After a pandemic delay, five years and 333 shows, Elton John has brought his touring career to an end with the final show of his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday night.
The 76-year-old artist first announced the tour back in 2018, which began in Allentown, Pennsylvania and continued through the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. His final American show at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, was livestreamed on Disney+ and became part of a documentary for the streaming service, while BBC One broadcast his performance at Glastonbury Festival.
“I’ve had the most wonderful career, beyond belief,” John told the crowd at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena. “Fifty-two years of pure joy, playing music. How lucky am I to play music? But I wouldn’t be sitting here and talking to you if it wasn’t for you. You bought the singles, the CDs, the albums, the cassettes. But more importantly, you bought the tickets to the shows. And you know how much I love to play live. It’s been my lifeblood to play for you guys. You’ve been absolutely magnificent. Thank you.”
Elton John’s decorated career includes five Grammy Awards and two Best Original Song Oscars for the “Lion King” song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” a song he wrote for the 2019 Dexter Fletcher biopic about his own career, “Rocketman.” He has also achieved nine No. 1 singles in the U.S. and U.K. over the course of his career, the most famous being his 1997 re-release of “Candle in the Wind,” with lyrics rewritten to honor the late Princess Diana of Wales.
While his touring career is over, John says he plans to keep writing music and pursuing other creative endeavors, and has not ruled out one-off live shows in the future.
“I will never be touring again, but I may do something in the future — a one-off thing,” he said. “But that’s miles away. I want to appreciate my family, my sons, my husband, everything.”
John also got a surprise live shoutout from Coldplay, which was also doing a show in Sweden in nearby Gothenburg.
“From all the bands and all the artists you’ve loved and inspired and helped, we just love you so much,” said Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. “We are so grateful for everything you’ve done for us. Everything you’ve done for the AIDS Foundation, anytime you’ve been kind to anybody. Everything you’ve done for LGBTQ [people], everything you’ve done for fashion and eyewear.”
“Everything you’ve done for sexiness and love and dressing gowns. Everything you’ve done for music, everything Bernie [Taupin] has done for lyrics, everything your band has done over the thousands of shows you’ve done. We love you so much. We’re going to miss you so much,” he continued.
