# 40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man

40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man was a concert tour by Elton John taking place in Oceania, Asia, North America, South America, and Europe celebrating the 40th anniversary of his top 20 hit single "Rocket Man".

## Background

40 years ago, during April 1972, "Rocket Man" was released around the world. To celebrate the landmark anniversary of its release, Elton John has been taking the celebrations globally for a world tour and will be returning to Australia for his record 42nd Sydney Entertainment Centre show plus a very special run of shows, some in parts of Australia he has never been in.
John added a second concert at the newly constructed Perth Arena on 10 November, opening the arena. Originally George Michael had been scheduled to open the arena, but pulled out and John took his place.
Both the 2012 Greatest Hits Live tour and the 2012 legs of the 40th Anniversary of the Rocket Man tour made it onto Billboard's "Top 25 Tours of 2012" at No. 19 with 36 shows, 28 of which were sell-outs. John performed to 240,381 people, making $32,920,986 (£20,946,700). On 22 March 2013 John's South American tour topped that week's Billboard Hot Tours. While in Brazil, he had played to 52,492 people and made $6,332,640. One of the Brazilian concerts, in Belo Horizonte, was sold out, the only sold out date of the tour.

## Controversies

John drew incredibly harsh criticism during his concert in Beijing when he dedicated the show to dissident artist Ai Weiwei. A state-owned newspaper accused the veteran British singer of being 'disrespectful' and said his actions could lead to a ban on other Western performers putting on shows in China. At the end of the show, John stunned his audience when he said he was dedicating the show to Weiwei. He said he was there to give tribute to Weiwei's 'honour and talent'. The Global Times, a paper run by the ruling Communist Parties, The People's Daily, said in an editorial: "John's unexpected action was disrespectful to the audience and the contract that he signed with the Chinese side, he forcibly added political content to the concert, which should have been nothing more than an entertaining performance. John's action will also make the relevant agencies further hesitate in the future when they invite foreign artists. John himself is a senior entertainment figure, but has raised difficulties for future arts exchanges between China and other countries."
It was later revealed that as a result of John's comments at his concert in Beijing that Chinese authorities were considering tightening concert rules so that only artists with University degrees could perform in the country. This would rule out any return to China for John. He was also questioned by Chinese authorities after the concert regarding his remarks.
Conservative campaigners demanded that John should cancel his concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Although John's scheduled performance went ahead at the Genting Arena of Stars, he faced fierce opposition from Muslim activists who object to openly gay performers performing in Malaysia as homosexual activities are illegal in the country. John faced down similar protests when he performed his first ever concert in Malaysia at the same venue just a year before.

## Opening acts

* 2Cellos (12 November – 4 December 2012)
* Schmidt (14–18 November 2012, Melbourne)
* Pnau (16 November 2012, Sydney)

## Set list

This set list is representative of the first show in Perth. It does not represent all dates throughout the tour.
* "The Bitch Is Back"
* "Bennie and the Jets"
* "Grey Seal"
* "Levon"
* "Tiny Dancer"
* "Believe"
* "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters"
* "Philadelphia Freedom"
* "Candle in the Wind"
* "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
* "Rocket Man"
* "Hey Ahab"
* "I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"
* "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding"
* "Honky Cat"
* "Sad Songs"
* "Sacrifice"
* "Daniel"
* "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
* "Are You Ready for Love"
* "I'm Still Standing"
* "Crocodile Rock"
* "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
* "Your Song"
* "Circle of Life"

## Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| Oceania ||||
| 10 November 2012 | Perth | Australia | Perth Arena |
| 12 November 2012 | Perth | Australia | Perth Arena |
| 14 November 2012 | Canberra | Australia | Canberra Stadium |
| 15 November 2012 | Sydney | Australia | Sydney Entertainment Centre |
| 16 November 2012 | Sydney | Australia | Sydney Entertainment Centre |
| 18 November 2012 | Melbourne | Australia | Rod Laver Arena |
| 20 November 2012 | Launceston | Australia | Launceston Silverdome |
| Asia ||||
| 23 November 2012 | Shanghai | China | Mercedes-Benz Arena |
| 25 November 2012 | Beijing | China | MasterCard Center |
| 27 November 2012 | Seoul | South Korea | Olympic Gymnastics Arena |
| 29 November 2012 | Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | Genting Arena of Stars |
| 1 December 2012 | Macau | Macau | CotaiArena |
| 4 December 2012 | Hong Kong | Hong Kong | Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre |
| 6 December 2012 | Guangzhou | China | Guangzhou International Sports Arena |
| 8 December 2012 | Quezon City | Philippines | Smart Araneta Coliseum |
| 10 December 2012 | Taipei | Taiwan | Nangang Exhibition Hall |
| 13 December 2012 | Bangkok | Thailand | IMPACT Arena |
| 15 December 2012 | Singapore | Singapore | Singapore Indoor Stadium |
| South America ||||
| 26 February 2013 | Fortaleza | Brazil | Estádio Governador Plácido Castelo |
| 27 February 2013 | São Paulo | Brazil | Jockey Club de São Paulo |
| 28 February 2013 | Viña del Mar | Chile | Quinta Vergara Amphitheater |
| 2 March 2013 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Estadio José Amalfitani |
| 4 March 2013 | Montevideo | Uruguay | Estadio Gran Parque Central |
| 5 March 2013 | Porto Alegre | Brazil | Estádio do São José |
| 6 March 2013 | Asunción | Paraguay | Yacht y Golf Club Paraguayo |
| 8 March 2013 | Brasília | Brazil | Centro de Convenções Internacional |
| 9 March 2013 | Belo Horizonte | Brazil | Mineirão Stadium |
| 10 March 2013 | Recife | Brazil | Chevrolet Hall |
| North America ||||
| 16 March 2013 | Memphis | United States | FedExForum |
| 20 March 2013 | Macon | United States | Macon Centreplex |
| 22 March 2013 | Montgomery | United States | Garrett Coliseum |
| 23 March 2013 | Chattanooga | United States | McKenzie Arena |
| 28 March 2013 | Houston | United States | Toyota Center |
| 29 March 2013 | Baton Rouge | United States | Baton Rouge River Center |
| 30 March 2013 | Biloxi | United States | Mississippi Coast Coliseum |
| 3 April 2013 | Dayton | United States | Nutter Center |
| 5 April 2013 | Nashville | United States | Bridgestone Arena |
| 6 April 2013 | Winston-Salem | United States | Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| Europe ||||
| 17 June 2013 | Murten | Switzerland | Pantschau Murtensee |
| 18 June 2013 | Vienna | Austria | Wiener Stadthalle |
| 19 June 2013 | Salzburg | Austria | Salzburgarena |
| 21 June 2013 | Caen | France | Zénith de Caen |
| 22 June 2013 | Skive Fjord | Denmark | Rosenlund Parken |
| 23 June 2013 | Cork | Ireland | The Docklands |
| 29 June 2013 | Tallinn | Estonia | Tallinn Song Festival Grounds |
| 3 July 2013 | St. Malô du Bois | France | Poupet Open Air Theatre |
| 4 September 2013 | Leeds | England | Leeds Arena |
| 5 September 2013 | Berlin | Germany | Waldbühne |
| 7 September 2013 | Magdeburg | Germany | Domplatz |
| 8 September 2013 | Isle of Wight | England | Robin Hill Country Park |
| 12 September 2013 | London | England | The Roundhouse |

### Festivals and other miscellaneous performances

    $^A$ This concert was part of "Festival de Viña del Mar 2013"
    $^B$ This concert was part of "Stars of Sounds Open Air Murten 2013"
    $^C$ This concert was part of "Live at the Marquee"
    $^D$ This concert was part of "Festival de Poupet"
    $^E$ This concert was part of "Bestival"
    $^F$ This concert was part of "iTunes Festival"
    $^S$ This concert was solo concert.

