Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Elton and his band played the final date of the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour on Saturday night. At the Tele2-Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, Elton thanked his fans and said he would never forget them. Elton concluded the show with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and a video clip of himself, disappearing down a yellow brick road. It makes you miss him already, doesn’t it?
Coldplay‘s Chris-Martin–more on him later– said he would miss Elton. He appeared via video to salute Elton for his philanthropy and music, and even his contributions to fashion and eyewear.
The venue with the most Farewell Yellow Brick Road concerts was obviously the O2, as the Elton John Band spent ten nights at the arena in London, England. In recognition of this, the-O2 presented Elton with a special award. They also celebrated by creating a yellow brick road taking fans from North Greenwich station to their main entrance, and opening a pop-up with related merchandise. The store even had a signing wall so fans could leave Elton thank you messages.
To commemorate an incredible 10 shows this April and May, the team here at The O2 presented #EltonJohn with a special award on Tuesday evening at his final show of the run, and last ever tour show in London ✨?
? Ben Gibson / HST Global Limited t/a Rocket Entertainment pic.twitter.com/j9QA1KLqG4
— The O2 (@TheO2) June 1, 2023
Another noteworthy appearance was at Glastonbury. Arlene Phillips, the choreographer on the I’m Still Standing video, was impressed. She told Good Morning Britain that Elton knows how to leave the crowd wanting more. He’s ”the master of his own creation,” and she can’t imagine him ever stopping. And Rod Stewart, who enjoys poking fun at his colleague from time to time, quipped at his Edinburgh, Scotland, concert he supposed Elton was ”all right” at the festival.
While a number of fans expected to see Elton’s Cold Heart and Don’t Go Breaking My Heart partners, the women had no hard feelings. Dua Lipa posted heart emojis with a clip of Elton’s performance, while Kiki Dee pointed out that Elton has done the number with Miss Piggy and other entertainers. ”I am used to him going off with other women,” she told Lynn News. If you think about it, Elton’s decision made sense. He was accompanied by Dua and Kiki last year at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. So why bring them back when Elton had wanted to surprise the festival attendees?
Although the Glastonbury reviews were mostly positive, Louder suggested Elton’s vocals were ”a faded facsimile of the original.” They didn’t appreciate that other media outlets didn’t call ”the national treasure on a final victory lap” out for his ”fractured pipes.”
It was far more fiery last week as Americans celebrated the Fourth of July. Back on 4 July 1976, when Elton played Schaefer Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, he was the picture of patriotism in his red, white, and blue socks, striped shorts, and star-patterned short-sleeved shirt. Elton also dressed up like the Statue of Liberty, and the outfit was later snapped up by the Hard Rock Cafe.
Elton John Schaefer Stadium Foxborough, Massachusetts July 4th 1976 pic.twitter.com/sGuJ65PhJ4
— Classic Rock In Pics (@crockpics) October 23, 2022
One of Elton’s last shows was in Zurich, Switzerland. Roger-Federer, who attended with his wife, Mirka, and their children, later met up with Elton.
Coldplay also recently played Zurich, and their-lead-singer donned an oversized pair of spectacles–calling them ”special Elton John reading glasses”–to cover Your Song.
While Elton’s final tour–the first to break the $900 million mark, by the way–is the end of an era, it signifies new beginnings as well. The singer will be able to spend more time with his family, AIDS foundation, and Watford FC. Perhaps Elton will also launch an exhibition about his career or start a museum to showcase his art collection, as hinted at in Me, his autobiography. And he will certainly continue to perform here and there, and hasn’t ruled out a residency, although in a June-interview, he revealed this wouldn’t be in the U.S. And Elton will still make music and champion younger artists.
That’s been the case for many years. Among those enjoying Elton’s support was George Michael. Footage of George and Elton appears in Wham!, now streaming on Netflix. ABC reported this was from the 1985 Ivor Novello awards, where Elton suggested his friend was as talented as Barry Gibb, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney. ”He has got what David Bowie and I would have loved to have at 21, 22.”
Netflix’s new documentary on the duo, helmed by Tiger King director Chris Smith, is filled with footage and audio previously sealed in the group’s vault. https://t.co/TCfy9pUQMP
— ABC News (@abcnews) July 6, 2023
We’ll close by turning it over to you: What do you expect lies in Elton’s future? Join our Facebook-Group, visit us at instagram/eltonjohnworld1, or weigh in by email.
