Elton John and Brandi Carlile had a very excited audience grooving, laughing, and cheering during their special one-night-only concert at the London Palladium on Wednesday night.
The gig, dubbed “An Evening With Elton John & Brandi Carlile,” mixed a showcase of songs featured on their highly anticipated collaborative album Who Believes in Angels? with some of their respective greatest hits after the duo sat down to discuss their friendship and more with interviewer Dan Levy.
In a wide-ranging conversation, John discussed among other things LGBTQIA+ rights, wanting to support younger artists (he name-checked such recent success stories as Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, and Sabrina Carpenter), how he owns an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 pairs of sunglasses, how he hopes the joint album will help Carlile reach a broader global audience, how he struggled getting started on their album due to the Israel-Gaza situation, and what he wants his gravestone to read.
“On my tombstone, I want nothing to do with Crocodile fucking Rock,” the legendary music star shared. “I just want it to say ‘He was a great dad’.”
Discussing how he felt down about war, John told the audience of his complicated feelings saying “it doesn’t seem right to be trying to make a record when this horrible stuff is going on.”
Carlile said she leaned in musically. “I wrote a song called ‘A Little Light’,” she explained. “And the first verse of ‘A Little Light’ is basically what Elton said, and then my verse is what I wish I’d said, but like most things, I found it easier to say to Elton in song.”
He felt inspired. “Brandi just reminded me that I’m a musician,” John recalled. “All I can do to heal anything is put music out to the world and bring people together.”
Asked by Levy about the recent pushback against LGBTQIA+ rights, John said that “it’s tough out there, but these things will pass. These things shall pass.”
The star also emphasized his take on making political statements. “I cannot speak out about governments. I’m a diplomat. If I speak out about governments, then what’s going to happen to the AIDS money? What’s going to happen to PEPFAR [The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief]? I’ve got people’s lives at stake. I have an AIDS foundation that depends on money, and I will go there and fight for it as much as I can,” John said. “But I cannot go out and say ‘You’re an asshole. You’re an asshole.’ That’s not what it’s about. You have to negotiate. You have to play the game.”
Famous faces spotted in the audience included The Rolling Stones’ Ron Wood and ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus.
John who had disclosed last year that he was dealing with a severe eye infection defied his age with his performance, while audience members not previously familiar with Carlile’s work were gushing about her.
The two performed songs from their upcoming album such as “Little Richard’s Bible,” with John calling the late legend one of his heroes. They also played “Swing for the Fences” — an encouragement anthem for the LGBTQIA+ community released earlier this month — along with the ballad “You Without Me,” which Carlile shared was inspired by her experience with her daughters. They also performed the title track “Who Believes in Angels?,” which was released earlier this year.
Carlile played some of her classics such as “The Joke” and “The Story.” She also joined John in performing some of his all-time greats, such as “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”
Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s ‘Who Believes In Angels?’ album cover
The audience was also treated to the likes of “Tiny Dancer,” “Your Song,” and “Bennie and the Jets” from John’s repertoire. The two closed the night around 10 p.m. with evergreen “I’m Still Standing,” to which the whole crowd grooved along enthusiastically before sending the stars off with a huge ovation.
Grammy-winning producer and songwriter Andrew Watt John’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin contributed to Who Believes in Angels?, which will release April 4 through Interscope. It was also backed by legendary musicians Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pino Palladino, and Josh Klinghoffer. Watt, Smith, Klinghoffer, and long-time Carlile collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth joined the duo on the London stage Wednesday night.
“This record was one of the toughest I’ve ever made, but it was also one of the greatest musical experiences of my life,” John said in unveiling the album. “Who Believes In Angels? feels like going into another era, and I’m pushing the door open to come into the future.”
Wednesday’s special event with John and Carlile will be available to Paramount+ subscribers, with CBS set to air a one-hour special on the event on April 6, and ITV airing it in the U.K. on April 19.