On this day in 1970, Elton John made his stage debut

Shortly after releasing his self-titled second studio album, it was decided that a tour was in order. Despite the success of the album, John was booked as an opener for glam giants T.Rex along with Spooky Tooth, Jackie Lomax and Heavy Jelly, with their first show at the Roundhouse in London. 

The concert was held at a popular event at the Roundhouse called Pop Proms, it was marketed as a “kind of Musical Fair” with no seating in a casual atmosphere, to be held from April 20th until the 25th, with different acts every night. Hosted by John Peel, these performances would go for at least three hours per night, and stalls selling food, drinks and records were open throughout the evening. 

Little footage exists from these performances, but Johns performance certainly attracted attention as by August he was holding his first American Concert at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. John has continued touring throughout the 50 years since, despite retiring once and announcing in 2018 a second retirement tour which is still ongoing.