Sir Elton John has confirmed that he won’t give up performing for good, even after his farewell tour has come to an end.
The 76-year-old singer-songwriter confirmed that he will “not be going on tour again” once his extensive ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour comes to an end this July, however, did hint to fans that he is not prepared to completely give up on performing.
As reported by the Metro, the ‘Candle In the Wind’ singer explained the emotional impact that touring has on his personal life, and stated that he is ready for a “little bit of freedom” once he plays his final tour date in Stockholm on July 8.
“Touring is exhausting for me now, and it takes me away from my family and my children,” he said, referring to his partner David Furnish and their two sons Zachary, who is aged 12, and Elijah, who is 10.
While explaining why he is looking forward to bringing his days of touring to a close, Sir Elton did also state that this doesn’t mean that he will be quitting live performances for good — promising fans that “there may be the odd show” still to come.
One of these upcoming shows has already been scheduled for later this year, when the ‘Rocket Man’ songwriter will perform a show at the 2023 Emmy Promotion evening in Los Angeles — promoting the Disney+ show Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium.
The pop veteran kicked off his current Farewell tour back in 2018 and it is currently one of the most lucrative in music history. As of January, it became the first-ever tour to surpass the $800million (£649.1million) mark, making it the highest-grossing of all time.
It is estimated that, by the 330th and final gig, it will have hit the $1billion (£800million) mark.
Last week, NME counted down the top five moments from the tour so far. Among other factors, we praised the singer-songwriter for his unwavering enthusiasm, despite the extensive number of dates he has already played.
It also highlighted the intricate setlists that vary across each show, which have featured some of his lesser-known tracks including ‘Burn Down The Mission’ and ‘Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player’’s ‘Have Mercy On The Criminal’, both of which were transformed into “fiery rock and roll epics” when played live.
Earlier this year, Elton John finally learned the true inspiration behind his hit, ‘Rocket Man’ — 50 years after it was released.
Taking part in an interview with co-songwriter Bernie Taupin, he discovered that the track was inspired by a piece of literature by Ray Bradbury.
“It was actually a song inspired by Ray Bradbury from his book of science-fiction short stories called The Illustrated Man,” Taupin explained. “In that book, there was a story called The Rocket Man, which was about how astronauts in the future would become sort of an everyday job… so I kinda took that idea and ran with it.”