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Elton John's one-night stand in Vevey

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The British piano man is expected to draw 20,000 spectators to the outdoor venue overlooking Lake Geneva this Saturday.

tdg.ch
September 4, 2007

After the Rolling Stones in Lausanne last month, the second wave of geriatric rock is about to crash on Lake Geneva’s shores. Elton John, the 60-year-old British knight, is set to tinkle the ivories in Vevey’s marketplace on Saturday night.

His only concert in Switzerland is expected to attract 20,000 fans. The pop musician, who began his career 40 years ago, is quoted as saying that it was his friend, Canadian country singer Shania Twain, a resident of Vaud, who convinced him to come to Vevey, which overlooks Lake Geneva with a mountain backdrop. “The marketplace at Vevey is one of the most beautiful and magic places of Europe,” he said.

The outdoor venue is the same place that hosts the famous wine-makers festival (Fête des Vignerons) held four or five times every 100 years, and last held in 1999. “Since I had the chance to discover it in 2003, I have expressed the desire to sing there,” John said. The singer apparently will not linger in Switzerland for long. Laetitia Gerber, of Art Contacts, the concert producer, said the star wants to return to his bed in England the same night of the show. He is expected to arrive by helicopter before taking a limousine to a dressing room 100 meters from the stage.

For last-minute planners, at least 1,000 tickets will be available on the night of the concert at the entrance. Otherwise, they are still being sold today at the Montreux-Vevey tourism office and through Fnac and TicketCorner outlets. Prices are SFr119 for regular tickets and SFr178 for admission to the “Golden Circle.”

Doors open at 5.30 p.m. while the concert starts at 8 p.m. Organizers are recommending that concertgoers take the train because they expect traffic jams in Vevey before and after the concert.

For more information check www.artcontacts.ch

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