40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man
Tour by Elton John | |
Start date | 10 November 2012 |
---|---|
End date | 12 September 2013 |
Legs | 6 |
No. of shows | 45 |
Elton John concert chronology |
40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man was a concert tour by British musician Elton John taking place in Oceania, Asia, North America, South America, and Europe celebrating the 40th anniversary of his top 20 hit single "Rocket Man".[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Background
40 years ago, during April 1972, "Rocket Man" was released around the world. To celebrate the landmark anniversary of its release, Elton John has been taking the celebrations globally for a world tour and will be returning to Australia for his record 42nd Sydney Entertainment Centre show plus a very special run of shows, some in parts of Australia he has never been in.[1][4]
John added a second concert at the newly constructed Perth Arena on 10 November, opening the arena. Originally George Michael had been scheduled to open the arena, but pulled out and John took his place.[7][8][9]
Both the 2012 Greatest Hits Live tour and the 2012 legs of the 40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man tour made it onto Billboard's "Top 25 Tours of 2012" at #19 with 36 shows, 28 of which were sell-outs. John performed to 240,381 people, making $32,920,986 (£20,946,700).[10] On 22 March 2013 John's South American tour topped that week's Billboard Hot Tours. While in Brazil, he had played to 52,492 people and made $6,332,640. One of the Brazilian concerts, in Belo Horizonte, was sold out, the only sold out date of the tour.[11]
Opening acts
- 2Cellos (12 November – 4 December 2012)[12]
- Schmidt (14-18 November 2012, Melbourne)[12]
- Pnau (16 November 2012, Sydney)[13]
Set list
This set list is representative of the first show in Perth. It does not represent all dates throughout the tour.[14]
- "The Bitch Is Back"
- "Bennie and the Jets"
- "Grey Seal"
- "Levon"
- "Tiny Dancer"
- "Believe"
- "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters"
- "Philadelphia Freedom"
- "Candle in the Wind"
- "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
- "Rocket Man"
- "Hey Ahab"
- "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
- "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"
- "Honky Cat"
- "Sad Songs"
- "Sacrifice"
- "Daniel"
- "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
- "Are You Ready for Love"
- "I'm Still Standing"
- "Crocodile Rock"
- "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
- "Your Song"
- "Circle of Life"
Tour dates
- Festivals and other miscellaneous performances
- A This concert was part of "Festival de Viña del Mar 2013"[19]
- B This concert was part of "Stars of Sounds Open Air Murten 2013"[22]
- C This concert was part of "Live at the Marquee"[23]
- D This concert was part of "Festival de Poupet"[24]
- E This concert was part of "Bestival"[25]
- F This concert was part of "iTunes Festival"[26]
- S This concert was solo concert.
- Cancellations and rescheduled shows
18 November 2011 | Bogor | Sentul International Convention Center | Moved to Mata Elang International Stadium, never rescheduled.[27] |
18 November 2012 | Mackay | Virgin Australia Stadium | Cancelled. Replaced with Melbourne concert.[28] |
29 November 2012 | Busan | Busan Exhibition and Convention Center | Cancelled. Replaced by Kuala Lumpur concert. |
12 March 2013 | Quito | Unconfirmed Venue | Cancelled.[29] |
15 March 2013 | Birmingham | BJCC Arena | Cancelled.[30] |
15 June 2013 | Murten | Stars of Sounds Open Air Festival | Rescheduled to 17 June 2013 due to band illness.[31] |
5 July 2013 | Halle | Gerry Weber Stadion | Rescheduled to 6 July 2014.[32] |
6 July 2013 | Mainz | Nordmole Zollhafen | Rescheduled to 19 July 2014.[32] |
7 July 2013 | Heilbronn | Frankenstadion Heilbronn | Cancelled.[33] |
9 July 2013 | Barolo | Piazza Colbert | Cancelled.[32] |
11 July 2013 | Dresden | Theaterplatz vor der Semperoper | Postponed to 11 July 2014.[34] |
12 July 2013 | London | Barclaycard's British Summer Time Festival | Cancelled.[35] |
13 July 2013 | Yekaterinburg | Yekaterinburg Sports Palace | Cancelled.[35] |
14 July 2013 | Krasnodar | Krasnodar Basket-Hall | Cancelled.[35] |
17 July 2013 | Lörrach | Stimmen-Festival | Rescheduled to 23 July 2014. |
19 July 2013 | Carhaix | Vieilles Charrues Festival | Cancelled.[35] |
20 July 2013 | Calella | Festival Jardins de Cap Roig | Cancelled.[35] |
21 July 2013 | Regensburg | Schloss St. Emmeram | Cancelled.[35] |
23 July 2013 | Carcassonne | Festival de Carcassonne | Cancelled.[35] |
24 July 2013 | Monte Carlo | Sporting Monte-Carlo | Cancelled.[35] |
Box office score data
Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue |
---|---|---|---|
Perth Arena | Perth | 21,782 / 21,782 (100%) | $3,919,890[36] |
Canberra Stadium | Canberra | 10,430 / 11,320 (92%) | $1,718,940[37] |
Entertainment Centre | Sydney | 18,056 / 18,056 (100%) | $3,059,390[38] |
Rod Laver Arena | Melbourne | 9,231 / 11,412 (81%) | $1,584,640[37] |
Silverdome | Launceston | 5,142 / 5,981 (86%) | $940,104[37] |
Jockey Club | São Paulo | 10,195 / 12,000 (85%) | $2,662,790[39] |
Estadio Zequinha | Porto Alegre | 11,294 / 13,500 (84%) | $1,712,440[37] |
Centro de Convencoes | Brasília | 5,862 / 6,900 (85%) | $1,104,140[37] |
Estadio do Mineirao | Belo Horizonte | 32,176 / 32,176 (100%) | $2,405,660[37] |
Chevrolet Hall | Recife | 3,160 / 4,600 (69%) | $1,110,400[37] |
Bridgestone Arena | Nashville | 14,896 / 14,896 (100%) | $1,177,534[40] |
