English rock singer

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

played eight concerts in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

between 21 and 28 May 1979. The two-city tour was a significant event amid

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

tensions between the USSR and the West, and a sign of the Communist authorities' emerging tolerance towards Western popular culture. The shows were among the first performed in the USSR by a pop act, following visits by

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...

and

Boney M Boney M. is a German reggae, funk and disco music group founded in 1974. It achieved popularity during the disco era in the second half of the 1970s. The band was created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary song ...

. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine said that the shows were "significant and successful" and described John as "the first out-and-out rock artist to appear in the U.S.S.R." As a result of the tour, in June 1979, the Soviet authorities permitted the state-owned

Melodiya Melodiya () is a Russian record label. It was the state-owned major record company of the Soviet Union. History Melodiya was established in 1964 as the "All-Union Gramophone Record Firm of the USSR Ministry of Culture Melodiya" in accordance wi ...

record company to issue John's 1978 album ''

A Single Man ''A Single Man'' is a 2009 American historical drama film, period romantic drama film based on A Single Man (novel), the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood. The List of directorial debuts, directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford, the fi ...

'', making it the first Western pop album to be officially released in the USSR. John's stay in the country was the subject of the television documentary film ''To Russia with Elton''.

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

's live broadcast of the 28 May show, held at Moscow's Rossiya Concert Hall, marked the first stereo satellite link-up between the USSR and the West.

Background and concept

The concerts were part of Elton John's A Single Man tour and were performed with accompaniment by percussionist

Ray Cooper Raymond Cooper (born 19 September 1947) is an English musician who has worked as a session and road-tour percussionist. During his career, Cooper has worked and toured with numerous musically diverse bands and artists including Elton John (as ...

. John's concept for the tour was to avoid the visual extravagance of his previous performances and ensure he focused on his singing and piano playing. As with his shows earlier in the tour, in Europe and Israel, the Russian concerts featured a set performed by John alone, followed by a set with Cooper, who played a range of percussion instruments. The shows were over two hours in length. John believed that he was granted the opportunity to play in the USSR simply because he asked to. He said that the Soviet authorities were eager for other rock acts, including

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

and

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

, to visit but were unsure of the correct protocol when inviting Western artists. In addition, according to John, the Russians were distrustful of American promoters. After John's manager, John Reid, had placed a request with the Soviet embassy in London, a cultural officer from the embassy attended his show in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

on 17 April. Impressed, the representative invited John to perform ten concerts in

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

(present-day Saint Petersburg) and ten in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

; instead, Reid agreed to four shows in each city. The concerts were promoted by

Harvey Goldsmith Harvey Goldsmith (born 4 March 1946 in Edgware, Middlesex) is an English performing arts promoter. He is best known as a promoter of rock concerts, charity concerts, television broadcasts for the Prince's Trust and the Teenage Cancer Trust ...

and the Russian company Goskontsert. John's payment of $1000 per show was the lowest he had received since playing at the

Troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

, a club in Los Angeles, in the early 1970s.

Tour history

Arrival

John's image as a wealthy, flamboyant and openly bisexual entertainer was at odds with the austere image espoused by Communist Party doctrine. He and his entourage flew into Moscow on 20 May. The group were rushed to a railway station and then travelled overnight by train to Leningrad. The music, sound and other stage equipment was transported by truck through Europe to Leningrad. Demand for the eight concerts was high, with ticket prices set at 8 roubles, which was about the average daily wage in the Soviet Union. Over 90 per cent of the tickets were taken by senior Party members, diplomats and military officers. The remainder were changing hands on the

black market A black market is a Secrecy, clandestine Market (economics), market or series of transactions that has some aspect of illegality, or is not compliant with an institutional set of rules. If the rule defines the set of goods and services who ...

for up to 25 times the official price. As with other Western artists, John's music was only available in the USSR via illegal import. At the time, his records cost about $70 each on the black market.

Leningrad concerts

The opening show was at the 3800-seat Bolshoi Oktyabrsky (Great October) Concert Hall, where the atmosphere was unusually formal and reserved for a rock concert. John's first song of the night was "

Your Song "Your Song" is a song written by musician Elton John and lyricist Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was John's first international Top 10 chart single. "Your Song" was first released by American rock band Three Dog Night in March 1970 ...

". When the houselights went up after his last number, " Crazy Water", but before he returned to the stage for his

encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers at the conclusion of a show or concert, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford Universi ...

, many of the high-ranking officials left the hall; the genuine fans then began advancing towards the stage from their seats at the back of the venue. As John and Cooper performed several encores, these fans danced freely, singing along and giving

peace sign A number of peace symbols have been used many ways in various cultures and contexts. The dove and olive branch was used symbolically by early Christians and then eventually became a secular peace symbol, popularized by a ''Dove'' lithograph ...

s to the security staff in what author David John DeCouto describes as "an extraordinary display of defiance".

