Sir Elton John rocks Taunton - report and photo gallery
http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/9742654.Sir_Elton_John_rocks_rain_soaked_Taunton/?ref=rss
THOUSANDS of music fans braved torrential rain to enjoy more than two hours of hits from pop legend Sir Elton John.
The heavens above Somerset County Cricket Club's County Ground in
Taunton opened shortly before Sir Elton took to the stage at 7pm.
With the vast majority of seats uncovered, fans were soaked for the first half-hour of the performance before the rain relented.
Early on in his performance, Sir Elton turned to the crowd and joked 'welcome to summer'.
Despite the downpours, fans were soon on their feet dancing to hits such as Rocket Man, Are You Ready For Love? and Your Song.
Don't miss Thursday's edition of the Somerset County Gazette for a full
eight-page souvenir of the gig, featuring dozens of photographs.
Rock Royalty To Join Queen's Jubilee Concert
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rock-royalty-join-queens-jubilee-concert-010455089.html
Sir Elton John says he has "jazzed up" about playing for the Queen at
the Jubilee Concert because the Monarch has always been a part of his
life.
"I remember watching the Coronation on TV, she has been Queen almost as
long as I've been alive, she has been a constant, and I think she's done
an amazing job under difficult circumstances sometimes, so I'm more
jazzed about doing this than ever... for her," he said.
Sir Elton , who is still recovering after being rushed into hospital
last week with pneumonia, is just one of the superstar line-up thrilled
to be invited to perform at the Buckingham Palace gig, which is being
billed as the centre piece of the jubilee celebrations .
Sir Tom Jones , who is also in his seventies, is clearly touched to be
involved, telling Sky News: "When I had my OBE and Knighthood the Queen
pinned it on, so it's like wow you cannot get any better than that."
He added: "I'm glad to see she's healthy and enjoying it, it doesn't
seem like a chore. She does it well with style and grace, it's a
wonderful thing."
The Queen and Prince Charles will make an appearance on stage at the
concert alongside rock and pop royalty during the three-hour musical
extravaganza, which has been masterminded by Gary Barlow .
Proceedings are expected to get underway at 7.30pm.
The Queen Victoria memorial stage will have an audience of 10,000 people
who received tickets through a ballot, with a further 500,000 watching
on big screens in St James's Park, Green Park and The Mall, and millions
more viewing at home.
In addition to Sir Elton and Sir Tom, the line-up includes a wealth of
artists who have spanned the Queen's reign, such as Sir Paul McCartney ,
Sir Cliff Richard , Cheryl Cole , Stevie Wonder , Kylie Minogue , JLS
and Jessie J.
Dame Shirley Bassey will sing Diamonds Are Forever, Sir Paul will play
Live And Let Die, while Sir Elton will perform Your Song, I'm Still
Standing and Crocodile Rock.
Sir Tom is expected to sing Delilah and Mama Told Me Not To Come and Robbie Williams will perform Mack The Knife.
Gary Barlow - who is also set to duet with Cheryl Cole - will do his
official Diamond Jubilee song, before Madness take to the top of
Buckingham Palace for the event's finale.
The host of stars will entertain royal guests including the Duchess of
Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Anne and Princes
Harry, Andrew and Edward.
Sir Cliff told Sky News: "I don't think you ever get used to being invited back again and again and again.
"I couldn't believe when I read in a paper that the Queen said 'Oh I'd
like Cliff to be there' - and I'm thinking she probably didn't say that -
but it's nice to think I'm still considered part of the fabric of
society as are Elton, Tom and Paul."
The single Sing! has also been released as part of the festivities.
Written by Barlow and Lord Lloyd Webber it celebrates the Commonwealth
and the Queen with the track featuring singers from around the world as
well as Prince Harry playing the tambourine.
Sing! is the title track song on the official Diamond Jubilee album which has shot to the top of the UK charts.
The Military Wives conducted by Gareth Malone - who were the Christmas
number 1 - have also contributed to the track and will perform at the
concert.
Malone told Sky News: "I got a tweet from Gary Barlow saying do you want
to come and have a cup of tea and you don't say no to Gary Barlow do
you?
"I went and met him and he sang the song to me face to face. It was a
very intense experience because I then had to tell him whether I liked
it or not. Happily I did."
Rebecca Marshall of the Military Wives said: "She certainly likes the
song, we've been told she is a fan and that's all you need, as long as
the Queen is a fan of the song everyone has got to enjoy it."
Sir Elton John back on stage after health scare
http://uk.omg.yahoo.com/news/sir-elton-john-back-stage-health-scare-074815804.html
Sir Elton John back on stage after health scare
Sir Elton John returned to the stage on Sunday night for the first time
since his recent health scare which landed him in hospital.
The Rocket Man scrapped a number of shows in Las Vegas last month after
he was diagnosed with a serious respiratory infection, which later
turned out to be a bout of potentially deadly lung condition pneumonia.
He took some time off to recover, but the singer proved he had put the
health battle behind him by taking to the stage for a show in Taunton on
Sunday.
Sir Elton braved wet and windy conditions at Somerset County Cricket
Ground to play hits including Candle in the Wind and Your Song just a
day before he is due to play at Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee
concert in London on Monday.
He previously revealed he is "very excited" about performing at the special event at Buckingham Palace.
