Elton John to play Tel Aviv on May 26
It's official: One of the most successful musicians in history will return to Israel in the spring for his fourth visit; the starting price for presale tickets is NIS 324.
Presale tickets for the Golden Ring will be offered for NIS 690 (about $178), while tickets for the grass area will be sold for NIS 324 ($84).
It will be British singer-songwriter's fourth visit to Israel. This time, he will arrive as part of the Wonderful Crazy Night Tour and will perform alongside his original band members: Nigel Olsson, Davey Johnstone, Matt Bissonette, John Mahon and Kim Bullard.
John, 68, first appeared in Israel on the country's Independence Day in 1979, as part of a tour in which all proceeds went to the Variety charity organization. "I decided to come to Israel because I wanted to see something different," he told reporters at the time. "In all my concerts around the world, I have never seen a crowd taking part so actively. Everyone sang together wholeheartedly, and I'm only sorry that because of the lighting I could not see the whole warm and enthusiastic audience."
'Candle in the Wind.' The second best-selling single of all time
In 1993, when he landed in Israel for the second time, he appeared less impressed by the Israelis' warm welcome, as his arrival was marred by a scandal that nearly led to the cancellation of his show: When he got to his hotel, he was accosted by dozens of paparazzi and a great commotion broke out between the photographers and his security guards.
He was scheduled to perform at Yarkon Park the next day, but immediately canceled the show and returned to London. After many attempts to bring him back, John returned to Israel two days later and performed in the Tel Aviv park.
In 2010, he played one concert at the Ramat Gan Stadium in front of 40,000 enthralled spectators.
.jpg_wa.jpg "This is what he looked like the last time he performed in Israel (Photo: Yaron Brener) (Photo: Yaron Brener)")
John was born in 1947 and began playing piano at the young age of three. At 15, he started a blues band. Five years later he met his creative partner, Bernie Taupin, with whom he will later crate many of his greatest hits. His debut album came out in 1969 but his big break came in 1970 with the release of his second album, "Elton John," which included a huge hit, "Your Song," which was praised by John Lennon.
Throughout the 1970s, John released seven No. 1 albums which established his standing as a leading figure in the global pop scene. Many of this songs from that period became classic hits, including "Crocodile Rock," "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," "Rocket Man," "Daniel," "Bennie and the Jets," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me," "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and "Candle in the Wind," which was originally dedicated to Marilyn Monroe. A rewritten version of the song as a tribute to Princess Diana was officially listed as the second best-selling single of all time.
Since then, throughout four decades, dozens of hits and more than 4,000 performances in more than 80 countries have made Sir John one of the most successful singers in the history of music. He has sold over 300 million albums, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world, and has won six Grammy Awards, five Brit Awards, an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Tony Award.
