While it’s no Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me, both Elton John and George Michael will both be celebrated this year in Australia with very special concerts.
Elton John’s Once in a Lifetime tour will take him to regional spots in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania.
George Michael passed away while the Sydney Symphony Orchestra were planning a Faith anniversary concert. Now they’re going ahead with a tribute to the music legend’s life this July.
Elton John is coming to bedazzle one lucky half of Australia at a string of outdoor, regional spots, while the Sydney Symphony Orchestra pays homage to George Michael.
2016 was a good year for John. He featured in We Got It from Here… Thank You 4 Your Service, the critically acclaimed album by Tribe Called Quest and in December, launched Elton John: The Cut, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the singer’s songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin. In the same month, he, in collaboration with YouTube, created a competition for amateur videographers to create music videos for his most iconic songs.
John will perform a total of four shows in Mackay, Wollongong, Hobart and then back up to Cairns. While the last time he played in Hobart was in 1990 during his Sleeping with the Past tour, John has never played in the other three cities.
As for Michael, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra are preparing for a monumental night of musical tributes. Before his death on Christmas Day 2016, the SSO had already planned to commemorate 30 years since his solo debut album Faith. Now, they will be celebrating the life of “the pop icon gone far too soon” with a bunch of Australian artists.
“Join Diesel, David Campbell, Sam Sparro, Brendan Maclean, Jade MacRae, Gary Pinto, Carmen Smith and Natasha Stuart as they move from Careless Whisper through to Faith, Father Figure to Praying for Time and more.”
According to News.com.au, Campbell will not be putting his own take on Michael’s greatest songs, instead, “we want to honour the songs as he wrote them, focus on his incredible phrasing.”
Tickets to Elton John’s Once in a Lifetime tour will be available soon from the official Elton John website.
Book tickets to George Michael: Praying for Time from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra website.
Check out George Michael and Elton John perform Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me live in 1991
