1986 tour with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, which was recorded and released as an album in 1987.
Elton also performed his first-ever Australian show with Billy Joel at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium in 1997.
Sir Elton will perform the first of 11 Victorian shows at Mt Duneed, near Geelong, for A Day On The Green, tonight.
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He also has shows at Rod Laver Arena on December 10, 11, 14 and 15, Hanging Rock on January 25 and 26, All Saints Estate, Rutherglen on January 29, Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley, on January 31 and February 1, and AAMI Park on February 22. AAMI Park will be Sir Elton’s 50th show in Melbourne.
Extra tickets are available for most of the shows.
“I had a few words with Elton before he went on stage last night, and he’s just loving it, as we all are,” Chugg said this week.
“I’m in this business because of the joy I get out of watching people have a great night. The connection between Elton and the audience — it’s the magic that keeps me young.”