Between the late '40s and early '90s, the United States and Russia had quite a tempestuous relationship. This was the Cold War. Tempers were high, nukes were allegedly armed, and Russia and the United States were constantly competing to be the world's greatest superpower. That being so, there was a strict global line that divided the East and the West, and they rarely ever blended. Though, they did on one occasion, and that is when Elton John started his USSR tour on May 21, 1979.

Thanks to the reasons above, Elton John's Russian tour was an enormous deal. Furthermore, the artist made history given that he was the first major Western pop star to perform behind the Iron Curtain. Elton John was not the last major Western pop star to tour Russia. Though, if not John, acts such as Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne, and Bruce Springsteen likely would not have gotten the chance to do the same.

Concerning his motivation to trek behind the Iron Curtain, John told United Press International per UCR, "We decided to try and play places that we had never sort of played before." "Most rock 'n' roll people go to places where they can make money, but I've had enough of doing that. I want to see different people all over the world," he added.

Elton John's Russian tour kicked off on May 21, 1979, at the Great October Hall in Saint Petersburg. Russian government officials, KGB Officers, and other important Soviet figures received a good deal of the tickets. Consequently, John performed in front of a fairly tight crowd. However, that changed when fans stormed to the front of the stage and let the music control them.

Following that initial performance, Elton John went on to perform seven more shows. Three of those shows transpired at the Great October Hall, and the other four happened at the Rossya Hotel in Moscow. John left the trip rather unscathed, as there were no major political or social conflicts.

If you were alive during the Cold War, you know just how monumental John's tour was. It might not have led to the end of the Cold War or resolved any diplomatic issues, but it surely put a crack in the "impenetrable" Iron Curtain. The next notable musician to venture into Russia after John was Billy Joel.