Elton John jetting in for Shrewsbury stadium concert

It's a stadium he's never played before, and Sir Elton John can't wait to play Shrewsbury Town's Greenhous Meadow Stadium,

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The star, who has thrilled millions of fans around the world during his four-decade career, will play the venue on Sunday.

He's expected to thrill fans with a greatest hits set, featuring some of his best-loved tunes like Rocket Man, Candle In The Wind and others.

Sir Elton said: "I'm really looking forward to playing to fans in Shropshire, at Shrewsbury Town's Greenhous Meadow Stadium.

"We're looking forward to a great gig. It should be a great day out and I'm looking forward to the concert."

Sir Elton is only playing three UK gigs during his summer tour, with the others planned for Northamptonshire and Sussex.

Concert spokesman Ben Martin said: "Elton has staged many hugely successful concerts in football stadiums and cricket grounds around the country in the past – all three of these outdoor concerts will be staged within the existing facilities of the grounds, with reserved seating on the field."

Mr Martin added that ticket sales had been brisk from the off and people from around the world would be at the Shrewsbury gig, for an evening with the star.

Sir Elton has been one of the biggest names in showbusiness for four decades and he has sold around 250 million records.

He was knighted for his services to music and charitable services.

His single, Candle in the Wind 1997, sold more than 33 million copies worldwide.

Sir Elton will be backed by his protégé, Ed Drewett, who speaks to the pop icon regularly.

Ed, who describes himself as having the best mentor in the business, is signed to Sir Elton's record label and will support the multi-millionaire rock star on Sunday.

The two met a year ago and Ed was blown away.

"If you're thinking of people in the world, charismatic male stars, people who write and sing timeless, classic pop songs. . . well, it doesn't get better than Elton, does it?"

Ed was signed to Rocket Management and in the past few weeks has been speaking regularly with the legendary writer.

"He called me three times yesterday, he just wanted to check on a bunch of stuff," says Ed.

"We were up at the house, in Windsor, having dinner. Elton can just talk and talk and talk about music, he knows it all, it's like he wrote the rule book. But he's very much a regular guy. The more celebrities you meet, the more you realise you are venturing into that world.

"When I first met him a year ago, I was very deferential, but you get over that.

"You don't treat people differently because of who they are and we take the mick out of each other.

"People like him appreciate that more than if you suck up to them."

Ed was asked by Sir Elton to open his show at the Greenhous Meadow Stadium: a concert that fans have been looking forward to for months.

Sir Elton announced his summer dates around the same time as releasing his most recent album, the critically-acclaimed The Union, with Leon Russell. The duo have been friends for many years and both described the recording sessions as being among the most enjoyable of their careers.

Sir Elton is also playing Northamptonshire and Sussex, having previously graced the grounds of Northamptonshire's Castle Abbey in 2000 and sold out Hove's County Ground back in 2006.

Surprisingly, Sunday's concert is not sold out – although tickets will set you back more than £80 per person.

Over 1,500 parking spaces have been allocated for concert goers in and around Greenhous Meadow in a bid to ease congestion on the day.

A spokesman for the venue said: "With an expected attendance of 16,000 it will be the biggest music concert ever to be held in Shropshire and ticket holders are advised to allow extra time for their journey."

A drop off point is located just off Oteley Road, following the Bannytynes Health Club entry and exit route.

The rear acces gate to the stadium, behind Sainsburys, will be closed for this event.

The concert is due to start with Ed Drewett at around 6pm with Sir Elton expected on stage at 7pm.

To check ticket availability and to book, visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk