Elton John returned to a site in West Hollywood on Saturday that once was a regular stop whenever the British rock star came to Los Angeles: the former home of the city’s Tower Records store, where he gave a free concert as a thank-you to the community.
John, 66, played for about 70 minutes to a crowd of a couple thousand onlookers in gratitude for the city annually hosting his Academy Awards viewing party that raises money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
John and his five-member band performed on a full stage erected in what once was the Tower Records parking lot. “I could have probably bought Los Angeles for the money I spent in Tower Records,” he said with a broad smile from his bench at a Yamaha concert grand piano.
The concert, which began at noon, was announced only the night before to avoid overcrowding, a spokeswoman for the singer said. As it was, the five-time Grammy Award winner had no trouble filling the space in front of the stage set up for him and his band.
Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com.