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PRESS RELEASE SOURCE: DISNEY+
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Nearly 50 Years After Elton John’s Legendary Performance at Dodger Stadium, The Live Music Event Special from Disney Branded Television Will Serve as Prelude to the Recently Announced 2023 Disney Original Documentary
‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years That Made His Legend,’ from Directors RJ Cutler and David Furnish
Live Special Produced by Fulwell 73 Productions (Team behind the EmmyÒ-winning ‘Adele: One Night Only’) and Rocket Entertainment
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LONDON, U.K. (25 October, 2022) – On this day, exactly 47 years ago, Elton John’s legendary performance at Dodger Stadium launched him into global stardom, and next month, he will come full circle, returning to Dodger Stadium to grace us with his final North American show. Exclusively streamed live on Disney+ on Sunday, 20 Nov, 2022 (Monday 21 November at 3:30am GMT), “Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium” is a once-in-a-lifetime live, global original concert event that offers fans from around the world a front-row seat to witness the groundbreaking magic of the Rocket Man back at Dodger Stadium.
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The historic three-hour livestream, from Disney Branded Television and produced by Fulwell 73 Productions and Rocket Entertainment, will showcase Elton John as audiences have never seen him before, paying tribute to the icon and the seminal moment in 1975 that cemented his global success. The concert will begin with “Countdown to Elton Live” from Dodger Stadium, beginning at 3:30am GMT.
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“To feel the energy from the best fans, not only in Dodger Stadium again, but this time around the world from those watching live at home, will be truly extra special for me,” said Elton John. “I’m thrilled to celebrate this momentous evening globally. I hope everyone feels the power and joy of performing on a stage as iconic as Dodger’s. Just like I did almost 50 years ago.”
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“Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium” will commemorate a watershed evening in music history as it unfolds in real-time at Dodger Stadium, giving fans 50,000+ fans in person and countless admirers worldwide, the rare chance to experience his biggest hits from the past 50 years. The extraordinary night also will feature several yet-to-be-announced big-name artists who will honor the legendary megastar on stage.
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“Sir Elton John’s impact on music and culture is unparalleled, and this concert event is sure to be one for the history books,” said Ayo Davis, president of Disney Branded Television. “We’re thrilled to bring this exclusive, up-close, backstage-to-front-row-seat experience to audiences around the world, live on Disney+.”
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“Having grown up in England in the 1980s and 90s, we like everyone else of our generation, can think of countless moments where Elton’s music was the soundtrack to our lives” said Fulwell 73 Productions’ Gabe Turner and Ben Winston, in a joint statement. “To be able to work with Sir Elton and the Disney team on what will undoubtedly become a cultural milestone is both a personal and professional highlight that we are so thankful for.”
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This spectacular evening will serve as a prelude to the highly anticipated 2023 Disney Original Documentary “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years That Made His Legend,” from Academy Award® nominee R.J. Cutler and filmmaker David Furnish. As the official feature on Elton John, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” will unveil unseen rehearsal and concert footage over the last 50 years, along with exclusive personal archives and interviews. The definitive portrait of Elton John also will spotlight his final months on the road and a look back at the extraordinary first five years of his career between 1970 and 1975, when he released 10 iconic albums, seven of which went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts to become a global phenomenon. The film will play festivals and have a theatrical run before it streams on Disney+.
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“Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium” is produced by Fulwell 73 Productions and Rocket Entertainment. Fulwell 73 Productions has executed and captured some of the biggest moments in music history, including Elton John’s AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Party, “Adele: One Night Only,” “Bruno Mars: 24K Magic Live at The Apollo,” Global Citizen and many more. Executive producers for Fulwell 73 Productions are Gabe Turner, Ben Winston, Emma Conway and Sally Wood, who also serves as showrunner. For Rocket Entertainment, Elton John, David Furnish and Luke Lloyd Davies are executive producers. RJ Cutler is executive producer. For Disney Branded Television, Marc Buhaj is vice president, unscripted and nonfiction, and Nicole Silveira is vice president, unscripted
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ABOUT ELTON JOHN:
Elton’s career achievements to date are unsurpassed in their breadth and longevity. Elton is one of the top-selling solo artists of all time. In the UK and US charts alone he has 1 diamond, 32 platinum or multi-platinum, and 21 gold albums as well as over 70 Top 40 hits. He has sold more than 300 million records worldwide.
