"I guess that's why they call it the blues": On Wednesday morning, Elton John, the legendary English pianist/composer/singer, announced his retirement from touring -- following one last farewell jaunt that'll span 300 shows, five continents and the next three years.
During a New York press conference from Gotham Hall moderated by Anderson Cooper, John said: "I'm not going to be touring anymore ... My priorities have changed. I have young children. That doesn't mean I won't still be creative, but I won't travel any more ... I don't want to go out with a whimper. I want to go out with a bang ... It'll be the most produced, fantastic show I've ever done."
Dubbed the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, it's set to kick off at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Sept. 8, and make its way through San Diego on Jan. 29, 2019, with a stop at Valley View Casino Center, before continuing on around the world and wrapping up in 2021.
It's not the first time John has claimed he was going to quit touring. In 1977, he told a London crowd "I've made a decision tonight that this is going to be the last show. There's a lot more to me than playing on the road and this is the last one I'm going to do." Two years later though, he was back at it. And he's kept up a steady schedule of live performances since. However, Wednesday's announcement seems to be the final word.
"I'm not Cher," he said. "I'm 71. I can't physically do the traveling anymore. I want to be at home. I really want to spend time with my children at home. I've had an incredible life, but life is all about change."
Various pre-sales for the North American leg of the tour begin on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 10 a.m. here. Tickets for the general public go on sale Friday, Feb. 2, 2018 here. For more information, visit eltonjohn.com.
Elton John Tour Dates (first North American leg)
- Sept. 8 - Allentown, PA @ PPL Center
- Sept. 11 & 12 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Wells Fargo Center
- Sept. 15 - Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
- Sept. 16 - University Park, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center
- Sept. 19 - Hartford, CT @ XL Center
- Sept. 21 & 22 - Washington DC @ Capital One Arena
- Sept. 25 & 26 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
- Sept. 28 - Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre
- Sept. 29 - Québec City, QC @ Videotron Centre
- Oct. 4 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
- Oct. 6 - Boston, MA @ TD Garden
- Oct. 10 - Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
- Oct. 12 - Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
- Oct. 15 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
- Oct. 18 & 19 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
- Oct. 23 - Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
- Oct. 24 - Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
- Oct. 26 & 27 - Chicago, IL @ United Center
- Oct. 30 - St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
- Nov. 2 - Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
- Nov. 3 - Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
- Nov. 8 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
- Nov. 23 - Sunrise, FL @ BB&T Center
- Nov. 24 - Miami, FL @ AmericanAirlines Arena
- Nov. 27 - Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
- Nov. 28 - Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
- Nov. 30 & December 1 - Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
- Dec. 4 - Birmingham, AL @ Legacy Arena at The BJCC
- Dec. 6 - New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
- Dec. 8 & 9 - Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
- Dec. 12 - San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
- Dec. 14 & 15 - Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
- Jan. 11, 2019 - Boise, ID @ Taco Bell Arena
- Jan. 12, 2019 - Portland, OR @ Moda Center
- Jan. 15, 2019 - Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
- Jan. 16, 2019 - Sacramento, CA @ Golden1 Center
- Jan. 18, 2019 - Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
- Jan. 19, 2019 - San Jose, CA @ SAP Center at San Jose
- Jan. 22 & 23, 2019 - Los Angeles, CA @ STAPLES Center
- Jan. 26, 2019 - Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena
- Jan. 29, 2019 - San Diego, CA @ Valley View Casino Center
- Feb. 7, 2019 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
- Feb. 9, 2019 - Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
- Feb. 12, 2019 - Omaha, NE @ CenturyLink Center
- Feb. 13, 2019 - Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
- Feb. 19, 2019 - Milwaukee, WI @ Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center
- Feb. 21, 2019 - Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
- Feb. 27, 2019 - Cincinnati, OH @ U.S. Bank Arena
- March 1, 2019 - Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
- March 8, 2019 - Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
- March 12, 2019 - Raleigh, NC @PNC Arena
- March 13, 2019 - Columbia, SC @Colonial Life Arena
- March 15, 2019 - Jacksonville, FL @ Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
