Elton John Says Set Lists Should Be Like Having Sex

Elton John said he’s always believed set lists for shows should feel like having sex.

As his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour reaches its end, John revealed he was planning to demonstrate what he meant with a unique performance at the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival on June 25.

“I’m starting with a song I haven't played for about 10 years, so we’ll see how it goes,” he told the BBC in a new interview. “I’ve got the set list down, I’ve got rehearsal dates booked for the guest artists, so we just have to hope the weather will still be nice.”

He said the Glastonbury show “couldn’t be a more perfect ending” to his touring career in his home country, noting, “It’s a different show to what people have been seeing. On Farewell Yellow Brick Road, there’s quite a lot of deep cuts; it’s not all hits.”

He added that “When you put a set list together, I always say it’s a bit like having sex. You start off really well, then you chill out a little bit, then towards the end of the show all hell breaks loose!”

John admitted he was a little nervous since he’s never played Glastonbury, or even visited the festival, before. “I’ve watched [it] on the TV," he said. “And the thing that I love … is not the headliners, per se, it’s the people on the smaller stages that they give the chance to shine. So if I was at Glastonbury, I would probably be in one of the smaller tents, looking at one of the newer acts playing, because that's what I want to see.”

John plays eight shows after Glastonbury, completing the farewell tour on July 8 in Sweden.