Elton John: ‘God bless Turkey’

He also took the opportunity to criticize those who canceled their shows in Turkey.      

“I would like to dedicate this to you all and Turkey. And to say people who cancel their shows here and didn’t come: You don’t know what you are missing,” he said during his Sept. 9 concert held on the sidelines of Antalya Expo 2016, one of the world’s largest horticultural shows.

“I am so glad I am here,” he added. “We have had the best time, we cannot thank you enough. God bless Turkey.”

Various shows have been canceled across Turkey this year due to attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), as well as the July 15 failed coup attempt.      
Pianist, singer-songwriter Elton John, 69, performed for fans for about an hour-and-a-half and received a storm of applause at the end of his performance.      

The British veteran musician previously sent a letter to the expo organizers in which he condemned the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey. He had pledged to carry on with the concert regardless.