Elton John chases EGOT with ‘Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium’ concert special

Denton Davidson
·4 min read
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Television academy members joined Elton John for a screening of his Disney+ variety special “Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium” on Monday, March 13th at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The viewing was followed by a joyous Q&A with John’s co-executive producers David Furnish, Ben Winston and Luke Lloyd Davies hosted by TCM’s Dave Karger.

The concert event took place November 20, 2022 in Dodger Stadium, where in 1975 John performed two sold-out and career-defining concerts that cemented his legend globally. In a full circle moment, he took the stage in his final North American show as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.

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“It’s a magnificent place to play,” John explained. “It’s been an incredible ride. After COVID, I didn’t know, when I started in New Orleans at the beginning of the year, whether I was going to enjoy it or not because I enjoyed being at home for two years. I had never been at home for two years! In all fairness to my band…we had a blast! Every show was great. I’ve never played and sung so well in my life. I really mean that sincerely. It was just a pleasure.”

“It’s so important for me to leave on a high note,” he continued. “Giving the best that you possibly can to the people that have supported you day in and day out for years. That was my brief to myself. I think we pulled it off. I’m really happy. I’m so critical of myself, but I just couldn’t see any fault.”

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Winston recalled, “There are certain calls you get and when Disney called and said, ‘Would you be interested in producing Elton John at Dodger Stadium?,’ at what is the most historic, beautiful concert [space], and a final show of the US tour, you have to pretend to be cool. It was a dream come true for us. We’ve been very lucky to make a variety of great shows, but I don’t think anything is as big as this. It’s historic for two huge reasons. Firstly, of course, it was the significance of Dodger Stadium. We all have that picture on our wall. It’s an iconic image that is so defining of Elton. To be able to film that show again in 2022 and reflect that in such a way was amazing. But also, it was historic for Disney+. This was the first time Disney has ever live streamed globally.”

Winston is a 12-time Emmy-winning producer, whose most recent victory came just last year for “Adele: One Night Only.” Among his other credits are “The Late Late Show with James Corden” and the corresponding “Carpool Karaoke” series.

Should the concert win an Emmy in September for Best Variety Special (Live), it would complete the EGOT for the 75-year old performer. He received his first of five Grammy Awards for “That’s What Friends Are For” in 1987. His first of two Best Original Song Oscars came in 1994 for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (“The Lion King”). John won a Tony Award for the “Aida” score in 2000. He would be come the 19th person to EGOT, following Viola Davis who achieved this status with her Grammy win last February.

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