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Elton John rang in the new year in New York City for the first time ever in his legendary five-decade career, selling out Brooklyn's Barclays Center with 16,470 fans joining the party on December 31, 2014.

With ticket sales topping the $3 million mark, the concert earns the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee the No. 1 slot on the weekly ranking of Hot Tours (see list, below).

The New Year's Eve performance closed out a year of touring in North America and Europe in support of the 40th-anniversary reissue of his "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" album, which was released in October 1973. Following its launch last March 2014, the tour hit 21 markets in the U.S. and Canada in two legs and also played 42 cities in 16 European countries during treks in the summer and fall.

Elton ranked No. 15 in Billboard's 2014 year-end list of top-grossing tours, with $59 million in revenue from 632,685 sold tickets at 60 shows.

The December 31, 2014 concert also included a live remote performance on ABC's New Year's Rockin' Eve, with Elton singing "I'm Still Standing" during the live-event cut-in. Barclays Center participated in the annual New Year's Eve television program during the previous year when Billy Joel performed live on the show during his performance at the Brooklyn venue.

HOT TOURS - January 21, 2015
Ranked by Gross. Compiled from Boxscores reported January 14-20, 2015.

Rank ACT
Total Gross
Show Date Range
Show Venue/City (Shows/Sellouts)
Total Attendance (Capacity)

1 ELTON JOHN
$3,090,167
Dec. 31
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. (1/1)
16,470 (16,470)

2 FLEETWOOD MAC
$1,837,886
Dec. 15
Toyota Center, Houston (1/1)
12,983 (12,983)

3 TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA
$1,200,040
Dec. 19
Toyota Center, Houston (2/0)
20,338 (23,938)

4 ERIC CHURCH
$769,786
Jan. 14-18
Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City (1/0)
Valley View Casino Center, San Diego (1/0)
16,383 (17,987)

5 THE BLACK KEYS
$604,605
Nov. 15
Toyota Center, Houston (1/0)
9,408 (11,955)

6 ANGUS & JULIA STONE
$449,207
Nov. 9-14
Capitol, Offenbach, Germany (1/1)
Grosse Freiheit, Hamburg (1/1)
Tempodrom, Berlin (1/1)
TonHalle, Munich (1/1)
Palladium, Köln, Germany (1/1)
12,629 (12,629)

7 NELLY
$297,200
Jan. 8
Qantas Credit Union Arena, Sydney (1/0)
3,238 (3,677)

8 ALAN JACKSON
$284,484
Jan. 8
Germain Arena, Estero, Fla. (1/0)
5,159 (5,831)

9 GREGG ALLMAN
$256,158
Jan. 3-14
Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall, Fort Myers, Fla. (1/0)
Ryman Auditorium, Nashville (2/0)
5,057 (5,964)

10 FOREIGNER
$181,171
Jan. 12-14
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota, Fla. (1/1)
Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts, Melbourne, Fla. (1/1)
3,576 (3,576)

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The Canadian jazz pianist and singer has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide and won five Grammys.

My hero player-singer is Elton John. I used to listen to him as a child, every single record. When Blue Moves came out [in 1976], that's what I wanted for Christmas. He still remains to me just completely incredible in the way he plays and the way he performs.

Elton is extremely generous. I met him in Hawaii and we became friends. He gives me records, and we had lunch together last summer with his family. He's always interested in what's going on and who's playing what. I don't have that energy to keep on top of everyone. He's so supportive of artists he likes, and I became one of them.

There's an art to making people feel comfortable. When you meet your hero, you're ready to say all these things you've prepared all your life and you end up saying something like, "I like cheese." Elton knows how to not to make you feel awkward.

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Elton's percussionist and background vocalist John Mahon is celebrating his birthday on January 23, 2015.

On behalf of the Hercules team and the Elton John fans all over the world, we would like to wish him a happy birthday!

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Elton and David will host the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 23rd annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on February 22, 2015, at West Hollywood Park in Los Angeles.

Sponsored by Chopard, Neuro Drinks and Wells Fargo, the event will feature a sumptuous dinner designed by Chef Gordon Ramsay, a live telecast of the 87th Academy Awards, followed by a live auction, a special performance by Nile Rodgers & CHIC, and dance tunes spun by DJ Johnny Dynell.

For more information, please visit newyork.ejaf.org.

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Elton John has bumped Britney Spears in her Vegas run by hauling in more than $500K a show.

According to his deal he gets 88% of the door for every show, TMZ reports. He also has a sign off on ticket prices, which range from $55 to $1,000 for VIP seats.

Not that we would want to compare apples with oranges, but Elton is putting Britney's $475K take a show to shame, because he's doing it with fewer seats. The Colosseum only seats 4,296 while Britney's show at Planet Hollywood has 4,600.

Celine Dion, Cher and Rod Stewart have all held residencies in the prestigious venue where Elton will perform until April.

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The convertible red Bentley that took pride of place in Elton John's Cold War hit "Nikita" has emerged for sale for £70,000.

Bought by Elton himself when new, the plush Bentley Continental was used for the video of the 1985 hit single about a beautiful female Russian border guard called Nikita. The video featured Elton sat in the luxury motor taking photos of Nikita from afar before making several failed attempts to drive it through her checkpoint.

The song, from the album "Ice on Fire," was a number one around the world and charted at number three in the UK. The album was Elton's first in almost 10 years and despite Nikita's success was not critically acclaimed.

Elton bought the Bentley in February 1985, which had the B120 WYM registration plate that can be seen in the music video. He went onto change the registration for personalised plates of B20 ELT, which remain on the vehicle to this day, before he sold the Bentley some time after.

