Followers from all over the world witnessed, this Saturday, in Stockholm, Sweden, the last official concert of Elton John, who said goodbye after half a century on stage.
“Playing for you was my reason for living and you were absolutely amazing,” the 76-year-old said to the packed crowd at Tele2 Arena.
Elton John sat down at the piano after 8:00 PM (6:00 PM GMT) to cheers from the 30,000 audience and opened the concert with one of his most iconic songs: “Benny and the Jets”.
He followed it up with “Philadelphia Freedom” and “I Guess That’s Why They Call It Blues”.
For more than two hours, the songs were interspersed with moments in which the artist, rising from the piano, looked at the audience to thank his fans, as well as his musicians and his team, some of whom have accompanied him for more than 40 years. .
“I want to pay homage to these musicians,” he said. “They are really amazing (…) and they are the best.”
Before the appearance, 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 commitment.
Tele2 Arena welcomed the British star for the second time in a row, for the last concert of this latest tour, which began five years ago but was interrupted by Covid-19 and hip surgery in 2021.
“It was unbelievable, I have no words because I haven’t got it all figured out yet,” said Anton Vionen, a 25-year-old Finnish banker.
With the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, Elton John has given 330 concerts in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Canada and the UK.
Among the fans who came to Stockholm was Jenny Kinser, 50, who specially came from Kentucky, USA.
“I wanted to be there at the end because I was too young to be there at the beginning,” he explained.
For the occasion, he wore an almost perfect copy of the outfit Elton John had chosen for his first concert in Stockholm in 1971: red shorts with suspenders and a red, yellow and brown T-shirt.
The artist, who has sold 300 million records, played to 6.25 million people on this tour.
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