Elton John has closed his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ world tour. Therefore, he ended a record-breaking run of 333 shows across nearly five years. He held the final concert in Stockholm at the city’s Tele2 Arena. On the last night, July 8, he performed the semi-title track of the tour, ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.’ This performance marked not just the end of the night but also that of the entire tour.
Before this riveting performance, John stood before the mic for one last address. In his speech, he spoke to approximately 45,000 people in attendance. All had come to bid him farewell and pay tribute to his remarkable career. John thanked them profusely for their unwavering support throughout his journey.
“I’ve had a fantastic career, one that is beyond belief,” John stated, according to Rolling Stone. He has spent the last fifty years entertaining fans globally with his music. When delving into how much this journey has meant to him, he noted, “How lucky am I? You are the reason I’m here today. It wouldn’t have been possible without you. All of you purchased the singles, the CDs, the albums, and the cassettes over the years.”
Fans remain at the heart of live performances. The nostalgia of cassettes and CDs isn’t the only thing fans contributed to over the years. “More importantly,” he added, “You bought tickets to the shows.” His love for performing live is no secret. He left no doubt about how much he loves playing live, expressing, “I live to play for you guys. You’ve been nothing short of magnificent.”
John first released the song ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ in 1973. This track earned a place on his seventh studio album as both the second single and the title track. His fans loved it upon its release, and it quickly shot into the top ten singles chart in several countries, including the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, and South Africa.
Since that initial release, John has performed ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ live approximately 1475 times over the last 50 years. It quickly became the closing act for many of his performances on the ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour. This highly anticipated tour started in September 2018 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. John traveled across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, spreading his music far and wide. However, in March 2020, he had to halt the tour because of the coronavirus pandemic and a hip injury that he acquired.
Consequently, John took a two-year break to recover from his hip operation and the global turn of events. Things looked up in January 2022. The tour resumed once more at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. Throughout the next 18 months, John consistently toured.
His final show on UK soil took place at Glastonbury as the headliner, where he performed alongside guests like Brandon Flowers and Rina Sawayama. In May 2023, the music industry recognized this tour as the highest-grossing world tour ever. Despite its grandeur, Elton John’s ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour was always about the music, and one song embodied that more than any other; the tour’s namesake tune ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.’ This remarkable song has become more than just a chart-topper. It symbolizes the spirit of all who made this tour a possibility: Elton John, his crew, and above all, the fans.
