Elton John’s Farewell Tour Makes History
Elton John's final world tour has grossed an incredible $817.9 million across 278 shows, setting revenue records.
As he prepares to hang it all up – at least in one sense – Elton John is surely celebrating some good news that comes with the sad.
John is in the middle of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which he says is his last. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the trek has grossed an incredible $817.9 million across 278 shows, making it the highest-grossing tour in Boxscore history.
The piano player passes a record previously set by Ed Sheeran, whose The Divide Tour stopped after grossing $776.4 million. Until now, no concert tour had ever crossed the $800 million line.
The multi-talented musician announced the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour back in 2018, and ever since it has been nothing short of a global phenomenon.
There are set to be 333 shows throughout nine different legs, which helps explain how the project can rack up so much money. The fact that John has been insistent that he won’t tour again is also surely pushing some fans to cough up the money to see him live one more time.
The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour kicked off in Allentown, Pennsylvania in September 2018, and has been running successfully ever since. John did have to sideline the entire affair when the COVID pandemic hit, but it picked up once it was safe to do so.
John’s performance at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles was a nostalgic trip down memory lane, reminding fans of when he first performed there decades ago.
The livestreamed concert, which was broadcast by Disney+, was a huge hit with fans unable to attend the tour in person. The piano man donned a replica of the original, memorable sequined Dodger’s baseball uniform, and he said goodbye to America just a little over a month ago.
The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour may already be the highest-grossing tour of all time, but it’s not over yet. Billboard predicts that with dozens more shows still on the bill, John’s final outing could approach, or perhaps even pass, the $900 million mark. Should it do so, the venture will also become the first in history to reach that sum.
Although John is retiring from touring, he isn’t retiring in general.
In the past few years, he has become a hitmaker once more, scoring massive global singles with the likes of Dua Lipa (“Cold Heart”) and Britney Spears (“Hold Me Closer”), which are both electronic reworkings of his past material.
His latest album The Lockdown Sessions was a critical and commercial success, and saw John collaborate with current stars like Nicki Minaj, Charlie Puth, Miley Cyrus, and Lil Nas X.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.