At age 75, Elton John looked to be in fine form when he brought his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour to Soldier Field in Chicago on Friday.
The legendary British crooner turned back the clock and delivered many of his hits from his six-decade career.
The tour — which kicked off in the US in Allentown, Pennsylvania, back in September 2018 — has endured several postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic and, at times, John’s health.
He’s still standing! Elton John, 75, looked to be in fine form when he brought his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour to Soldier Field in Chicago on Friday night
John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight) and his band kicked into the set opener with a rousing rendition of Bennie And The Jets, all while he flashed his megawatt smile from behind the piano.
But with the band sounding tight and full of energy, it didn’t take long before he got up from his seat to engage with the audience.
Decked out in a black tuxedo blazer, filled with an assortment of embroideries and black pants, the Pinner, Middlesex, England native worked the crowd with both the music and his banter.
His look wouldn’t be complete without wearing his trademark flashy glasses, which on this night were large framed and red-tinted.
Wowing the crowd: The legendary crooner wowed the crowd by playing many of his greatest hits, which began with set opener Bennie And The Jets
Delays: The tour — which kicked off in the US in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in September 2018 — has endured several postponements due to the COVID-19 pandemic and John’s health
With the massive crowd all pumped up after the high-octane energy of the set opener, John and company didn’t lose any momentum when they followed up with Philadelphia Freedom.
As his show went on, John delivered renditions of his other hit songs that included 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, I’m Still Standing and Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.
Following the show in Chicago, John and the band will have a brief one-month break from being on the road.
They will return to the stage on September 7 when the tour resumes with a couple of shows at Rogers Center in Toronto, Canada.
Piano man: Decked out in a black tuxedo blazer, cropped in the front with plenty of embroideries, and black pants, the British singer–songwriter spent much of the show behind the piano singing his heart out
Farewell: The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is intended to be his final trek around the world
After the September 2018 kickoff to the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which is intended to be John’s final trek around the world, the band played consistently for about a year-and-a-half.
But then, when COVID-19 was deemed a pandemic in March 2020, the tour came to a screeching halt, which happened right after his show in Sydney, Australia, on March 7 of that year.
Between the pandemic and John’s recurring health problems, including surgery on his hip due to a fall ‘on a hard surface’, the tour ended up being sidelined until January 19, 2020, when he hit the stage at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
Enthusiasm: John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight) looked to be full of excitement and enthusiasm during the show, which is the last show of this leg of tour; it resumes on Sept 7
After restarting in the Big Easy, the tour made its way around parts of the US until April 28 in Miami.
From there, John and his band took a three-week hiatus before picking back up in Europe with a show in Fornebu, Norway, on May 21.
The European leg continued on through July 4 in Watford, England, and then John took an eleven-day break before resuming in the US with Friday’s show in Philadelphia.
The tour will make its final stop in the United States on November 20 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
The five-year Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is slated to formally wrap up in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 8, 2023.
End in sight: When it all comes to and end with a show in Stockholm, Sweden on July 8, 2023, , John’s tour will have spanned five years
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