After more than 50 years on the road, Elton John has officially retired from touring.
The iconic artist played his final tour at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena on Saturday, the final stop on his Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour. “I had a career beyond words. How lucky am I to have been making music for 52 years?” John, 76, told the audience as he closed the concert with “Your Song” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
“But I wouldn’t have talked to you if it hadn’t been for you. “You’ve bought a single, an album, a CD, a cassette, but more importantly, you’ve bought a concert ticket and you know how much I love to play live.”
After the show, the five-time Grammy Award winner thanked her fans for their continued support over five decades.
“My fans have been with me every step of the way.” “They were there for me, they supported me, they were patient and they attended every event,” he said in a statement after the show. “Tonight was a beautiful night. We’re still processing everything and it won’t be long until the tour is over. I can’t tell you how much I miss my fans and how humbled I am by their love. He will always be in my heart.”
At one point during the event, the “Little Dancer” singer received a special message from Chris Martin, who was performing in Sweden at the same time as Coldplay.
Martin, 46, said: “Elton, from all of us here, from all the bands and artists you’ve loved, inspired and helped, we just want to say we love you so much.” “We love you so much. Enjoy your retirement. We will miss you so much.
John, who has been traveling since 1970, shared an emotional message on Instagram on Saturday ahead of the much-anticipated event. “This tour has been an incredible journey and now we are at the end of it,” he wrote. “Tonight is the last night.”
Although John is no longer touring, he and his management have already told fans that they will be performing in some form for years to come. “It’s important to know the difference between Elton on tour and Elton’s last public appearance,” David Furnish, John’s husband and manager, told Billboard in November.
“I understand he is not on tour. What you see is either a spectacular one-time event or a short residency, staying in one place for a limited time.