Elton John tried to push his piano into audience when he was drunk, claims Davey Johnstone

Elton John was once so “out of it” on stage he tried to push his three-ton piano into the audience – and was only prevented from killing some of his fans by his roadies pushing it back.

The star’s long time guitarist Davey Johnstone told how the Rocket Man singer showed extraordinary strength in being able to lift up the instrument during a gig.

The 72-year-old said the disaster was only averted by the concert crew who were able to push back and stop Sir Elton tipping off the stage.

Talking to the Rockonteurs podcast, Johnstone recalled how earlier in their careers both he and the pop star had struggled with alcohol abuse.

On reflection, he said he does not know how they “survived”.

“I remember being out of it on stage playing certain concerts, I remember Elton and I being so whacked out of it,” he said. “There was a concert where he tried to push his piano off stage.

“Now it’s difficult to push a piano off stage, not very easy at all, this is a three-ton instrument. But he had so much strength given by whatever the hell he was doing with his life that he was able to raise this thing up.

“So he’s pushing the piano off stage and the crew are at the other side pushing it back trying to stop it going into the audience and killing several people.

“This kind of thing is unbelievable, this is how stupid the behaviour can become. Things like that, I’m glad I remember them because I’m so glad we’re not there anymore.”

Johnstone described their behaviour before they both cleaned up as the “danger years”.

He said that following an after show party in which they had drunk a Dublin hotel dry of Guinness, Def Leppard singer Joe Elliot asked how often they did this kind of thing.

“We looked at each other and went ‘every night’. And it really was like that in those days. Those were danger years.

“Those times were crazy, they were dangerous, it was only our stamina that allowed us to weather that whole period.”

Edinburgh-born Johnstone – who has played with Sir Elton since 1971 – said that in the late 80s, the star – who has admitted that his struggles with drugs and alcohol almost killed him – “thankfully” was able to “sort himself out”.

“He had to get away, he had to do his thing,” he said. “I was so happy for him, I was surprised but I was so happy for him. It was just so traumatic.”

The Los Angeles-based guitarist – whose nine-year-old son Oliver died in a tragic pool accident in 2001 – credits Sir Elton with intervening to help his own recovery in the noughties.

He said: “I was given a lot of help in that area by my dear friend Elton. He was the first one who gave me a nudge and we were sitting at his place one day and we were having breakfast, a cup of tea and toast and marmalade.

“And out of the blue he looked up from his newspaper and said ‘You know what, I think you should probably have a look at what you’re doing with your drinking and everything else that you’re doing’ and then carried on reading.

“And I was like, what? Me, I’m fine. What about the drummer, he’s much worse than me? He went no, you’re my friend and I’m talking about you. It was like a real jolt and I went back to California a few days later and really thought deeply about what he said.

“When your closest friend says something like that and you don’t listen then, forget about it. Luckily I did. And I cleaned up entirely. It’s been wonderful. It’s helped my playing, it’s helped my family, my children, my wife and I.

“Everything has gotten better. It’s a gift I’ve been given.

“How we ever managed to survive but thank God we don’t have to deal with that any more. It’s a freedom that I’ve been given that I never knew existed and I’m grateful for that.”

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