Sir Elton John has hit out at a “rude” and “disruptive” fan who caused him to storm off stage during a performance in Las Vegas.
The singer had invited a group of revellers from the audience on to the stage while performing Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, something he often does.
But in a video clip, which has been circulated online, Sir Elton can be seen becoming irritated as one of the fans near his piano repeatedly leans over and tries to touch him and his keyboard.
In a statement published on his Instagram account, the singer explained why he had left the stage mid-performance.
He said: “Thursday night in Las Vegas a fan put his hands on the piano keys while I was playing and continued to do so even after I asked him to stop.
“He then proceeded to reach over the piano and try to take pictures, completely disrupting the performance.
“I bring fans onstage every evening when we play ‘Saturday Night’ in the set, it is always a lovely part of the show where I get to meet them, shake their hands and have them right there with me while I play.
“They have always been very courteous to the fact we are in the middle of playing a song live.
“This guy was rude, disruptive and had no care or respect for our show and so I let him know how I felt, then left the stage until they had removed him.”
During the Thursday night gig, one concert-goer tweeted: “Holy shit Elton John just stormed the [bleep] off stage.”
The video appears to show the 70-year-old shout an expletive at the fan before getting up from his seat and walking off the stage.
After the song finished, and the members of the audience had returned to their seats, Sir Elton came back on to the stage.
He told the audience, before performing Circle Of Life: “No more coming on stage during Saturday Night, you [bleeping] it up!”
It is believed the person who tried to touch Sir Elton was swiftly escorted from the venue.