LOS ANGELES, United States — Clad in a sequined bathrobe,
Elton John signed
off the final US concert of his farewell tour on Sunday with a typically
flamboyant show in Los Angeles, the city that helped launch him to global fame
half a century ago.
اضافة اعلان
John took to the
stage of the Dodger Stadium — the baseball arena that played host to two of his
most celebrated, career-defining shows in 1975 — for what he said was a “very
special, very emotional” concert live-streamed on Disney+.
“As you know, I
am stopping touring and this will be my last concert in America and Canada,” he
announced.
The 75-year-old
British musician has had a long, deeply reciprocated love affair with Los
Angeles.
As portrayed in
the hit 2019 biopic film “Rocketman”, John’s nascent career was given a
stratospheric boost by his debut US show at the Troubadour nightclub in West
Hollywood in 1970.
“You know what?
I became successful first in
America,” John said on Sunday. “You bought the
singles and the albums and the eight-tracks, the cassettes, the CDs. And more
importantly you bought the tickets to the shows.”
Over the first half
of the 1970s, John released countless hit songs, dominating the pop charts with
tracks such as “Your Song” and “Tiny Dancer”, and honed his extravagant
on-stage persona.
That era
culminated in two fabled nights in 1975 at Dodger Stadium, where he performed
to a packed audience in a bespoke, sequined version of the baseball team’s
uniform.
In a nod to the
past, John re-emerged on stage on Sunday for the concert’s encore dressed in a
Dodgers-themed bathrobe and pearl-lined baseball cap.
“Be kind to each
other, OK? And farewell!” he concluded, before launching into his anthemic
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”.
The career-spanning set, featuring hits from
“Crocodile Rock” to “Candle In The Wind”, drew raucous cheers and singalongs
from about 55,000 fans, many dressed in feather boas, sunglasses and — of
course — sequins inspired by the singer.
Some held signs
letting the singer know they had attended dozens or even hundreds of his
concerts.
“It makes me so
happy to see you when you wear the most fantastic costumes and you’ve been to
so many shows,” said John.
‘Long journey’
The
Disney+ platform, which has recently moved into live-streamed
events, is making a documentary about John, culminating in his current
“Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour.
Already the
third-highest-grossing in history, at over $660 million according to Billboard,
the tour still has about 60 dates across Australia, New Zealand, and Europe
ahead.
It began in 2018
but was postponed several times due to the pandemic and a hip injury suffered
by John. He has not ruled out further solo shows when the tour ends in 2023.
On Sunday, John was joined on stage by Dua Lipa, to
perform their recent hit duet “Cold Heart”, and Kiki Dee for their 1976 classic
“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”. He also brought out singer Brandi Carlile and
Bernie Taupin, his long-time musical collaborator.
“This is a very
special night for me, a very emotional night for me,” said John. “It’s been a
long journey.”
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