Photo by Andrew Potter
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Elton John has announced he is retiring from touring. But not before one massive farewell trek.
The 70-year-old music legend on Wednesday announced the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, his final outing comprised of more than 300 shows and spanning five continents. The North American leg will begin Sept. 8, with stops in Boston, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Montreal, New York, Chicago, Nashville, Miami and Atlanta. It will continue into 2019 with shows in Los Angeles, San Diego, Tulsa, Denver, Sacramento, Oakland and more.
John said he may still pursue future residencies, like his current one in Las Vegas, and he could still release additional studio records, but this will be his final proper tour.
"Performing live fuels me and I’m ecstatic and humbled to continue to play to audiences across the globe," he said in a statement to Variance. "I plan to bring the passion and creativity that has entertained my fans for decades to my final tour. After the tour finishes, I’m very much looking forward to closing off that chapter of my life by saying farewell to life on the road. I need to dedicate more time to raising my children."
Following the North American outing, Elton John will then head to Europe later next year, followed by Asia and Australia, with a South American leg in 2020, as well another European and U.K. portion at the end of 2020. He'll conclude the journey with a final round of North American dates in 2021.
Tickets for the first leg go on sale Feb. 2 at 10 a.m. local time.
See the first North American dates below.
Elton John's 2018 North American shows:
09/08 — Allentown, PA — PPL Center
09/11 — Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
09/12 — Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
09/15 — Buffalo, NY — KeyBank Center
09/16 — University Park, PA — Bryce Jordan Center
09/19 — Hartford, CT — XL Center
09/21 — Washington, DC — Capital One Arena
09/22 — Washington, DC — Capital One Arena
09/25 — Toronto, ON — Air Canada Centre
09/26 — Toronto, ON — Air Canada Centre
09/28 — Ottawa, ON — Canadian Tire Centre
09/29 — Quebec City, QC — Videotron Centre
10/04 — Montreal, QC — Bell Centre
10/06 — Boston, MA — TD Garden
10/10 — Pittsburgh, PA — PPG Paints Arena
10/12 — Detroit, MI — Little Caesars Arena
10/15 — Grand Rapids, MI — Van Andel Arena
10/18 — New York, NY — Madison Square Garden
10/19 — New York, NY — Madison Square Garden
10/23 — Louisville, KY — KFC Yum! Center
10/24 — Nashville, TN — Bridgestone Arena
10/26 — Chicago, IL — United Center
10/27 — Chicago, IL — United Center
10/30 — St. Louis, MO — Scottrade Center
11/02 — Columbus, OH — Schottenstein Center
11/03 — Cleveland, OH — Quicken Loans Arena
11/08 — New York, NY — Madison Square Garden
11/23 — Sunrise, FL — BB&T Center
11/24 — Miami, FL — AmericanAirlines Arena
11/27 — Orlando, FL — Amway Center
11/28 — Tampa, FL — Amalie Arena
11/30 — Atlanta, GA — Philips Arena
12/01 — Atlanta, GA — Philips Arena
12/04 — Birmingham, ALL — Legacy Arena at The BJCC
12/06 — New Orleans, LA — Smoothie King Center
12/08 — Houston, TX — Toyota Center
12/09 — Houston, TX — Toyota Center
12/12 — San Antonio, TX — AT&T Center
12/14 — Dallas, TX — American Airlines Center
12/15 — Dallas, TX — American Airlines Center
Elton John's 2019 North American shows:
01/11 — Boise, ID — Taco Bell Arena
01/12 — Portland, OR — Moda Center
01/15 — Fresno, CA — Save Mart Center
01/16 — Sacramento, CA — Golden1 Center
01/18 — Oakland, CA — Oracle Arena
01/19 — San Jose, CA — SAP Center at San Jose
01/22 — Los Angeles, CA — STAPLES Center
01/23 — Los Angeles, CA — STAPLES Center
01/26 — Glendale, AZ — Gila River Arena
01/29 — San Diego, CA — Valley View Casino Center
02/07 — Denver, CO — Pepsi Center
02/09 — Tulsa, OK — BOK Center