Total | 142,224 / 152,623 (93%) | $21,395,928 |
Tour band
- Elton John – piano, vocals
- Davey Johnstone – guitar, banjo, backing vocals
- Matt Bissonette – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Kim Bullard – keyboards
- John Mahon – percussion, backing vocals
- Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
- Lisa Stone – backing vocals
- Rose Stone – backing vocals
- Tata Vega – backing vocals
- Jean Witherspoon – backing vocals
During the 2012 Asian tour the 2Cellos left the Elton John Band to pursue other projects following the release of their album In2ition.[43][44]
Controversies
John drew incredibly harsh criticism during his concert in Beijing when he dedicated the show to dissident artist Ai Weiwei. A state-owned newspaper accused the veteran British singer of being 'disrespectful' and said his actions could lead to a ban on other Western performers putting on shows in China. At the end of the show, John stunned his audience when he said he was dedicating the show to Weiwei. He said he was there to give tribute to Weiwei's 'honour and talent'. The Global Times, a paper run by the ruling Communist Parties, The People's Daily, said in an editorial: "John's unexpected action was disrespectful to the audience and the contract that he signed with the Chinese side, he forcibly added political content to the concert, which should have been nothing more than an entertaining performance. John's action will also make the relevant agencies further hesitate in the future when they invite foreign artists. John himself is a senior entertainment figure, but has raised difficulties for future arts exchanges between China and other countries."[45][46]
It was later revealed that as a result of John's comments at his concert in Beijing that Chinese authorities were considering tightening concert rules so that only artists with University degrees could perform in the country. This would rule out any return to China for John. He was also questioned by Chinese authorities after the concert regarding his remarks.[47]
Conservative campaigners demanded that John should cancel his concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Although John's scheduled performance went ahead at the Genting Arena of Stars, he faced fierce opposition from Muslim activists who object to openly gay performers performing in Malaysia as homosexual activities are illegal in the country. John faced down similar protests when he performed his first ever concert in Malaysia at the same venue just a year before.[48][49][50][51]
External links
References
- ^ a b "CELEBRATING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROCKET MAN – ELTON JOHN RETURNS TO AUSTRALIA". Sydney Social. 23 July 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ "'Rocket Man' Elton John to return to Hong Kong on anniversary tour". South China Morning Post. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Elton John and Band – 40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man". Hong Kong Ticketing. Retrieved 4 September 2012.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ a b "Elton John tour to celebratethe 40th anniversary of'Rocket Man'". Faster Louder. 20 July 2012. Archived from the original on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ a b "Sydney Entertainment Centre – Elton John". Sydney Entertainment Centre. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
- ^ "Rocket man Sir Elton John to tour Melbourne again as part of Aussie showcase". Herald Sun. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ^ "Rocket Man to Perth Arena rescue". Western Australia Today. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ^ "Sir Elton to open Perth Arena". MSN 9 News. 30 September 2012. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ^ "George Michael pulls out of Perth Arena gig". ABC News. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ^ "Top 25 Tours of 2012". Billboard. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
- ^ "Elton John Tops Hot Tours as 40th Anniversary Outing Hits Brazil". Billboard. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Elton to play Melbourne". Elton John. 10 September 2012. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ^ "Elton taps PNAU for Sydney gig". Herald Sun. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
- ^ Paul Cashmere (11 November 2012). "Elton John Officially Opens Perth Arena SETLIST". Noise11.com. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
- ^ "Elton John to celebrate the 40th anniversary of his hit Rocket Man". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Elton John Finally Adds Melbourne Show". Noise11. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ^
Sources for Asian Tour
- "Elton to play Beijing in November". EltonJohn.com. 24 September 2012. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- "Elton to play The Philippines". EltonJohn.com. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.[permanent dead link ]
- "Elton and the band to play Hong Kong". EltonJohn.com. 22 August 2012. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- "Elton to play Shanghai, China in November". EltonJohn.com. 14 August 2012. Archived from the original on 21 August 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- "Pop legend Elton John to hold concerts in Korea". AsiaOne. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- "Elton John to return to Bangkok". The Phuket News. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
- ^
