Elton John joined US President Joe Biden at the opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center.
It opened on Friday (June 28) at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City, to mark the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. John and Biden were joined by Governor of New York Kathy Hochul.
John spoke at the event, with the iconic singer urging the LGBTQ+ community to keep fighting. “55 years ago, in this sacred spot of the Stonewall Uprising, gay activists stood strong and ignited a movement that has changed history for the better,” he said, per Associated Press.
He continued, to rapturous applause, “As President Biden has reminded us today … do we stand up for our vision and our values, or let misinformation and senseless scapegoating turn back the clock? No fucking way.”
He closed the event with a performance of his hits ‘Bennie And The Jets’, ‘I’m Still Standing’, and ‘Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me’.
Fellow singer Katy Perry also took to the stage to call the centre “a destination full of love to honour a community that deserves so much respect.”
Former President Barack Obama designated Stonewall Inn as a national monument in 2016, and the new visitor centre is part museum, part educational space. Its opening came ahead of NYC’s Pride March today (June 30).
Meanwhile, a documentary about John is set to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival later this year. Elton John: Never Too Late will zoom in on his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour’, which began in 2018 and ended in Stockholm last July.
It’s expected to be shown at the festival in September, before being released on Disney+ further down the line. That same month, a book written by John and also covering the tour is expected to be published.
It doesn’t look as though the rock legend has finished making music, however. Last month, his close friend and co-writer Bernie Taupin shared that John’s 32nd studio album has been recorded.
He said, “I think it’s quite brilliant and quite contemporary and it will certainly surprise a lot of people and excite a lot of people and hopefully be successful.”
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