After more than 50 years on the road, Elton John has officially retired from touring.
The renowned artist performed his final tour act at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena on Saturday, the final stop on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.
“I’ve had the most incredible career, beyond words. How fortunate am I to be able to play music for 52 years?” John, 76, told the audience as he finished his concert with “Your Song” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
“But, you know, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you. You bought the singles, albums, CDs, and cassettes, but more importantly, you bought the concert tickets, and you know how much I enjoy performing live.”
After the show, the five-time Grammy winner thanked his fans for their unending support spanning more than five decades.
“My fans have been there for me every step of the way.” They’ve remained with me, they’ve supported me, they’ve been patient, and they’ve been coming to every single event,” he stated in a post-show statement, according to Consequence.
“Tonight has been a beautiful night. I’m still processing everything, and I don’t believe it’ll take a while before I’m finally done touring. I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss the fans or how much their love has humbled me – it will live on in my heart forever.”
At one point during the event, the “Tiny Dancer” singer received a special message from Chris Martin, who was performing with his band, Coldplay, in Sweden at the same time.
“Elton, we just wanna say, from all of us here, from all the bands and artists that you’ve loved, inspired, and helped, we just love you so much,” Martin, 46, said in part. “We love you tremendously. Happy retirement and we’ll miss you terribly, dude.”
John, who has been traveling since 1970, took to Instagram earlier Saturday to deliver a poignant message before of the highly anticipated event.
“What a journey this tour has been, and now we find ourselves at the end of it,” he wrote. “Tonight is the final night.”
While John is no longer traveling, he and his management have previously announced that fans can expect to see him perform in some way in the coming years.
“It’s essential to distinguish between Elton retiring from touring and Elton not performing his very last public performance for the very last time,” John’s husband and manager, David Furnish, told Billboard last November.
“I know he will not be touring in any capacity. What you’ll see is the prospect of a spectacular one-time event or a short residency in a single place for a limited time.”
9 People Who Were Too Unlucky to Have a Good Vacation
Sometimes when your suitcases have been packed, your passport is in your pocket and the plane tickets are in your hands, you get a gut feeling that something is going to go wrong on your vacation. You’ll end up trying to remember whether you switched off the iron back at home or are suffering after realizing you’ve forgotten your phone charger. All these bad moments can be amplified thanks to friends that post their perfect beach photos.
9. What happens when you fall asleep outside:
8. “Came to Greece for a relaxing holiday in the sun. It has rained for 5 days straight, and we are leaving tomorrow.”
7. “The hotel promised us a sea-view room. They actually weren’t lying.”
5. When one obstacle has passed, but it’s still too early to relax:
4. “How’s that for an ocean view on your beach vacation?”
2. “When you wake up for a sunrise at Niagara Falls but forgot to check the weather forecast…”
1. When you’re having your first romantic trip on gondolas, but the traffic is too heavy:
Has anything similar happened to you? Please tell us your stories in the comments and perhaps our next compilation will be about you!
Leave a Reply