Followers from all over the world witnessed this Saturday in Stockholm, Sweden, Elton John’s last official concert, who said goodbye after half a century on stage.
“Playing for you has been my reason for living and you guys have been absolutely magnificent,” the 76-year-old star told the packed crowd at the Tele2 Arena.
Elton John sat down at the piano after 8:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT) between the cheers from the 30,000 attendees and opened the recital with one of his most popular songs: “Bennie and the Jets”.
He followed up with “Philadelphia Freedom” and “I guess that’s why they call it the blues”.
For more than two hours, he interspersed songs with moments in which the artist, getting up from the piano, looked at the audience to thank his fans, as well as his musicians and team, some of whom have accompanied him for more than 40 years.
“I want to pay tribute to these musicians,” he said. “They’re really amazing (…) and they’re the best.”
Before the encore, Elton John shared a message from Coldplay, who were performing that night in Gothenburg (west), in which singer Chris Martin thanked him for his career and his commitment.
The Tele2 Arena received the British star for the second night in a row, in the last concert of this final tour, started five years ago but interrupted by covid-19 and a hip operation in 2021.
“It was incredible, I have no words because I still haven’t digested everything,” said Anton Phjonen, a 25-year-old Finnish banker.
With the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, Elton John gave 330 concerts in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Among the fans who came to Stockholm was Jeanie Kincer, 50, who came especially from Kentucky, USA.
“I wanted to be there at the end because I was too young to be there at the beginning,” he explained.
For the occasion, he wore an almost perfect copy of the clothes Elton John chose for his first concert in Stockholm in 1971: red shorts with suspenders and a red, yellow and brown T-shirt.
The artist, who sold 300 million records, played to 6.25 million people on this tour.
