Sir Elton John played the final concert of his long-running farewell tour at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday night.
John’s final show featured a 23-song career-spanning setlist, including greatest hits “Bennie and the Jets,” “Rocket Man,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” as well as a three-song encore of “Cold Heart,” “Your Song,” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
“When we set off on my final tour in 2018, I couldn’t have foreseen in my wildest dreams the twists and turns and the highs and lows this tour – and the whole world – would have experienced in the next five years,” John said in a statement following the concert. “And every step of the way, my fans have been there. They have stuck with me, they have supported me, they have been patient, and they have kept turning out for every single last show. Tonight has been magical. I’m trying to process it, and I don’t think it will sink in for a while yet that I’m finally finished touring. I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss the fans and how much their support has humbled me – it will stay with me forever.”
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During the set, Coldplay appeared via live video-link to toast John. “Elton, from all of us here, from all the bands and artists you’ve helped and inspired, we love you so much,” said frontman Chris Martin. “We are so grateful for everything you’ve done for the AIDS Foundation, anytime you’ve been kind to anybody. For everything you’ve done for LGBTQ. Everything you’ve done for fashion and eyewear. Everything you’ve done for sexiness, and love, and dressing gowns! Everything you’ve done for music, everything Bernie has done for lyrics, everything your band has done over the thousands of shows you’ve done. We love you so much, we’re going to miss you so much.”
See photos, video, and the setlist from John’s final night of touring below.
All told, John’s “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” spanned more than 300 show (including a headlining set at Glastonbury), selling 5.7 million tickets and $900 million dollars. While the tour marks John’s final global outing, the 76-year-old musician hasn’t ruled out performing one-off shows in the future.
“It’s really important to make a distinction between Elton retiring from touring but Elton not playing his very last public performance for the very last time,” David Furnish, John’s husband and manager, previously told Billboard. “I know for a fact he will not be touring in any capacity. What you’re going to see is the possibility of a special one-off or a small residency in one venue for a limited period of time.”
Setlist:
Bennie and the Jets
Philadelphia Freedom
I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues
Border Song
Tiny Dancer
Have Mercy on the Criminal
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)
Take Me to the Pilot
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Levon
Candle in the Wind
Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
Burn Down the Mission
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word
Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me
The Bitch Is Back
I’m Still Standing
Crocodile Rock
Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting
Encore:
Cold Heart
Your Song
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road