Sir Elton John becomes most watched Glastonbury headliner as 7.6 million viewers tune in

Sir Elton John has become the most watched headliner at Glastonbury Festival after 7.6 million viewers tuned in to watch his ‘last ever tour’.

The 76-year-old music legend performed his Sunday night set on the Pyramid Stage as the sun set and he drew the festival to a close with his ‘farewell performance’.

He described his first ever Glastonbury appearance as the ‘perfect ending’ to his glittering career spanning over 50 years, choosing the festival as the final UK date of his ‘last ever tour’.

As well as 7.6 million people at home tuning in to the BBC broadcast, an estimated 120,000 fans watched the Rocket Man in person at Somerset’s Worthy Farm in what is thought to be the largest Glastonbury crowd ever witnessed. 

This number outdid the estimated 100,000 who turned out to watch Sir Paul McCartney play at last years’ festival.

The impressive 7.6 million TV audience figure also broke the 4.6 million viewer record set by Ed Sheeran in 2017.

Sir Elton played his greatest hits for fans who went wild, kicking off his set with his version of The Who’s Pinball Wizard and a finale of his very own Rocket Man.

He was joined by a several special guest performers which included Killers frontman Brandon Flowers and a number of up and coming artists.

From the Pyramid Stage he thanked the crowd and fans for ‘52 years of loyalty’, saying: “I never thought I would ever play Glastonbury, and here I am. It’s a very special and emotional night for me.”

Later, he wrote on his Instagram page: “Thank you, Glastonbury!

“The energy last night was like nothing else, and I couldn’t be more grateful to the crowd and the people watching at home for all your love and support. You will be in my heart and soul forever.

“UK, what a farewell. I love you #glastonbury.”

Glastonbury 2023 was a huge success for older artists as Sunday’s line-up also saw  performances from Cat Stevens, 75, Debbie Harry, 77 and Candi Staton, 83, all doing their thing in front of thousands of adoring fans.

And Sir Elton’s band was made up of guitarist Davey Johnstone, 72, drummer Nigel Olsson, 74, and percussionist Ray Cooper, 75.

Sir Paul remains the oldest act to headline the festival at age 80, and attended this years’ Glastonbury as a spectator to enjoy the music along with his family.

As Sir Elton’s farewell tour comes to an end, he has just a handful of dates left on the list including France, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden. But he said his Glastonbury show is one he will ‘never forget’, and neither will we.