The flamboyant jackets. The soaring vocals. The piano, shining like a caught sunbeam; The legendary Sir Elton John has reached the end of a 51-year career that spans more than 4,000 shows with his incredible Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. And the Marina City symbol will forever be a beacon to remind music fans of all those kids who knew too much for their own good and turned it into one hell frekkinalicious tour, announced in November 2021 as not just THE goodbye outing but more so -a valedictory victory lap soundtrack that stood on its accomplishments with career re-creation finest hours.
John’s concerts were more than gigs; they were considerable works of theater. Having been a performer, he acts as an emotional conductor crafting sounds and light that transport us off to uninhabited worlds. Every note that sounded from the opening chords of “Rocket Man” giving lift-off to hearts, through the tenderness and intimacy of “Your Song“, rang with a kind vibration not one soul could ever deny.
Legendary singer Elton John officially confirms he will never tour again. PIC.TWITTER.COM/ZEDGKPKUAK
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) JUNE 28, 2024
The 1975 Dodger Stadium show is one of those performances them has managed to etch itself into music lore. As he was on his “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy” tour, it was pure magic. More than 55,000 fans boogied down in a hit-filled torrent of gems including “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “Bennie and the Jets.” But the highlight of the evening was when John, as promised, brought up ‘John Lennon. Their reading of “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” achieved a similarly unmistakable bond, evidence that two friends’ friendship was first and foremost musical.
Though the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour has finally came to a close, Sir Elton John’s impact on music is more apparent than ever. There will be a void when he departs the stage – one filled with thoughts of those electric nights all over again that only Prince could deliver. Rocket man down, but his music will forever soar and the legacy of a legend alive through generations to come.
But this isn’t the end of John’s story. The man who was toplined by a sequined piano says his imagination has not been stifled that lightly. While we have lost the physical body, his music is bound to resonate anew with all of us. Maybe it will be through killer collaborations, tear-jerking ballads or diving further into new musical territory.
What is clear, however, even with Sir Elton John retiring from the road next year, it’s not quite an end of era but a start of a new chapter. This is a chapter in which his music remains full of different implications and meanings: it tells us that the real magic doesn’t come from ephemeral tricks but rather everlasting journey on sound made by one person.