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As music critic and editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays, and profiles have appeared in publications worldwide ...

of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' attended the concert and described the scene: "I was watching the official guests' faces. And there was that registering of, Why'' is this all going on?' And you see this dawning, and this expression and so forth, and it's a dangerous thing, it's a real powerful force. You saw what happened in the West in the '50s and '60s with this music." Newspapers around the world reported on the success of the concert. ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

''s headline read, "Elton John Stuns Soviet Rock Fans", while a writer for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' said that "policemen and other Soviet officials were helpless" in their efforts to control the crowd. John considered it the greatest accomplishment of his career up to that point, particularly since most of the audience were unfamiliar with his recordings. Following the opening concert, John was officially requested to tone down his performance. He was asked to desist from playing the piano so energetically and from kicking over his piano stool during "

Bennie and the Jets "Bennie and the Jets" (also titled "Benny & the Jets") is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song first appeared on the ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'' album in 1973. "Bennie and ...

", and banned from playing his cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' "

Back in the U.S.S.R. "Back in the U.S.S.R." is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It is the opening track on their 1968 double album, ''The Beatles'' (also known as the "White Album"). Written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney part ...

" For the rest of the tour, John continued to close each performance with "Back in the U.S.S.R." He and Cooper were surprised at the audience's apparent lack of enthusiasm during the second show at the Great October Hall; they subsequently learned that officials were forcing fans to sit down as soon as they attempted to stand up or dance. That night, John incorporated the Russian song " Midnight in Moscow" into "Bennie and the Jets", while his set otherwise included a portion of

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular ...

's Piano Concerto No. 1. John was asked to perform a private concert at his hotel that same night, supported by Cooper on drums and Clive Franks, his sound engineer, on bass. The following morning, due to a severe hangover, John abandoned his and Cooper's officially sanctioned visit to the

Winter Palace The Winter Palace is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the House of Romanov, previous emperors, from 1732 to 1917. The palace and its precincts now house the Hermitage Museum. The floor area is 233,345 square ...

. An English tabloid reported the event under the headline "Elton Snubs Russians in Winter Palace Revolt". Following the last of his four shows at the Great October Hall, John departed by train for Moscow. Fans gathered at the railway station to send him off, throwing flowers and small gifts such as stuffed teddy bears. John was moved to tears at this gesture, aware of the hardships faced by citizens under the Communist regime and the inflated prices they would have paid for these luxury items.

Moscow concerts

John's four concerts at the Rossiya Concert Hall in Moscow were well received by the audiences. Among his cultural activities in the city, John visited a stadium that was being built in preparation for the USSR's hosting of the

1980 Summer Olympic Games The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

. Further to his interest in football as the owner of the English club

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

, he also watched a match between

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...

and a team of Dinamo Minsk personnel. While addressing the press after watching the changing of the guard outside

Lenin's Mausoleum Lenin's Mausoleum, also known as Lenin's Tomb, is a mausoleum located at Red Square in Moscow, Russia. It serves as the resting place of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, whose preserved body has been on public display since shortly after his death ...

, he stated his aversion to

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

in sport, whether based on colour, class or sexual preference. The Russian interpreter who translated these comments omitted any reference to sexual preference, in line with the USSR's hardline on homosexuality. Following his first show in Moscow, John posed for photographers outside the

Kremlin The Moscow Kremlin (also the Kremlin) is a fortified complex in Moscow, Russia. Located in the centre of the country's capital city, the Moscow Kremlin (fortification), Kremlin comprises five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Mosco ...

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

. He adopted a

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

stance, dressed irreverently in a magenta-coloured jacket, yellow trousers and a long chain of pearls. ''Billboard'' reported on the success of the visit and commented on the "strong audience reaction" to Cooper, particularly his "theatrical" presence and "aging scholar" look. The magazine reproduced part of an editorial about the tour that was published in the British tabloid ''

The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...

'': "All credit to Elton John for rocking staid, stuffy Russian society to its foundations ... Even now, the ruling Communist party is distrustful of the decadent music of the West. But not so the ordinary Russian citizen, particularly the youngsters, who are fed up with dreary, boring, officially approved entertainment."

Aftermath

The international coverage afforded John's visit to the USSR ensured that it was a more significant event than all the previous tours there by Western artists. In DeCouto's description, the British Embassy in Moscow declared it "the single most important step forward in East–West relationships since Khruschev had visited Hollywood back in '59". In a 1986 interview, John said his Soviet hosts "Obviously ... wanted pre-Olympic propaganda" and he regretted that only 10 per cent of the concert tickets were made available to the Russian public. He nonetheless recalled the tour as "an amazing experience" and highlighted the generosity of the Russian people he had met. Available a
Rock's Backpages
(subscription required).

Documentary film and radio broadcast

John's stay in the USSR was filmed by

Dick Clement Dick Clement (born 5 September 1937) is a retired English writer, director and producer. He became known for his writing partnership with Ian La Frenais for television series including ''The Likely Lads'', ''Whatever Happened to the Likely La ...

and

Ian La Frenais Ian La Frenais (born 7 January 1937) is a retired English writer best known for his creative partnership with Dick Clement. They are most famous for television series including '' The Likely Lads'', ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'', ' ...

