BRISBANE - Musical knight Sir Elton John had to leave the stage for a "chunder" when he took ill during the first performance of his latest Australian tour.
The 59-year-old was about to launch into his classic Crocodile Rock two hours into the Brisbane Entertainment Centre concert lastnight when he walked off without a word.
Guitarist Davey Johnstone played an impromptu five-minute solo before Sir Elton returned to tell the 15,000 strong crowd he had been sick.
"I thought I'd better chunder in the toilet than all over the front row (of the audience)," he said.
A spokeswoman for the tour said the star had been suffering from a stomach upset.
"He got it out and got on with it," she said.
Sir Elton performed the final 45 minutes of the show without problem, even changing the lyrics of Crocodile Rock to make a joke about his plight, singing "the flying doctor never had so much fun".
This is Sir Elton's 12th Australian tour since 1971 and he remarked how much he enjoyed coming here and that he had always been well received.
The Brisbane concert opened with a blistering version of Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding from the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album.
Fans were treated to a smorgasbord of Elton's greatest hits from a career spanning more than 35 years such as Tiny Dancer, Candle In The Wind, Someone Saved My Life Tonight, an epic version of Rocket Man and Your Song.
The old favourites were mixed with songs from his latest album, The Captain and the Kid.
Sir Elton, who was knighted in 1998 for his services to music and fundraising for Aids charities, was greeted at the start of the concert by a standing ovation and after each song, he walked round the stage accepting the plaudits of the fans.
The tour continues in Sydney on Wednesday and Friday night before moving to Melbourne, Wellington, New Zealand, Adelaide and Perth.
