Elton John Farewell Tour: Legendary Singer Performs at the White House After Turning Down Performance for 'Super Fan' Donald Trump
British music legend Elton John is finally calling it a career and retiring for good. However, before he finally does that, the music icon is currently on his farewell tour, and his latest stop was at the South Lawn of the White House.
The show was called "A Night When Hope and History Rhyme," which is in reference to the poem by Irishman Seamus Heaney. President Joe Biden, whom Elton John performed in front of on that night, is known to love quoting that very poem.
According to the Associated Press, this was John's first performance at the White House since 1998, when he performed alongside Stevie Wonder during a state dinner in honor of then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Performing in Front of LGBTQ and AIDS Activists and Everyday Heroes
Elton John not only performed for the first couple but also for several members of the LGBTQ community, including LGBTQ activists. Also in attendance were several AIDS activists as well. This includes Jeanne White-Ginder, an AIDS activist who lost her son, Ryan White, from AIDS-related complications in 1990.
Also watching the music legend perform is civil rights advocate Ruby Bridges, as well as teachers, nurses, and frontline workers.
According to PBS, A & E and the History Channel paid the bill. and they asked the White House and Elton John if they wanted to do a collaboration to honor "every day history-makers," as well as John himself. This resulted in this special event on the White House lawn.
The Rocket Man singer has collaborated with A & E before for the benefit of his HIV/AIDS charity, the Elton John Foundation. The charity has now raised over $525 million to combat the virus around the world.
Elton John, who is now in the final leg of the North American portion of his farewell tour, will be staying in Washington D.C. to perform at Nationals Park. He previously opened the North American leg of his farewell tour in Philadelphia back in July.
After the performance, Biden presented the National Humanities Medal to the singer for his advocacy work. The award clearly stunned Elton John, who appeared to have not expected the honor. However, as Biden presented him with the medal, the crowd roared.
Elton John Refused to Perform for Donald Trump
President Joe and First Lady Jill Biden are big Elton John fans, as the president used to sing "Crocodile Rock" to his two kids when driving them to school. However, while John agreed to perform for Biden, he did not do so for his predecessor.
According to NPR, Trump called himself an Elton John super fan. He tried getting John to play at his inauguration, but the singer refused. However, he did perform for Trump's wedding, but this was before he entered politics. Trump also used to call the singer his "close personal friend."
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: WATCH LIVE: Elton John performs at the White House - PBS News
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