Elton John Is Retiring From Touring....Right After His THREE Year Retirement Tour. Here's a Conversation on the Matter

Sir Elton John is saying goodbye to life on the road.

The music icon announced in a press event on Wednesday that his next world tour will be his last. The three-year tour will start in September, John told CNN's Anderson Cooper in a sit down chat that was live-streamed around the world.

"I've been touring since I was 17 with various bands," John said. "I thought the time is right to say thank you to all my fans and say goodbye."

John said his priorities changed when he and his husband, David Furnish, had children."We had children and had changed our lives and in 2015 we sat down with their school schedule and we said I'm going to miss too much of this," he told Cooper.

​There had been speculation for several days over what John's announcement would be after a countdown clock was posted to his official website with lyrics from his hit song, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."

John said on Wednesday that he decided in 2015 that this would be his last tour, telling Cooper, "I can't go on forever." The tour is called "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" but this isn't farewell forever. John said he still wants to make more albums.

"I'm not worried about stopping," he said.

John hits the road on September 8 for a tour that will include 300 shows across five continents. Tickets for "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" go on sale February 2.

Fans can also catch the Rocket Man in Las Vegas, where John is on his second residency at Caesars Palace. The singer had to cancel a few shows last year after he was hospitalized for a bacterial infection he contracted while he was on tour in South America. "The Million Dollar Piano" show will end in May.

John, 70, is also scheduled to perform a duet with Miley Cyrus at the Grammy Awards this weekend at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

He's also performing at a post-Grammys concert on January 30, "Elton John: I'm Still Standing-A Grammy Salute," which will include performances by Sam Smith, Chris Martin, John Legend and Keith Urban.

John is a celebrated artist whose self-titled 1970 debut reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and gave him his first Top 10, "Your Song," according to the Grammy's official site. He's won five Grammy Awards, a Tony and an Academy Award.

Early in his career, John was known for flamboyant costumes and wild glasses. He's taken the stage wearing a duck suit, a sequined baseball uniform and a Ronald McDonald outfit. He wore the colorful clothes to help create a spectacle and offset his shyness onstage.

He is the third most successful Billboard Hot 100 artist of all time, according to the magazine's tally of sales for music released between 1958 and 2015. Only the Beatles and Madonna rank higher.

​John is currently collaborating on a Broadway musical based on "The Devil Wears Prada," the 2003 book written by Lauren Weisberger, which was turned into a film in 2006 starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.

via: www.cnn.com/2018/01/24/entertainment/elton-john-retiring-final-tour/index.html

The following transcript comes from an actual conversation I had while driving earlier:





FPPAQTMTSOAB: "Hey Doz are you an Elton John Fan?"

Me: "Why yes I am, Fake Person Posing A Question To Me To Start Off A Blog. I have his entire three album greatest hits on my iPhone despite only knowing like 10 songs by Sir Elton John as it's much easier to click add whole album instead of searching the songs individually, why do you ask?"

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "I don't know if that's necessarily true, I think you just want to sound cool that you have his entire greatest hits on your three year old iPhone. But to get back on track, I asked because he's retiring!"

Me: " Why would I say that to try to sound cool? I literally just told you I did it to save time. [after taking a sip of water] Also REALLY?!, I'm shocked! [one more sip to finish the bottle of Poland Spring] Well, actually on second thought it's not too shocking, if I'm not mistaken he's 70 years old and has been touring the world with various bands since he was 17. That's a long time to tickle the ivories, so I guess now is a good of time as ever to call it a career."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "Tickle the ovaries? I'm sorry, but I don't think Sir Elton John does that, he's a homosexual. Plus if even if he wasn't that's quite graphic sexual innuendo to be using with me, I don't appreciate language like that when discussing the career of a man who gave the world classic hits such as "Crocodile Rock", "Benny and the Jets", "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues", "Rocket Man", "Piano Man", "Daniel", and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."

Me: Oh FPPAQTMTSOAB, you must've misheard me, I said tickle the IVORIES, not ovaries. It's a slang term from the early 20th century that refers to playing the piano. Also I'm well aware Sir Elton John is a proud gay man; it's nearly 2020 if you round up. Why does it matter that he's gay?


FPPAQTMTSOAB: [interrupting me] It doesn't!

Me: I'm going to have to ask you to be a little more inclusive and less judgmental of musicians, and people in general. Also, I hate to correct you, but Billy Joel is the singer of the 1973 hit "Piano Man", not Sir Elton John.

