Sir Elton John plays impeccable show despite eyesight loss

Sir Elton John has played a 24-song set at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil, despite his vision loss.

The legendary singer moved his performance up by 65 minutes, with many assuming he would be finishing his turn early due to thunderstorms that had battered the city for the previous three days.

Instead, the British superstar delivered a full concert of 24 songs over two hours and 15 minutes, with the rain easing in time for the show.

The performance surpassed those of previous headliners at this year's festival, Billboard reports, Foo Fighters played 19, Avenged Sevenfold 14 and Calvin Harris 21.

John explained that he decided to come to Brazil after wrapping his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in July 2023 because the country had been left off the itinerary.

"I felt a little mean about that," he said. "I accepted Rock in Rio's invitation to thank you once again for all the love you've shown me throughout my career."

Tickets were sold out for the show which drew more than 100,000 people despite the grim weather forecast.

The Brazilian crowd sang along with the opening number, Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, and carried on to well-known tunes such as Tiny Dancer, Sacrifice, Rocket Man, Candle in the Wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Sad Songs (Say So Much) and Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me.

Sir Elton John also dedicated Crocodile Rock to the Brazilian audience.

It is also pertinent to mention that the iconic pianist lost complete vision in his right eye and has limited vision in his left eye due to a severe eye infection he contracted in the summer of 2024 while vacationing in France.