Elton John is throwing his bedazzled hat into the ring of archival concert webcasts with his Classic Concerts Series. The series of previously-recorded concerts will pull full-performance videos from throughout the singer-songwriter’s illustrious career.
Elton John: Classic Concerts Series will also serve as a fundraiser for the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund. “My Foundation’s COVID-19 Emergency Fund helps frontline partners prepare for and respond to the pandemic and its effects on HIV prevention and care for the most marginalized communities,” John said in a statement announcing the series.
The first installment of what will prove to be a six-week series comes from Sir Elton’s September 17th, 1976 performance at The Playhouse Theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. This will mark the first-ever time that this concert will be available digitally in its entirety. This show will be available on Elton John’s official YouTube page Friday at 12 p.m. ET, after which the series will continue every Saturday at the same time for the next five weeks.
Live at The Playhouse Theatre comes just after Elton scored his first #1 hit in the U.K. with his duet with Kiki Dee, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. The concert marked the first time that Elton performed the song live in concert, during this solo piano performance.
Watch a preview of the show below, and tune in Friday at 12 p.m. ET to see Elton John perform live at The Playhouse Theatre on September 17th, 1976 in the first installment of his Classic Concerts Series.
Elton John — Playhouse Theatre — Edinburgh, Scotland — 9/17/1976
[Video: Elton John]
[H/T uDiscoverMusic]