Sir Elton John arrives in Aberdeen today and has brought with him fans from all over the world.
One of the biggest stars in pop history is here for his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
Around 20,000 people will be enjoying a glamorous night at The P&J Live arena across shows on Tuesday and Thursday.
The long-awaited event was postponed due to Sir Elton undergoing a hip replacement, as well as the pandemic.
But now the show has officially arrived in Aberdeen and Elton fans are celebrating after a long wait.
Where are the Elton John fans coming to Aberdeen from?
Fans have come from across the world, including Canada, the United States, Brazil, Qatar, Singapore, New Zealand and from across Europe.
Seven fans have purchased tickets from Torokbalint in Hungary, and another five from its capital city Budapest.
The UK has also seen a lot of internal travel too, with those from the Highlands and islands to the Isle of Wight purchasing tickets.
Where are most of the Elton John fans coming to Aberdeen from?
But as you would expect, most of the fans coming to the Aberdeen show are fairly local.
Although the data is not precise due to some customers misspelling place names, according to P&J Live staff, the top 10 locations people wrote down when buying tickets were:
- Aberdeen – 1,862
- Dundee – 370
- Edinburgh – 313
- Inverurie – 273
- Aberdeenshire – 243
- Glasgow – 221
- London – 210
- Peterhead – 168
- Elgin – 147
- Inverness – 142
Rocking 330 concerts across five continents, the show is part Sir Elton’s final sign-off to worldwide touring.
Other than P&J Live, the only other show Elton will be performing in Scotland will be in Glasgow on June 17 and 18.
The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is the highest-grossing tour of all time, according to Billboard.
What impact have the fans had on Aberdeen’s hotels?
But the fans have already been making their impact felt throughout Aberdeen.
According to the large holiday website, Booking.com, 77% of all hotels in Aberdeen have no availability for Thursday night.
The P&J Live’s two adjoining hotels the Hilton and Aloft are among the majority that have been fully booked.
Almost 300 guests have filled up the Hilton with a member of staff reporting some of the bookings have been in place for four years.
Nate Turner, guest service manager at Aloft, said: “We have been fully booked for the past few months.”
Will the Elton John fans provide a boost to Aberdeen’s economy?
It is also expected the influx of fans could provide a boost to the Aberdeen economy.
Attracting tourists has become more of a focus for Aberdeen City Council as one of the possible solutions to restore Union Street to its former glory.
It is hoped the nearly 40 cruise ships scheduled to dock at the new £400 million Aberdeen Harbour this year will also help.
The city has been especially busy at the weekend due to the ever-popular Nuart street art festival.
But recent proposals for a controversial tourist tax could be implemented in the city’s future.
It would involve those staying overnight in the city paying a percentage of their accommodation costs to the council.
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