In 2008 the Bentley was bought by a classic car collector from Venice, Italy, who has kept it in top condition. It boasts a huge 6.7-litre V8 engine capable of propelling the car to a top speed in excess of 120mph, and has less than 40,000 miles on the clock.

Painted in a fetching 'Tudor red', it has a red-piped beige leather interior and matching hood as well as a walnut coloured dashboard. It is being sold with a UK registration document and the original stamped service book showing Elton John as the first owner.

The Bentley is tipped to fetch £70,000 when it goes under the hammer at auctioneers Bonhams. Gregor Wenner, a motoring specialist at Bonhams, said: 'This is a fantastic example of a Bentley engineered during the brands mid-eighties revival period. The luxury marque attracted the interest of renowned motoring enthusiast and celebrated musician, Sir Elton John, who purchased the car new and later used it for the music video of his 1985 hit song Nikita, which reached number one in many European countries and number three in the UK singles chart.'

The auction will take place in Paris on February 5, 2015.

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The 57-year-old star covers the 1964 Supremes hit “Baby Love,” Peter Gabriel’s 1986 duet with Kate Bush “Don’t Give Up” and the Elton John-Bernie Taupin favourite “Your Song” from 1970.

Singer Donny Osmond celebrates five decades in show business by putting his spin on some of his all-time favourite songs for a collection aptly titled "The Soundtrack of My Life."

There are also standards like Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer’s “Moon River” from 1961 and the 1936 Cole Porter classic “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

Osmond convinced Stevie Wonder to play harmonica on his version of Wonder’s 1969 single “My Cherie D’Amour” — the first song Osmond ever bought. The album also includes a version of “Ben,” a song written by Don Black and Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name that was an early hit for Michael Jackson.

The Soundtrack of My Life, Osmond’s 60th album, goes on sale January 13, 2015.

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On January 11, 2013 Elton and David became the proud parents of their second son born to a surrogate in California.

The boy, named Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, is celebrating his second birthday on January 11, 2015.

Elijah's brother, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, turned four on December 25, 2014.

On behalf of the Hercules team and all the fans around the world, we would like to wish Zac all the best and a happy birthday!

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When Elton John officially opened the new stand that bears his name at Watford Football Club's Vicarage Road Stadium in December 2014, it added some showbiz glitz to the completion of a major redevelopment project on the east side of the ground.

Elton, who is the club's Honorary Life President, was recognised for his support of the Hornets over many years, including spells as chairman when he forged a winning partnership with then manager Graham Taylor. Construction work on the new stand was undertaken in two phases and initially required significant gas infrastructure work to ensure that the club's new changing facilities (located in the stand) would be ready for the start of the current season. Phase two is nearing completion and will herald an increase in seating capacity at the club from 17,500 to 21,000.

Gas infrastructure design for the project was undertaken by engineers in the Siteworks division of Energy Assets, the UK's leading independent provider of gas metering and associated services, which has a strong track record of delivering football stadia projects.

The Watford contract required the alteration and upgrading of the existing gas service meter and outlet pipework in advance of demolition work. This had to be completed with minimal disruption to the football ground, as gas demand was still required to serve the other parts of the stadium, which remained fully operational. The second phase involved connecting to the new outlet pipework and feeding gas to the new changing rooms via above ground steel pipework

Commented Watford FC Safety Manager Stephen Crabtree: "We were very pleased with the way the gas element of the project was planned and executed, because it goes without saying that, despite the disruption caused by the project, having the changing rooms available at the start of the season was absolutely essential. It's now great to see our supporters enjoying a fantastic new facility."

Andy Collin, Technical Engineer at Energy Assets, said that the Watford project was among a number recently designed and completed for leading football clubs.

"It's not every day that we contribute to projects that get the seal of approval of rock superstars, but we are now gaining a reputation in the football sector for the successful delivery of complex energy infrastructure projects both within stadia and at training grounds," commented Andy.

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They've been together for over twenty years, but Elton John and David Furnish looked still very much in their honeymoon phase after their recent wedding.

The couple couldn't hide their smiles as they stepped out for a spot of shopping in Beverly Hills. Browsing the high-end stores, Elton looked dapper in a navy blue suit and lilac shirt – completing his look with a pair of trademark tinted sunglasses.

Meanwhile, David opted for a more casual look – dressed in a plaid shirt, blue jeans and a pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses. Clearly besotted with each other, the pair looked like they were having a great time as they laughed and smiled throughout the shopping spree.

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After the clock struck midnight on “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC, the party was not entirely over just yet. After all, the network had another major performance in store for you courtesy of Elton John.

They went over to Brooklyn in order to check this one out, as the music legend performed a song that is very appropriate for the arrival of a new year: “I’m Still Standing.” It’s a track about perseverance, and in a way, it reminds us that not everyone had the best year in 2014. This is a chance to recover, and feel like the year is really getting off to a great start.

This is becoming a tradition for the show to end its Eastern-time festivities with a performance featuring a music icon. Last year, they showed a performance from the incredible Billy Joel.

Earlier in the show all the boys in the front row removed their shoes and socks during "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road". After "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word", Elton introduced the band and then began the 10 second countdown to 2015. Confetti and balloons dropped from the ceiling. Elton then explained that his cousin became engaged at the stroke of midnight. He the performed "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".

After that song Elton explained about the live broadcast and that there were about 60 seconds to go. To fill the time, he then improvised "New York You Give Your Love To Me" before saying hello to Ryan Seacrest and to all in Times Square.

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