2023-07-09 00:32:47
Fans from all over the world witnessed on Saturday (07.08.2023) in Stockholm, Swedenthe last official concert by Elton John, who said goodbye following half a century on stage.
“Playing for you has been my reason for living and you have been absolutely magnificent,” the 76-year-old star told the packed crowd at the Tele2 Arena.
Elton John sat down at the piano following 8:00 p.m. (6:00 p.m. GMT) to the cheers of 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.
Elton John performs on stage during his Farewell Yellow Brick Road show at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. (08.07.2023)Image: Yui Mok/empics/picture alliance
The Tele2 Arena received the British star for the second consecutive night, in the last concert of this final tour, which began five years ago but was interrupted by Covid-19 and a hip operation in 2021.
With the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, Elton John gave 330 concerts in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada and United Kingdom.
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.
gs (afp, Daily Mail Celebrity)
Elton John, eternal pop legend
With his extravagant looks and classics like “Candle in the Wind,” Elton John became a pop icon. Tireless, he announced the release of a new album: “The Lockdown Sessions”.
Imagen: Interscope Records/AP/picture alliance
An eccentric with a big heart
Born Reginald Kenneth Dwight in 1947, Elton John has dominated the British pop scene since the 1970s. In the US, he was one of the first artists in history to hit four albums simultaneously in the top 10. Queen Elizabeth II knighted him for his contributions to music and charity. For his last album, Sir Elton John collaborated with young artists.
Imagen: picture alliance/dpa/T. Hase
Music that transcends generations
Together with Dua Lipa (26 years old), Elton John scored his first number 1 in 16 years. The song “Cold Heart” is the first cut from his new album, where he recorded with a wide variety of musicians during the long recess caused by the pandemic. In “The Lockdown Sessions” he shows once more that he remains young, despite his 50+ year career.
Imagen: Photoshot/picture alliance
Elton John is not very tall nor does he have classical beauty, but he has made up for this from the beginning: with loud suits and flashy clothes, feathers, platform shoes and extreme glasses, he began his adventures in the world of music where he began in the seventies. with a handful of good songs written with lyricist Bernie Taupin.
Imagen: picture-alliance/dpa/Goebel
Great hits, great pianos
The image of Elton John sitting in front of the piano is already iconic. Here he is seen performing “Your Song” at the start of his UK tour in 2000. That song was his most emotional title of 1970, his first charting single and his first UK and US top 10 hit. After that, nothing stopped Elton.
Imagen: imago/United Archives
He worked incessantly and in 1971 alone he published three studio albums. His biggest hits are all from the 1970s, like “Rocket Man,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” and “Candle in the Wind.” Duets with John Lennon (“Whatever Gets You Through the Night”) and Kiki Dee (“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”) elevated Elton John to pop titan status.
Imagen: picture-alliance/dpa/empics
Elton John has always had fine hair. Whether long or short, your scalp is increasingly exposed and over the years the hairline has receded noticeably. Hence the use of hats or, sometimes, a striking wig, as in the photo. The singer finally put an end to his hair loss and underwent a hair transplant.
Imagen: picture-alliance/dpa/I.Bajzat
In 1976 Elton John’s boundless energy allowed him to financially support his other passion: soccer. In that field he brought resources to Watford Football Club, a boost that catapulted the team from the fourth division to the Premier League. He also invested in the Los Angeles Aztecs. Pictured is Irish soccer legend George Best watching the pop star in action.
Imagen: picture-alliance/AP Images
Defender of the rights of homosexuals, the artist created the Elton John Foundation once morest AIDS in the early nineties. In this way, he helped organize charitable actions in which, obviously, he also participated, such as the charity tennis tournament that took place in 2016 with several celebrities.
Imagen: picture alliance/AP Photo/I. Brekken
The princess and the pop idol
Elton John’s best friends list included George Michael (right) and Diana of Wales. Diana and Elton had something in common: the press is – or was – permanently persecuting them. Here, the trio reunited at the Live Aid concert in 1985.
Imagen: picture alliance/AP Photo
In good and bad
Diana and Elton John had a mutual friend, Gianni Versace, assassinated in July 1997. At his funeral in Milan, thousands of people gathered to say their last goodbyes, including Diana and Elton. Stunned by the tragedy, they both said goodbye to their friend. Elton John might not imagine that fate was preparing another blow.
Imagen: picture-alliance/dpa/A.Farinacci
Diana of Wales died from injuries sustained in a car accident in August 1997. Elton John then rewrote the lyrics to “Candle in the Wind,” a song he originally composed for Marilyn Monroe in the 1970s. The artist sang the theme at the princess’s funeral. The recording sold millions of copies and raised huge sums for charity.
Imagen: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Elton John came out as bisexual in 1976 and married German sound engineer Renate Blauel in 1984. The marriage lasted four years. Two years following the separation, Elton John acknowledged his homosexuality.
Imagen: picture alliance/AP Photo
In 2005, Elton John and David Furnish entered into their civil union, which formally became a marriage nine years later. “As a homosexual I am totally happy with my sexuality and my life. I can honestly say that the deepest longings of my heart are satisfied,” Elton John said in response to a Scottish cardinal’s comments on homosexuality.
Imagen: picture-alliance/newscom/J. Angelillo
John and Furnish love to dress up in outrageous outfits. For John’s 50th birthday, they were presented as a baroque couple, and ten years later both were portrayed as a pair of dictators from a banana republic. In the photo, in the outfit they wore at a friend’s birthday.
Imagen: picture-alliance/dpa/C.Mc/Naughton
The couple adopted two boys, Zachary Jackson Levon and Elijah Joseph Daniel. Both boys have the same surrogate mother, but whether John or Furnish is the biological paternity is a well-kept secret.
Imagen: picture alliance/abaca
Best friend and godmother: Lady Gaga
Zachary and Elijah have a very famous godmother: Lady Gaga. She strikes an additional shrill note in the family. Gaga and John are very close. In February 2016 they gave a concert together on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, as a thank you for the support given to their AIDS foundation. (dz/lgc)
Imagen: Getty Images/P. Le Segretain
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