‘Rocket Man’ Will Retire After ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ Tour
By JOHN DALY
Elton John announced today he will embark on a 300-day final tour called the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, and then he will retire to raise his children.
“I am not going to be touring any more apart from the last tour which is going to start in September of this year and it will be a global tour and it will be the last time I will be touring and traveling the world,” he said. “Because my priorities have changed in my life. Ten years ago if you had said I’d have stopped touring I would have said I’m a working musician I’ve gotta play, but we had children.
“In 2015 David and I sat down with a school schedule and I said ‘I don’t want to miss too much of this,’ I’ve had an amazing life I’ve hadn an amazing career I’ve been incredibly lucky, my life has changed,” he said.
“My priorities now are my children and my husband and my family,” John said. “I’ve been touring since I was 17 with various bands and as Elton John in 1969, and I thought the time is right to say thank you to all my fans globally and to say goodbye and to have a breather. It’s not to say I’m not going to be creative.”
John said that reporters indicated he was in ill health and that is not the case, he said.
“The tour is a three-year tour, it’s a 300-day tour,” he said. “If you’re going to do 300 days you’re not in ill health. Last year I picked up an infection in South America and it knocked me sideways but I still did 96 shows last year.”
The world tour launches in Allentown, Penn.
“I’ve been working constantly,” John said. “I’ve been on the road since I made it in 1970.”
“Once your life changes and you have the children your life changes so much and I love them so much … When I stop they’re going to be 10 and 8 but I love them so much I don’t want to miss them and I don’t want them to miss me. And you’ve gotta admit I’ve had a pretty good run.
“I don’t want to go out with a whimper I want to go out with a big bang.”
The tour is expected to go through 2021.
Watch the video announcement here:
The genius rocker, 70, has been on the road for more than 50 years.
John, whose real name is Reggie Dwight, is responsible for some of the biggest hits of the rock era, including “Rocket Man” and “Crocodile Rock” and many others.
John was ill during a flight from Santiago, Chile to his home and spent two nights in intensive care. He then canceled May and April dates in his Las Vegas residency. He canceled shows in Las Vegas and in California after saying he contracted a deadly bacterial infection.
See US concert dates:
Elton John Tour Dates
September 8 – Allentown, PA @ PPL Center
September 11 & 12 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Wells Fargo Center
September 15 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
September 16 – University Park, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center
September 19 – Hartford, CT @ XL Center
September 21 & 22 – Washington DC @ Capital One Arena
September 25 & 26 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
September 28 – Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre
September 29 – Québec City, QC @ Videotron Centre
October 4 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
October 6 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
October 10 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
October 12 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
October 15 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
October 18 & 19 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
October 23 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
October 24 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
October 26 & 27 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
October 30 – St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
November 2 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
November 3 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
November 8 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
November 23 – Sunrise, FL @ BB&T Center
November 24 – Miami, FL @ AmericanAirlines Arena
November 27 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
November 28 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
November 30 & December 1 – Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
December 4 – Birmingham, AL @ Legacy Arena at The BJCC
December 6 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
December 8 & 9 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
December 12 – San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
December 14 & 15 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
January 11, 2019 – Boise, ID @ Taco Bell Arena
January 12, 2019 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
January 15, 2019 – Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
January 16, 2019 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden1 Center
January 18, 2019 – Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
January 19, 2019 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center at San Jose
January 22 & 23, 2019 – Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center
January 26, 2019 – Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena
January 29, 2019 – San Diego, CA @ Valley View Casino Center
February 7, 2019 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
February 9, 2019 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
February 12, 2019 – Omaha, NE @ CenturyLink Center
February 13, 2019 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
February 19, 2019 – Milwaukee, WI @ Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center
February 21, 2019 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
February 27, 2019 – Cincinnati, OH @ U.S. Bank Arena
March 1, 2019 – Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
March 8, 2019 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
March 12, 2019 – Raleigh, NC @PNC Arena
March 13, 2019 – Columbia, SC @Colonial Life Arena
March 15, 2019 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena