In 2015, Elton John went on what he called his Final Curtain Tour. But now he’s announced his really final tour.
The British legend’s 300-date, three-year worldwide Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour begins in September and arrives in California for six shows in January 2019.
The Los Angeles stops — at the Staples Center — are Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 22-23, 2019. John will be 72 by then.
Of course, he’s still on the hook for a slew of Las Vegas shows — at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace — through May 19.
Before he gets to Staples, he’ll be at Fresno’s Save Mart Center on Jan. 15, Sacramento’s Golden1 Center on Jan. 16, Oakland’s Oracle Arena on Jan. 18 and San Jose’s SAP Center on Jan. 19.
Billboard reported: “John made the [final tour] announcement today at New York’s Gotham Hall, with media gathering at the Troubadour in Los Angeles and a venue in London to watch a live stream in VR, while thousands of fans tuned into YouTube to watch the announcement online. At 12:45 p.m. EST, the event opened with a dazzling, psychedelic video going through the singer’s biggest hits before cutting to him performing a live version of ‘Tiny Dancer’ and ‘I’m Still Standing,’ followed by a press conference.”
John said now “the time is right to say thank you to my fans.”
He promised an over-the-top production that will visually and musically take fans through his decades-long career with Gucci designing his tour wardrobe, Billboard said.
“He also took time to dispel reports in the U.K. press that he was ending touring because he was sick, saying ‘I picked up an infection in South America and it knocked me sideways for seven weeks, but I still did 96 shows last year.’ John said he is not retiring from recording music and writing, saying instead of touring after 2021, ‘mostly I’ll be taking my kid to soccer academy — which is the most important thing.'”
He said he would not be returning to the road after the tour wraps, telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper: “I’m not Cher, even though I like wearing her clothes — this is the end.”