. The footage was edited for a documentary film, titled ''To Russia with Elton''. The film includes footage of John's final concert in Moscow and scenes showing the political context of the tour and his reactions to Russian culture. The film was shown in cinemas in the United Kingdom in the summer of 1979, as part of a double-bill with Clement and La Frenais' film ''

Porridge Porridge is a food made by heating, soaking or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal ...

'', based on their television series. The final concert of the tour, held at the Rossiya Concert Hall on 28 May, was broadcast live throughout Europe by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. It marked the first stereo satellite link-up between the USSR and the West. In Britain, the program aired on

, hosted by disc jockey

Andy Peebles Robert Andrew Peebles (13 December 1948 – 22 March 2025) was an English radio DJ, television presenter and cricket commentator. Life and career Born in Hampstead, London, Peebles attended Bishop's Stortford College. He began as a nightclub ...

. This recording of the 28 May show became available on several bootleg albums, including ''A Single Man in Moscow''. Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the tour, Universal Music released a limited-edition double LP, titled '' Live from Moscow 1979'', for Record Store Day 2019. The album was subsequently re-released on vinyl and CD, and in digital music stores in January 2020.

Tour dates

According to ''

Ultimate Classic Rock Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'' and David John DeCouto:

Set list

John's set list varied little through the tour. His last concert in Moscow featured the following songs (all written by Elton John and

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English lyricist and visual artist. He is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, recognised as one of the most successful partnerships of its kind in history. Taupin co-wrote th ...

unless noted otherwise): #"

" #"Sixty Years On" #"

Daniel Daniel commonly refers to: * Daniel (given name), a masculine given name and a surname * List of people named Daniel * List of people with surname Daniel * Daniel (biblical figure) * Book of Daniel, a biblical apocalypse, "an account of the acti ...

" #" Skyline Pigeon" #" Take Me to the Pilot" #" Rocket Man" #"

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is a song with music written by English musician Elton John and lyrics by songwriter Bernie Taupin. It was originally recorded by John for his eighth studio album, ''Caribou (album), Caribou'' (1974), and was ...

" #"

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'' is the seventh studio album by English singer, pianist, and composer Elton John. A double album, it was released on 5 October 1973, by DJM Records. Recorded at the Château d'Hérouville in France, the album became ...

" #"Roy Rogers" #"

Candle in the Wind "Candle in the Wind" is a threnody-style ballad written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. It was originally written in 1973, in honour of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier. In 199 ...

" #" Ego" #" Where to Now St. Peter?" #"

He'll Have to Go "He'll Have to Go" is a song recorded on October 15, 1959, by Jim Reeves. The song, released in the fall of 1959, went on to become a hit on both the country and pop charts early in 1960. Background The song is about a man who's talking by teleph ...

" (

Joe Allison Joe Marion Allison (October 3, 1924 – August 2, 2002) was an American songwriter, radio and television personality, record producer, and country music business executive. Allison won five BMI performance awards for hit singles he wrote and a ...

, Audrey Allison) #"

I Heard It Through the Grapevine "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong for Motown Records in 1966. The first recording of the song to be released was produced by Whitfield for Gladys Knight & the Pips and released as a ...

" (

Norman Whitfield Norman Jesse Whitfield (May 12, 1940 – September 16, 2008) was an American songwriter, composer, and producer, who worked with Berry Gordy's Motown labels during the 1960s. allmusic Biography/ref> He has been credited as one of the creators ...

Barrett Strong Barrett Strong Jr. (February 5, 1941 – January 28, 2023) was an American singer and songwriter known for his recording of "Money (That's What I Want)", which was the first hit single for the Motown record label. He is also known for his songw ...

) #"

Funeral for a Friend Funeral for a Friend are a Welsh post-hardcore band from Bridgend, Wales, Bridgend, formed in 2001. The band's members are Kris Roberts (guitar, backing vocals), Gavin Burrough (guitar, vocals), Darran Smith (guitar), Richard Boucher (bass), an ...

" #"Tonight" #"Better Off Dead" #"Idol" #" I Think I'm Going to Kill Myself" #" I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" #"

" #" Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" #" Part-Time Love" (Elton John,

Gary Osborne Gary Osborne (born 1949 in London) is an English singer and songwriter. He chaired The Songwriters Executive of the British Academy Of Songwriters Composers and Authors for 12 years during which time he was also chairman of The Ivor Novello Awa ...

) #" Crazy Water" #" Song for Guy" (John) #Medley: " Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting/

Pinball Wizard "Pinball Wizard" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by guitarist and primary songwriter Pete Townshend and featured on their 1969 rock opera album '' Tommy''. The original recording was released as a single in 1969 and reac ...

" (/

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...

) #Medley: "

Crocodile Rock "Crocodile Rock" is a song written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and recorded in summer 1972 at the Château d'Hérouville studio in France (it was listed as "Strawberry Studios" in the album's credits), where John and his team had previousl ...

"/"

Get Back "Get Back" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Beatles and Billy Preston, written by Paul McCartney, and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969 and credited to "The B ...

"/"

" (/

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

)

References

{{Elton John 1979 concert tours May 1979 in Europe 1979 in the Soviet Union Elton John