While Elton John didn’t come out a winner at the Oscars ceremony on Sunday (his Best Original Song-nominated Brandi Carlile collab “Never Too Late” lost out to Emilia Pérez track “El Mal”), we’d bet he’d still call the night a success: Alongside the ceremony itself, the Elton John AIDS Foundation hosted its 33rd annual Academy Awards viewing party at West Hollywood Park where recent Best New Artist Grammy Award winner Chappell Roan performed a live set—and welcomed Sir Elton himself to the stage for duets on his “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” and Chappell’s “Pink Pony Club”.

Elton John co-hosted the event alongside Elton John AIDS Foundation Chair David Furnish and a number of celebrities including Jean Smart, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Neil Patrick Harris, and David Burtka. Per a press release, it raised over $8.6 million in support of the Foundation’s mission to end AIDS.

Related: Elton John’s Reaction To Mick Jagger’s Surprise Appearance Was The Best Thing About The Academy Awards [Videos]

The performance by Chappell Roan included a number of live staples from her hit 2023 LP The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess including “Femininomenon”, “Naked In Manhattan”, “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl”, “HOT TO GO”, “Casual”, “Red Wine Supernova”, and “My Kink Is Karma” as well as her Grammy-nominate 2024 single “Good Luck, Babe”. Midway through the set, she surprised fans with a heartfelt rendition of one of Elton John’s most famous creations, “Your Song”, which she notably recorded for a popular YouTube cover video well before her recent explosion in popularity but had never performed live at an official show.

Chappell Roan – “Your Song” (Elton John) – 3/2/25

To close out the performance, Chappell Roan welcomed Elton John to join her onstage. First, the pair connected with Sir Elton on piano for a stirring duet on John’s “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me”, a nod to his hit 1991 live duet version of the song with the late George Michael. Then, the pop legend accepted the gift of a rhinestoned pink cowboy hat from the budding superstar and joined her in a celebratory rendition of her liberating smash “Pink Pony Club”.

While this was the first live collaboration between Chappell Roan and Elton John, the two have forged a friendship over the past year thanks to John’s fandom. During the set, Roan thanked him for being the first person to draw mainstream attention to “Pink Pony Club” by playing it and speaking about it on his Rocket Hour podcast.

Chappell Roan & Elton John – “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” (Elton John) – 3/2/25

 

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Chappell Roan & Elton John – “Pink Pony Club” (Chappell Roan) – 3/2/25

 

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“For one night, we transformed West Hollywood Park into our own Pink Pony Club – a space filled with love and community, where everyone can be unapologetically themselves,” Elton John wrote in a post following the event.

“I can’t believe this is the 33rd year of hosting our annual Academy Awards Viewing Party. Nothing means more to me than being surrounded by friends, family, and supporters, for a cause so close to my heart. I’m deeply grateful to everyone who continues to stand with us to end new cases of HIV and save lives around the world. Now, more than ever, we need allies by our side to come together and finish this fight to end AIDS.”

Below, check out the setlist and a full, crowd-shot video of the Chappell Roan set at the Elton John Aids Foundation’s 33rd Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party. Scroll down for a selection of other photos and clips from the event.

Chappell Roan w/ special guest Elton John – Full Set – 3/2/25

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