Chris is a Music Contributor for ScreenRant. He’s a freelance music journalist based in Upstate New York, covering both indie and mainstream artists across genres like rock, folk, pop, hip-hop, country, and alternative. His work has appeared in Screen Rant and on his own platform, onthebackedgeofthebeat.com. He specializes in album and concert reviews, artist interviews, and “Show Diaries,” a recurring series on his site where musicians recount their on-stage experiences. While he’s rooted in the Ithaca area, his coverage casts a wide net aimed at readers chasing the next great sound or celebrating the creative highs of artists pushing boundaries.
After 52 years of commanding the global stage, Elton John has officially hung up his touring boots. The announcement, which first shook the music world in 2018, was rooted in a simple, personal choice: a desire to step back from the grueling travel schedule to watch his children grow up. It was a “goodbye” that lasted five years, survived a global pandemic, and culminated in a historic 330-show run that redefined the modern concert experience.
But for fans fearing the end of new releases from the legend, the reality is far more productive. The transition from the road to the recording booth has been seamless, resulting in the star-studded Lockdown Sessions and his most recent collaborative LP, Who Believes in Angels?. Elton John may have left the Yellow Brick Road behind, but his creative output remains as inspired — and as relevant — as ever.
Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour Was His Goodbye To The Stage And A Way For His Fans To See Him Live One Last Time
John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour began in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in September 2018 and included dates in the United States, Canada, and Europe. What was initially intended to be a three-year world tour finale for the “Rocket Man” stretched into five, with an almost two-year hiatus beginning in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This (along with a hip injury John suffered) caused many dates to be moved, with his final show in Sweden not being performed until July 2023.
All told, the “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” tour totaled 330 shows and became the third-highest-selling tour ever arranged by the time it concluded (grossing almost $940 million in earnings). This was the 49th concert tour for John since he started in 1970, and it was a heavily emotional experience for the singer-songwriter to finally be calling it quits after over five decades (closing with “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” as his final song). Thankfully, despite John’s concert retirement, we won’t see him fading completely from creating just yet.
Elton John Is Still Making New Music And Working With Newer Collaborators
Despite John’s commitment to leave behind his touring life, that doesn’t mean he’s given up his studio time. While the artist was off the road from the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour during the COVID-19 pandemic, he collaborated with musicians like Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj, Eddie Vedder, Stevie Wonder, and Brandi Carlile on 2021’s well-regarded The Lockdown Sessions.
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Elton John and Brandi Carlile join forces for what will be, respectively, their 33rd and eighth albums. Which songs rank among the best, and worst?
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Carlile has been a frequent cohort of John’s in recent years, working with him on The Lockdown Sessions as well as the theme song to the 2024 Elton John documentary entitled Never Too Late. Their collaboration reached its apex earlier this year, when Carlile and John got together in the studio to record the full-length LP Who Believes in Angels? in just twenty days with the help of producer Andrew Watt and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
Elton John Deserves To Enjoy Life Off The Road Let Him Enjoy His Family
While it’s indeed a sad event to see Elton John retire from the road, knowing that there are fans and listeners who won’t get to enjoy seeing him in concert, the iconic star has more than earned what awaits him from a less hectic life. John will now get to spend more time with his partner, and together they can go and watch their sons grow up without fear of missing out on enjoying the moments that come with raising a child.
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Too often, in the legacies of musicians, we see everything they had to abandon, neglect, or throw away on their path to success and being on top of the world. John certainly battled plenty of his own darkness and demons to get to where he did, and now his fans have to let him move forward into what brings him happiness and joy. Plus, he hasn’t stopped making new albums, so it’s not like we’ve seen the last of John creatively.
