Elton John resumed his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour after a nearly two year hiatus with a show at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on Wednesday, January 19.
This was the legendary rocker’s first full concert since he played Western Sydney Stadium in Sydney, Australia on March 7, 2020.
The tour, which kicked off in Allentown, Pennsylvania back on September 8, 2018, had been going strong for about a year-and-a-half when it was derailed by the coronavirus crisis in March 2020.
Elton John, 74, resumed his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour with a show in New Orleans on Wednesday, January 19 after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic
John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight), 74, looked to be reinvigorated when he and his band kicked into the set opener, Bennie And The Jets.
Decked out in a paisley-styled tuxedo blazer, cropped in the front, and black pants, the British singer-songwriter spent much of the show behind the piano.
In keeping with his trademark glasses, he hit the stage wearing red-tinted, large-frame shades.
The five-time Grammy-winner would go on to deliver renditions of many of his hit songs that included Philadelphia Freedom, I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues, Rocket Man, Candle In The Wind, Sad Songs (Say So Much), Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Crocodile Rock, Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.
Bangin’ beginning: John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight), 74, looked to be reinvigorated when he and his band kicked into the set opener, Bennie And The Jets
Bangin’ the keys: The British singer-songwriter spent much of the show behind the piano
Always stylin’: The rocker was decked out in a paisley-styled tuxedo blazer, cropped in the front, with black pants and red-tinted glasses
After the September 2018 kickoff, the Farewell yellow Brick Road tour, which is intended to be John’s final trek around the world, was temporarily postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic following his show in Sydney, Australia on March 7, 2020.
The nearly two-year break in between shows of the tour was also due to John having surgery on his injured hip, that happened when he ‘fell awkwardly on a hard surface.’
Despite intensive physiotherapy and specialist treatment, the pain continued to get worse, making it harder for him to move around, ultimately prompting him to make the decision to push the tour back to 2022.
Triumphant return: This was the legendary rocker’s first full concert since he played Western Sydney Stadium in Sydney, Australia on March 7, 2020
Postponed: The tour began back in September 2018, but was postponed due to the coronavirus crisis in March 2020; hip surgery also extended his return to the stage
Mishap: John revealed he injured his hip and subsequently had surgery in 2021
Career spanning: The five-time Grammy-winner delivered renditions of many of his hit songs
‘I’ll, unfortunately, disappoint all the people this year, but I’ll make it up to them, and I’ll be in much better form,’ he said at the time of the disclosure last year, as reported by American Songwriter.
The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, a reference to John’s 1973 studio album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, is now scheduled to go through the U.S and Europe two times until it ends with two shows in Stockholm, Sweden on July 7 and 8 of 2023.
Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin on more than 30 albums since 1967, John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
The Farewell Yellow Brick Road, a reference to John’s 1973 studio album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, is slated to go through the U.S. and Europe two times
Farewell: The tour is intended to be John’s last trek around the world
Legendary: Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin on more than 30 albums since 1967, John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.