Incredibly Scarce “To Russia...with Elton Leningrad/Moscow May 1979” Elton John Tour Jacket From his Russian Concert Tour - One of the Few Known Examples!

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Please Note: A portion of the proceeds from sale of the Elton John lots, 229–281, will be donated to The Elton John Aids Foundation.

Offered is one of the few known surviving examples of the tour jackets made for Elton John's 8-concert tour of Leningrad and Moscow, Russia in May 1979. The "Hard Act to Follow" brand satin two-tone copper and cream jacket with green cotton waist and cuffs is emblazoned with the tour's title: "To Russia...with Elton / Leningrad/Moscow•May 1979 / Witzend Productions/J.R.E." These jacket's were customized in what must have been a very small batch, since Elton John was only accompanied by percussionist Ray Cooper on the tour. The crew also was probably smaller because of the lack of a band, and the fact that they were traveling into the cold war-era communist Soviet Union. Elton played for eight consecutive nights from May 21-28--the first four nights at Leningrad's Bolshoi Oktyabrsky Concert Hall and the last four nights at Moscow's Rossiya Concert Hall. The shows were a revelation to the Russian audiences, most of whom had never hear Elton's music. No western music was legally available at the time, though black market's were prevalent in the Soviet Union where a fan could get bootlegs. The jacket features the name of Elton John's management company, John Reid Enterprises ("J.R.E.") as well as the name of the British television production company, "Witzend Productions," that filmed the documentary of the tour, also titled "To Russia with Elton." It's possible that since their company name is featured so prominently, that Witzend may have had a hand in getting the jackets made. The jacket presents with a "Hard Act To Follow" tag on the inside of the left pocket with the handwritten size marking "M." The jacket presents with very little wear, and still maintains a gleaming shine to the satiny fabric. Near Mint condition.