That Time Elton John Surprised London Commuters

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Elton John performing at London’s St Pancras International station on February 4, 2016

Several hundred London commuters at the St Pancras International train station were treated to a surprise performance by Elton John on February 4, 2016. The legend, promoting his Wonderful Crazy Night album (via Island Records), sat down in front of a piano and banged out an instrumental medley of many of the well known songs from his classic rock catalog.

He kicked things off with “Looking Up,” the first single from the album and then segued into “Tiny Dancer.” When he finished and the lucky crowd cheered, the performer stood up and signed the new Yamaha piano saying:

John signing the Yamaha piano which he donated to the station

“My gift to the station, OK?” As the crowd’s applause increased, he added an enthusiastic “Thank you!”

On January 24, 2018, John announced his final tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, which was intended to last for roughly three years, though the pandemic delayed things. It finally ended on July 8, 2023.

His longtime band features Nigel Olsson (part of Elton’s original three-piece band) on drums, Davey Johnstone (who first recorded with John in 1971 and joined the band a year later) on guitar, John Mahon on percussion, Kim Bullardon keyboards, Matt Bissonette on bass, with a special appearance by percussionist Ray Cooper.

Here’s the London train station performance. How many of the songs can you name?

In December 2023, Rod Stewart and Jools Holland also surprised commuters at the same London train station. John’s extensive recording catalog is available here.

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