No "Empty Garden"
for Elton John, now 60

Elton John may have sung ''Empty Garden,'' but as usual, he was not in one. The singer celebrated his 60th birthday Sunday night with a performance at New York City's Madison Square Garden--not coincidentally, his record-setting 60th performance there.

A star-studded audience surrounded him, including former president Clinton. Welcoming him to the ''60-year-old club,'' Clinton paid tribute to John's work helping people with AIDS.

His three-hour, 33-song set included contributions from the Brooklyn Youth Chorus Academy. Robin Williams, and Whoopi Goldberg briefly joined him onstage, with Williams saying the tuxedoed John ''used to make Liberace look Amish.''

John extended his own record for most performances at the Manhattan venue. The Grateful Dead, with 52 shows there, is second.

Michael Caine, Rosie O'Donnell, Barbara Walters, k.d. lang, Kiefer Sutherland, Kid Rock, Liv Tyler, and Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne also attended.

John's lyricist, Bernie Taupin, led the audience in singing happy-birthday wishes.

''Without Bernie Taupin none of us would be here tonight,'' John said. ''Because the words have always come first.'' (AP)