Rome ? Elton John will take the stage just outside the Colosseum in September, Rome officials said on Friday.

The free Sept. 3 concert will take place on the Via dei Fori Imperiali, the large boulevard that leads to the Colosseum and is lined with ancient Roman relics.

“I can’t wait to meet my fans in Rome for a unique musical happening,” John said in a video broadcast during a news conference. “It is so exciting.”

Last year, a Simon and Garfunkel concert on the same stage drew hundreds of thousands of fans. Paul McCartney has also performed on the Via dei Fori Imperiali.