Elton John gave the final concert at Britain's legendary Glastonbury Festival on Sunday, bringing down the curtain on the annual spectacular with what could be his final UK performance.

"I never thought I'd ever play Glastonbury," he told the crowd.

"It's a very special and emotional night for me –- it might be my very last show in England, in Great Britain, so I'd better play well and entertain you."

The 76-year-old pop superstar is winding down a glittering live career with a global farewell tour, having played his last concerts in the United States in May ahead of a final gig in Stockholm on 8 July.

Glastonbury, Britain's best-known music festival, has been hosted on a farm in southwest England for five decades.

Before John took to the main Pyramid Stage on Sunday night, anticipation was high among fans.

"Elton's a legend," PhD student Giles Briscoe, 26, told AFP ahead of the set, wearing a replica of the iconic baseball outfit John wore at his famous 1975 concerts at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.

"The fact that he's going to perform on such a big stage, at such a historic moment of his career, is such a big event."

John did not disappoint, kicking the show off with "Pinball Wizard" — a role he memorably played in The Who's rock opera "Tommy" — before reeling through some of his biggest hits, including "Candle in the Wind", "Crocodile Rock", and an intense "I'm Still Standing".

John dedicated "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" to his "friend" and "inspiration" George Michael, who died on Christmas Day in 2016, and who would have turned 60 on Sunday.

'Incredible journey'

John's husband David Furnish had told Sky News ahead of the concert that John would not stop making music after the farewell tour ends next month, and would start work on a new studio album later this year.