1979 tour of the Soviet Union

English rock singer Elton John played eight concerts in the Soviet Union between 21 and 28 May 1979. The two-city tour was a significant event amid Cold War 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 and Boney M. Billboard 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 record company to issue John's 1978 album A Single Man, 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'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.
Category:Tours