Sources for South American Tour
- "Elton and the Band for Brazil in 2013". Elton John. 5 December 2012. Archived from the original on 16 December 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- "Elton and the band for Argentina in 2013". Elton John. 26 December 2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- "Elton and band for Uruguay". Elton John. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ a b "Elton and the band for Chile in 2013". Elton John. 12 December 2012. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^
Sources for North American Tour
- "ELTON AND THE BAND FOR BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA". Elton John. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- "ELTON AND THE BAND FOR NASHVILLE CONCERT". Elton John. 10 January 2013. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- "ELTON AND THE BAND TO PLAY BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA". Elton John. 10 January 2013. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- "FIRST US TOUR DATE ANNOUNCED FOR 2013". Elton John. 9 January 2013. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- "Elton and the band for Memphis, Tennessee". Elton John. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- "Elton and the band for Montgomery, Alabama". Elton John. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- "Elton and the band for Dayton, Ohio". Elton John. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- "Elton and the band for Chattanooga, Tennessee". Elton John. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^
Sources for European Tour
- "Elton and the band for Germany 2013". EltonJohn.com. 24 October 2012. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
- "Elton to play in Estonia next summer". EltonJohn.com. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ a b "Switzerland is Elton's first 2013 date to be announced". EltonJohn.com. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 23 October 2012.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Elton John At The Marquee". The Cork News. 14 December 2012. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ "ELTON JOHN & Band". Festival de Poupet. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ "Elton John: 'Bestival seems to be a people's festival'". The Guardian. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ "Elton and Band to Play 2013 iTunes Festival in London on September 12". Elton John. 8 July 2013. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ^ "Elton John's Indonesian concert postponed". The Jakarta Post. 16 November 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2011.
- ^ "It's goodbye to Elton John". Daily Mercury. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
- ^ "Ecuador concert update". Elton John. 14 February 2013. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ^ "Elton John Cancels Show For 'Medical Reasons'". Sky News. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2013.
- ^ "Elton's June 15 Show is Rescheduled to June 17". Elton John. 14 June 2013. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2013.
- ^ a b c "Elton Has a Virus, Three Concerts Cancelled". Elton Daily. 5 July 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ "Elton John kommt nicht nach Heilbronn". Stuttgarter-Nachrichten. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ "Dresden Concert Postponed to 2014". Elton Daily. 8 June 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Elton's Summer Tour Postponed". Elton John. 9 July 2013. Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 11 January 2013. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- ^ Sources for SEC Boxscore
- "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 25 November 2012. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 1 February 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
- ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 7 March 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
- ^ "Billboard Boxscore". Billboard. 11 April 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
- ^ "ELTON FOR AUSTRALIA IN NOVEMBER". Elton John. 20 July 2012. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ^ "NEW BASS PLAYER FOR ELTON'S BAND". Elton John. 3 September 2012. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ^ "The Diving Board Delayed, Elton Returning to Oz Next Year, 2Cellos Leaving the Elton Band". EltonDaily. 18 November 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ^ "2Cellos Leave the Band, Not at Bangkok Concert". EltonDaily. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- ^ "China: Elton John Dedicates Gig To Weiwei". Sky. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- ^ "Elton John upsets China with Ai Weiwei dedication at concert". Metro. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- ^ "China tightens concert rules after Elton John's 'disrespectful' Beijing show". The Guardian. 10 February 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
- ^ "Elton John Urged To Cancel Malaysian Show". Contact Music. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- ^ "Elton John's Malaysia show draws protests from Islamic group". Digital Spy. 28 November 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
- ^ "Malaysia's Islamic party protests against Elton John concert". The Guardian. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ "Malaysia Muslims call for 'immoral' Elton John to be banned". The Telegraph. 27 November 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.