Elton John plays final concert and officially retires from touring

An emotional Elton John has officially retired from touring after more than 50 years on the road, playing his final concert yesterday.

Sir Elton John. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty

Elton John has officially retired from touring after more than 50 years on the road.

The legendary singer played his final tour show at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, yesterday, marking the last stop on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.

“I’ve had the most wonderful career, beyond belief. 52 years of pure joy playing music, how lucky am I to play music?” John, 76, told the crowd as he closed his set with Your Song and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

“But, ya know, I wouldn’t be sitting here and talking to you if it wasn’t for you. You bought the singles, the albums, the CDs, the cassettes, but more importantly, you bought the tickets to the shows and you know how I love to play live.”

The five-time Grammy winner continued to thank his fans after the concert for their endless support ranging over more than five decades.

Elton John has now officially retired from touring. Picture: Oli SCARFF / AFP

“Every step of the way, my fans have been there. They have stuck with me, they have supported me, they have been patient, and they have kept turning out for every single last show,” he said in a post-show statement, per Consequence.

“Tonight has been magical. I’m trying to process it, and I don’t think it will sink in for a while yet that I’m finally finished touring. I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss the fans and how much their support has humbled me — it will stay with me forever.”

At one point in the show, the Tiny Dancer singer also received a special message from Chris Martin, who was performing simultaneously in Sweden with his band, Coldplay.

“Elton, we wanna say, from all of us here, from all the bands and all the artists that you’ve loved and inspired and helped, we just love you so much,” Martin, 46, said in part. “We love you so much. Happy retirement and we’re going to miss you so much, man.”

Earlier Saturday, John – who has been touring since 1970 – took to Instagram to share a sentimental message ahead of the highly anticipated show.

Earlier this year, John played his final-ever shows in Australia. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty

“What a journey this tour has been and now we find ourselves at the end of it,” he wrote. “Tonight is the final night.”

John’s post included a video montage that featured footage from the moment he announced he would be retiring from touring – and that the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour would be his last.

“I’m not going to be touring anymore, apart from the last tour, which is going to start in September of this year,” the British singer said at a press conference moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in January 2018. “It’ll be a global tour and it’s the last time I will be touring and travelling the world.”

While John is done with touring for good, he and his team have previously stated that fans will likely still get to see him perform in some capacity in the coming years.

“It’s really important to make a distinction between Elton retiring from touring but Elton not playing his very last public performance for the very last time,” David Furnish, John’s husband and manager, told Billboard last November.

“I know for a fact he will not be touring in any capacity. What you’re going to see is the possibility of a special one-off or a small residency in one venue for a limited period of time.”

This story originally appeared on Page Six and is republished here with permission.