Elton John's Historic Concert Jumpsuit - Madison Square Garden, 1974....

Description

Elton John's Historic Concert Jumpsuit - Madison Square Garden, 1974. On November 28, 1974, thousands of devoted Elton John fans left the Thanksgiving dinner table early and headed to Madison Square Garden for what they hoped would be a great concert. Little did they know that they were in for not only a great concert, but perhaps one of the most historically significant rock events of the 20th century! During the months leading up to the concert, Elton waged a friendly bet with his good friend John Lennon that his latest single, "Whatever Gets You Through The Night", would reach #1 on the charts. Underestimating the musical wizardry of his pal, Lennon agreed to the challenge and quickly lost when the song soared instantly to the top of the charts. A man of his word, Lennon followed through with his wager and agreed to perform with John when his tour made its way into New York City. And so the stage was set. After flooring the crowd with an incredible opening set that included fabulous performances of "Rocketman" and "Benny and The Jets", Elton subtly uttered to the crowd that he had a special treat for them that Thanksgiving night, and moments later the Garden exploded when a guitar laden John Lennon gracefully strolled onto the stage. Mesmerizing the crowd with performances of Beatles classics "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "I Saw Her Standing There", Lennon left the stage to a glorious applause, finishing what would be the last concert performance of his tragically shortened life. Maintaining the momentum from beginning to end, John capped off the historic night with what would become two of his timeless classics, "Your Song" and "The Bitch Is Back". As one eyewitness reported, "It was obvious by the endless roar of the crowd upon Elton's exit from the stage that we had just witnessed a show that will always be remembered." With this said, we are proud to offer here Elton's original jumpsuit worn during his performance that very night. A custom-made white jumpsuit designed to John's flamboyant specifications, it features an array of jewel studding across the front and back, with the word "Elton" spelled out across the back in an elaborate configuration. Acquired from Elton John's Atlanta auction. This was the highlight item from that auction. He had previously sold most of his costumes in 1988; perhaps this was kept longer because it was from that special night. Who knows? This jumpsuit has been a featured display since 2002 at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Vintage stage costumes worn by John are extremely rare and seldom appear on any market, usually landing as a permanent resident in a museum or institutional collection. One such as this, with great provenance, photographic documentation, and historical significance is certain to be the centerpiece of any prestigious memorabilia collection. Note the historically significant images below of John Lennon with Elton John, wearing the jumpsuit. From The Tom Fontaine Music Memorabilia Collection.

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