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "I'm sorry for mishearing you. Also I always do that. I get Billy Joel and Elton John confused. They both play the piano, and haven't had a hit in 30 years so they're easy to get confused."

Me: "FPPAQTMTSOAB, I respectfully disagree, their voices sound nothing alike, plus Elton John's Candle In the Wind 1997 was a number 1 hit in many countries worldwide after the untimely death of Princess Diana and her lover, Dodi Fayed in August of 1997. You just don't seem to be that well-versed in music history."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "If I wasn't well rounded in music history then how do I know that the Beatles original name was The Quarrymen?" 

Me: "Everybody knows that, FPPAQTMTSOAB"

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "That is certainly not true, let's ask a random stranger if they know that little piece of music trivia?"

Me: "Sounds fair to me, I'll pull over and you can ask this gentlemen in the lovely yellow cardigan."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "I don't think it's lovely, I'm not a big fan of the color yellow."

Me: "Really? Aren't you a Steelers fan?"

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "I know pretty ironic, right?"

Me: "Sure I guess, can you just ask this guy so we can go on our way to Cold Stone Creamery? I'm really craving ice cream that was popular in 2009."
.
FPPAQTMTSOAB: {rolls down window] "Excuse me, random stranger, what was the Beatles original name?"

Random Stranger: "What is this fucking Cash Cab? But to answer your question, it's the Quarrymen,  everybody knows that."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: [mutters to himself] Goddamnit.

Me: "Told ya so, and please don't use the Lord's name is vain in my vehicle."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "You're right, I'm being a bad Christian. Best two out of three?"

Me: "Don't be so hard on yourself, and no we haven't got time for that, just realize that confusing Elton John and Billy Joel  just because they both play the piano is utterly ridiculous."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "I really don't think it's as big of a mistake as you're making it out to be."

Me: "You're wrong, FPPAQTMTSOAB. As you were saying about Sir Elton John?"

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "Of course, well did you know he's retiring?"

Me: "Yes, you already mentioned that, he's been touring worldwide since he was 17 with various bands."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "Silly me. But check this out! He's going on a farewell tour, for THREE YEARS?"

Me: "Are you sure? That's an awfully long time to go on a retirement tour."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "I know, right? Isn't that a little excessive?" 

Me: "Yes, and given his age don't you think that's a little cocky of him to just assume he's going to be alive for three more years?"

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "That's a little morbid, but sure I'll play along. I mean yes, and no. He's only 70, not 90, and seems to be in relatively good shape despite contracting a bacterial infection after a tour in Chile last year. Plus British musicians seemingly don't die, Ozzy Osbourne is 69 years old (nice), Keith Richards is 74 years old and has a long history with drugs, he even once snorted his own father's ashes. Both still kicking."

Me: "Woah, woah, woah. You mean to tell me that you the ages of both Ozzy Osbourne and Keith Richards off the top of your head and that Keith Richards once snorted his father's ashes but didn't know Billy Joel sings Piano Man?"

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "Oh my God, would you just let it go?"

Me: "No I'm going to hold that one over your head for a while, FPPAQTMTSOAB that's almost as stupid as announcing you're retiring for touring then going on a three year retirement tour. That's nearly an entire Presidential term!

FPPAQTMTSOAB: Can you not bring politics into this already rocky discussion?

Me: "Oh for Christ's sake I'm just using it as an example to compare long periods of time, don't be such a snowflake."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "Oh so you can use the Lord's name in vain in this car but I can't?"

Me: "Once you start paying car payments on this bad boy you can do whatever you want!"

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "Your father gave you this car, there are no car payments."

Me: "I swear I am THIS [I hold my right thumb and pointer finger approximately 1 3/8 inches apart] CLOSE to not going to Cold Stone Creamery."

​FPPAQTMTSOAB: "I'm sorry." 

Me: "It's okay."

[nobody speaks for 7 minutes]



FPPAQTMTSOAB: "But seriously a three year retirement tour, that's so ridiculous!"

Me: [under my breath] "It's almost as ridiculous as getting Elton John and Billy Joel confused."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: Okay that's it, FUCK YOU! I don't even want Cold Stone Creamery anymore."

Me: "We both know that's not true, plus we're already in the parking lot."

FPPAQTMTSOAB: "Ughhhh, I hate that you're right. Let's go."







That actually happened, just like Elton John announcing a three year retirement tour. Hard to say what is more ridiculous.