Elton John

1985-1986 Tour Details

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Elton debuted his new band, retaining only Fred Mandel and Davey Johnstone from the previous tour, at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium on July 13, 1985. Performing a six-song set with the Onward International Horns and backing vocalists Tony Rivers, Mick Clark and Alan Carvell, Elton was joined by Kiki Dee for Don’t Go Breaking My Heart and George Michael on Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.

By the time he’d come off the stage, Elton had decided he wanted to hit the road with this band, made up of some of the musicians who had worked with him on the Ice On Fire album in January, as well as a new set of backing singers: Alan Carvell, Helena Springs and Shirley Lewis — making it the largest band Elton had ever taken on tour.

On November 14, 1985, the tour began in Dublin and continued across the British Isles, including nine nights in a row at Wembley Arena, before concluding on January 11, 1986, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. As usual, Elton would select a handful of songs from his most recent album for inclusion in the set; in this instance, Shoot Down The Moon, This Town and the singles Nikita and Wrap Her Up — all from Ice On Fire. The tour would continue in three months’ time, but with a different percussionist.