### Cancellations and rescheduled shows

| 18 November 2011 | Bogor | Sentul International Convention Center | Moved to Mata Elang International Stadium, never rescheduled. |
| 18 November 2012 | Mackay | Virgin Australia Stadium | Cancelled. Replaced with Melbourne concert. |
| 29 November 2012 | Busan | Busan Exhibition and Convention Center | Cancelled. Replaced by Kuala Lumpur concert. |
| 12 March 2013 | Quito | Unconfirmed Venue | Cancelled. |
| 15 March 2013 | Birmingham | BJCC Arena | Cancelled. |
| 15 June 2013 | Murten | Stars of Sounds Open Air Festival | Rescheduled to 17 June 2013 due to band illness. |
| 5 July 2013 | Halle | Gerry Weber Stadion | Rescheduled to 6 July 2014. |
| 6 July 2013 | Mainz | Nordmole Zollhafen | Rescheduled to 19 July 2014. |
| 7 July 2013 | Heilbronn | Frankenstadion Heilbronn | Cancelled. |
| 9 July 2013 | Barolo | Piazza Colbert | Cancelled. |
| 11 July 2013 | Dresden | Theaterplatz vor der Semperoper | Postponed to 11 July 2014. |
| 12 July 2013 | London | Barclaycard's British Summer Time Festival | Cancelled. |
| 13 July 2013 | Yekaterinburg | Yekaterinburg Sports Palace | Cancelled. |
| 14 July 2013 | Krasnodar | Krasnodar Basket-Hall | Cancelled. |
| 17 July 2013 | Lörrach | Stimmen-Festival | Rescheduled to 23 July 2014. |
| 19 July 2013 | Carhaix | Vieilles Charrues Festival | Cancelled. |
| 20 July 2013 | Calella | Festival Jardins de Cap Roig | Cancelled. |
| 21 July 2013 | Regensburg | Schloss St. Emmeram | Cancelled. |
| 23 July 2013 | Carcassonne | Festival de Carcassonne | Cancelled. |
| 24 July 2013 | Monte Carlo | Sporting Monte-Carlo | Cancelled. |

### Box office score data

| Venue | City | Tickets sold / available | Gross revenue |
| Perth Arena | Perth | 21,782 / 21,782 (100%) | $3,919,890 |
| Canberra Stadium | Canberra | 10,430 / 11,320 (92%) | $1,718,940 |
| Entertainment Centre | Sydney | 18,056 / 18,056 (100%) | $3,059,390 |
| Rod Laver Arena | Melbourne | 9,231 / 11,412 (81%) | $1,584,640 |
| Silverdome | Launceston | 5,142 / 5,981 (86%) | $940,104 |
| Jockey Club | São Paulo | 10,195 / 12,000 (85%) | $2,662,790 |
| Estadio Zequinha | Porto Alegre | 11,294 / 13,500 (84%) | $1,712,440 |
| Centro de Convencoes | Brasília | 5,862 / 6,900 (85%) | $1,104,140 |
| Estadio do Mineirao | Belo Horizonte | 32,176 / 32,176 (100%) | $2,405,660 |
| Chevrolet Hall | Recife | 3,160 / 4,600 (69%) | $1,110,400 |
| Bridgestone Arena | Nashville | 14,896 / 14,896 (100%) | $1,177,534 |
| Total | Total | 142,224 / 152,623 (93%) | $21,395,928 |

## Tour band

* Elton John – piano, vocals
* Davey Johnstone – guitar, banjo, backing vocals
* Matt Bissonette – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Kim Bullard – keyboards
* John Mahon – percussion, backing vocals
* Nigel Olsson – drums, backing vocals
* Lisa Stone – backing vocals
* Rose Stone – backing vocals
* Tata Vega – backing vocals
* Jean Witherspoon – backing vocals
Sources:
During the 2012 Asian tour the 2Cellos left the Elton John Band to pursue other projects following the release of their album In2ition.