Elton John had to leave the stage for a "chunder" when he took ill during the first performance of his latest Australian tour.

He was about to launch into his classic "Crocodile Rock" two hours into the Brisbane Entertainment Centre concert when he walked off without a word.

Guitarist Davey Johnstone played an impromptu five-minute solo before Sir Elton returned to tell the 15,000 strong crowd he had been sick.

"I thought I'd better chunder in the toilet than all over the front row," he said. A spokeswoman for the tour said the star had been suffering from a stomach upset. "He got it out and got on with it," she said.

Elton performed the final 45 minutes of the show without problem, even changing the lyrics of "Crocodile Rock" to make a joke about his plight, singing "the flying doctor never had so much fun".

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