#29 - Elton John's WORN "Madison Square Garden" Outfit -
The Night He Played With John Lennon.
ELTON JOHN’S MSG STAGE COSTUME NOVEMBER 28TH 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 previous 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 it’s 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. Mesmerising the crowd
with performances of Beatles classics "Lucy and 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 the historic
night off 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 something 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 High
Lite Item from that auction.  He had previously sold most all of his costumes in
1988.Why this was kept longer, possibly was that it was from that special night.
Who knows?.

This jumpsuit was featured on display for 2 years at The Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame & 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.