Sir Elton hosts Wembley farewell

Sir Elton John performs with Jools Holland and Chris De Burgh

Sir Elton John brought down the curtain on Wembley Stadium on Thursday evening, hosting a charity concert.

The singer-songwriter was joined on stage by Chris De Burgh, Jools Holland, The Bootleg Beatles and Lesley Garrett.

Pele: The world's "greatest" soccer player has the last Wembley kick

The organisers are hoping to raise £1m for the children's charity NSPCC and its Full Stop campaign.

Brazilian soccer star Pele, who never had the chance to play at Wembley, kicked the final ball in the famous old stadium.

England World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton, boxer Frank Bruno, Live Aid organiser Bob Geldof and Olympic rower Steve Redgrave were among 2,000 guests celebrating Wembley's past.

The event was organised by the FA Cup's sponsors, AXA UK.

The company's chief executive Mark Wood said: "Music has played a huge part in Wembley's history and Sir Elton's presence will ensure that music as well as sport lives on in Wembley's memory."

The new-look Wembley is due to open in 2003

Tha stadium, built in 1923, has hosted many rock concerts.

Most notably, Wembley was the focus for the the Live Aid benefit in 1985.

Queen, U2 and Sir Elton John were among those international stars to perform at Live Aid, raising money for famine relief in Africa.

The bulldozers will move in within days to make way for a new Wembley Stadium, due to open in 2003.

Sir Elton is currently engaged in legal action in the High Court in London against a former agent and accountants, alleging they mismanaged his affairs.

The singer claims that he discovered a £20m shortfall in his accounts.

PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Andrew Haydon deny the charge, and the case has been adjourned until Friday.