Elton John leaves the door open for performing after final tour stop

One of music’s greatest living legends has taken his final bow. After an over 52-year career spanning countless performances and over 40 albums, Elton John has bid farewell to the stage. The “Rocket Man” singer played his final performance this weekend in Stockholm, Sweden, capping off a 330-show farewell tour—appropriately titled Farewell Yellow Brick Road—that has been running for almost five years. The tour, which began September 2018, paused for nearly two years due to the pandemic.

Before performing his final song (“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” of course), John thanked his fans in an emotional speech that began with an incredible, personal touch of shouting out specific audience members who had attended a record number of performances over the years—one as high as 215 shows. “It’s an amazing, amazing…” he began, before falling into a literal loss for words.

“I’ve had the most wonderful career, beyond belief,” he continued. “52 years of pure joy playing music—how lucky am I to play music—but you know, I wouldn’t be sitting here and talking to you if it wasn’t for you. You bought the singles, the albums, the CDs, the cassettes, but more importantly, you bought the tickets to the shows.”

He continued: “You know how much I love to play live. It’s been my lifeblood to play for you guys, and you’ve been absolutely magnificent. Thank you. I will never forget you guys. I’ve played so many concerts, how could I forget. You’re in my head, and my heart and my soul.”

After leaving the door open for a potential “one-off” performance in the future and profusely thanking his family and crew, John launched into the song with a hardy, “here we go,” accompanied by a compilation of clips of him throughout the years, including photos of the artist as a young boy at the piano and iconic concert moments throughout his career.

You can watch the full fan-recorded video of John’s speech and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” performance below.