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He holds the record for the biggest-selling single of all time, “Candle in the Wind 1997”, which sold over 33 million copies. Released in 2017 ‘Diamonds’ the Ultimate Greatest Hits album, became Elton’s 40th UK Top 40 album and has spent over 200 consecutive weeks in the top 75 of the UK album charts, over 110 of these in the top 20, and in August 2022 surpassed the threshold for 1 million combined chart unites in the UK. This release celebrated 50 years of his songwriting partnership with Bernie Taupin. August 2018 saw Elton named as the most successful male solo artist in Billboard Hot 100 chart history. At present, he has logged 70 Billboard Hot 100 entries, including nine No. 1s and 28 Top 10s. ‘The Lockdown Sessions’, an album of collaborations recorded during the COVID-19 Pandemic, was released in October 2021 and went straight to number 1 in the UK album Charts, becoming Elton’s 8th UK number 1 album in the process. It’s lead single “Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) with Dua Lipa” became a bona fide global hit, reaching number 1 in the UK and Australian singles charts. Its success meant that Elton became the first ever solo artist to score a UK Top 10 hit single in 6 consecutive decades. His most recent release, “Hold Me Closer,” featuring Britney Spears debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, providing Elton with his tenth Top 10 hit. The song also climbed to #1 in Australia and Canada, #3 in the UK, and most notable, #1 on iTunes in over 40 countries upon release. In America, Elton John holds the record for longest span between Billboard top 40 hits at 50 years.
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Elton announced the ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour at New York’s Gotham Hall in January 2018. Encompassing 5 continents, and over 350 dates, this 5-year-long tour started in September 2018 and marks his retirement from touring after more than 50 years on the road. In 2019 it was named Billboard’s Top Rock Tour and Pollstar’s Major Tour Of The Year. To date, Elton has delivered more than 4,000 performances in more than 80 countries since launching his first tour in 1970. 2019 also saw the release of ‘Rocketman’ and global bestselling autobiography, ‘ME’. An epic fantasy musical motion picture of Elton’s life, ‘Rocketman’ has been a commercial and critical hit, taking close to $200m at the box office. It has won an Oscar, two Golden Globe Awards and a Critics’ Choice Award and garnered BAFTA nominations. Its soundtrack was also nominated for a GRAMMY Award.
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Among the many awards and honors bestowed upon him are six GRAMMYs, including a GRAMMY Legend award, a Tony and two Oscars, a Best British Male Artist BRIT Award, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Kennedy Center Honor, Legend of Live Award, 13 Ivor Novello Awards between 1973 and 2001 and a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II for “services to music and charitable services”. Most recently, Elton was awarded the 2021 iHeartRadio “Golden Icon” Award in recognition of his incredible influence on music and pop culture. In February 2022, he topped the inaugural Pollstar Artist Power Index, a weekly rank of the world’s most popular artists based on streaming, touring, airplay, and social media metrics.
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In 1992, Elton established the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which today is one of the leading non-profit HIV/AIDS organizations and has raised over $515 million to date in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. In June 2019 President Emmanuel Macron presented Elton the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest award, for his lifetime contribution to the arts and the fight against HIV/AIDS. Elton was awarded the Companion of Honor in the 2021 New Year Honors list. The highest acknowledgement in the list, Elton became one of only 64 people to hold the honor. September 2019 saw The Royal Mail issue a set of 12 stamps as a tribute to Elton being one of the most popular and enduring music artists of all time. Elton was only the second individual music artist to be featured in a dedicated stamp issue. In July 2020 the Royal Mint released an Elton John commemorative coin, the second in their music legends series to celebrate ‘one of the most successful and enduring artists of all time’. Always a tireless champion of new artists, Elton has been a leading industry voice in lobbying the government for young artists visa-free touring rights in Europe post Brexit.
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