We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Elton John, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more facts about this legendary singer and songwriter below. You might be surprised by what you learn!
Number Eight: He Is Cool With Billy Joel. Though John and Billy Joel have toured together, John has stated explicitly that the two are not in competition with each other. According to John, “[Joel] is Mr. Piano Man, I am Miss Piano Man.”
Number Seven: He Has Performed With Axl Rose. In April of 1992, John performed at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium. He performed “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses, along with Roger Taylor, John Deacon, and Brian May.
Number Six: His Favorite Venue Is… John has a favorite place to perform, and it’s in New York City. Unsurprisingly, it’s Madison Square Garden, where he has performed more than any other artist. Of his love for MSG, he said, “Madison Square Garden is my favorite venue in the whole world, I chose to have my 60th birthday concert there because of all the incredible memories I’ve had playing the venue.”
Number Five: He Played an Iconic Show at Wembley. John hosted the last concert at Wembley Stadium before it was broken down and rebuilt from the ground up. The concert took place on November 2, 2000.
Number Four: He Has Performed with Alan Partridge. Well, technically he performed with Steve Coogan, the man who plays Alan Partridge. At the British Comedy Awards in 2000, the duo sang “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”
Number Three: He Has an Interesting Connection to U2. The stage used for John’s Million Dollar Piano show was designed by the same two people who designed the stage for U2’s Popmart. Those two people are Mark Fisher and Patrick Woodroffe.
Number Two: He Has Performed With Lady Gaga. At the 2010 Grammys, John and Lady Gaga performed a duet together. The two sang a mashup of John’s “Your Song” and Gaga’s “Speechless.”
Number One: Billie Jean King Performed the Song John Wrote About Her. In 1975, tennis legend Billie Jean King came to sing backing vocals for the song John wrote about her, “Philadelphia Freedom.” She sang live in front of two sold-out concerts.