Elton John has announced the UK leg of his 300-date retirement tour. His Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour will kick off its dates in Britain at the London O2 arena on 6 November 2020, span 13 shows and conclude at the Leeds First Direct arena on 7 December, reported The Guardian. 

In a statement, John described the UK leg as “incredibly special. The UK is home and where my heart will always be.”

In January, John announced his retirement from performing, 50 years after he met his longtime songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. He made the decision so he could spend more time with his two sons, who will be 10 and eight when the tour finishes in 2021.

John said his decision to retire from live performance had nothing to do with his wellbeing: “If you’re going to do 300 shows, you’re not in ill health.” He also stated that he will continue to make music.

The tour – named for John’s 1973 album – opened in Pennsylvania on 8 September. Rolling Stone described the spectacle as “the most bombastic, elaborate, high-tech arena show he’s ever attempted”. It includes videos by photographer David LaChapelle and animator Alan Aldridge.

The show, divided into two parts, spans John’s career, and has a 24-song setlist that includes curios from his 1970 album Tumbleweed Connection and his 1971 album Madman Across the Water. The reviews have been positive. “Hardly a sad night but more of a celebration of the career of one of music’s true living legends,” said the New York Post.

The tour will visit five continents and conclude in 2021. By the end of this week, more than half a million people will have seen it. John was recently named the most successful male solo artist in Billboard Hot 100 chart history, with 68 entries including nine No 1 singles and 27 Top 10 hits.

In 2016, John announced he was writing an autobiography, Crazy Life. Written with Guardian music critic Alexis Petridis, it is to be published in 2019 by Henry Holt in the US and Pan Macmillan in the UK. The singer has hinted at some of the book’s contents, calling it a “no-holds-barred account” of his 50-year career. An Elton John biopic called Rocketman will hit screens next May.

Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road UK tour dates

6 November 2020: O2 arena, London
7 November: O2 Arena, London
9 November: Resorts World Arena, Birmingham
11 November: Resorts World Arena, Birmingham
13 November: Echo Arena, Liverpool
14 November: Echo Arena, Liverpool
17 November: Manchester Arena
20 November: Events Complex, Aberdeen
21 November: Events Complex, Aberdeen
24 November: SSE Hydro, Glasgow
25 November: SSE Hydro, Glasgow
7 December: First Direct Arena, Leeds

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