Elton John Opens London’s Apple Music Hall With Intimate, Hit-Packed Performance

Elton John performed a one-off show for 600 fans at the brand-new Apple Music Hall at Battersea Power Station in London on Monday night, Sept. 28.

The performance marked John’s first UK show in more than three years. He previously headlined the Glastonbury Festival in June 2023 to conclude his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. Since then, he has made only a handful of live appearances, most recently performing at Brazil’s Rock In Rio festival on Sept. 7.

John performed solo at the piano during the hour-long set, moving through a selection of career-spanning favorites including “Rocket Man,” “Bennie And The Jets,” “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me,” “Your Song,” “Tiny Dancer,” and “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues.” Apple Music streamed the set live globally and projected it onto the outside of the venue.

Guests at the show included TV host Graham Norton, DJ Peggy Gou, BBC 6Music’s Nick Grimshaw, musicians Tom Grennan, Jacob Alon, and Nectar Woode, and Apple Music global creative director and Apple Music 1 host Zane Lowe.

The venue opened the week prior on Sept. 21 and features a 48-speaker spatial audio system, a customizable 38-foot-wide stage, two dedicated recording and mix studios, and a purpose-built broadcast control room for content capture.

Apple opened its London headquarters at Battersea Power Station in 2022, incorporating studios for Apple Music Radio’s London-based hosts.

“At Apple Music, we care deeply about music, the artists who make it, and their life stories,” said Lowe of Apple Music Hall. “We’re always looking for new opportunities to connect the artists and the fans because we are fans. What better way to celebrate this relationship than a new music venue where we get to experience amazing music in an amazing space and share it with the world.”

John’s gig launches the venue’s first concert series. Upcoming performers include Baby Keem on Oct. 2, Skye Newman on Oct. 7, Troye Sivan on Oct. 13, Arlo Parks on Oct. 22, Burna Boy on Oct. 29, Chase & Status on Nov. 26, and Charli xcx on Dec. 2. Ticket information is available at the official Apple Music Hall website.

Elton John at Apple Music Hall setlist:

“Your Song”
“The Greatest Discovery”
“Border Song”
“Bennie And The Jets”
“I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues”
“Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters”
“Tiny Dancer”
“Rocket Man”
“Sorry Seems To The Hardest Word”
“Take Me To The Pilot”
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
“Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”