Entertainment
Sir Elton John plays last gig of farewell tour, closing with emotional message to fans
Sir Elton John has performed for the last time on his 330-date farewell tour.
The 76-year-old star has been travelling the world performing his Farewell Yellow Brick Road show since 2018.
He told fans they will remain in his “head, heart and soul” as he closed Saturday night’s show in Stockholm.
Sir Elton confirmed he will “never be touring again”, but revealed he may do a “one-off thing” sometime in the future – adding that would be “miles away”.
He opened with his hit Bennie And The Jets, which first appeared on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road album in 1973.
The veteran musician dedicated Border Song to the late Aretha Franklin and the “legacy of the queen of soul”, telling the audience he “could not believe our luck” when she covered the song in 1972.
He followed it up with hit after hit – Tiny Dancer, Have Mercy On The Criminal and his classic Rocket Man.
During an energetic rendition of Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting, gold confetti shot into the crowd and rained down on the band.
As he took a bow, chants of “encore” and “Oh Elton” could be heard ringing through the crowd – and he didn’t disappoint, returning to the stage after an outfit change for his last songs.
Pic: AP
After an emotional rendition of Your Song and before his final track Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, he reflected on his career.
“I’ve had the most wonderful career, beyond belief. Fifty-two years of pure joy playing music, how lucky am I to play music?”
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He continued: “It’s been my lifeblood to play for you guys and you’ve been absolutely magnificent – thank you. I will never forget you guys. I’ve played so many concerts, how could I forget?
“You’re in my head, and my heart and my soul, and I thank you so much.”
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The tour was paused at various times, first due to the pandemic and then when Sir Elton injured his hip in a fall.
Two weeks ago, Sir Elton performed his last UK show as he closed Glastonbury with a history-making goodbye.
Sir Elton has spent more than 50 years on the road after launching his first tour in 1970.
His touring career has seen more than 4,000 performances in over 80 countries.
In this tour alone he said he had performed to more than six million people, with the tour one of the highest grossing ever.