Elton John Announces Book Chronicling ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ Tour

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Elton John is revisiting his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour with a book that traces the 330-show journey that kicked off in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 2018, and wrapped up in Stockholm, Sweden five years later. Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life On Tour lands in stores on September 24.

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“It’s been a beautiful journey creating this book and remembering the people and places that shaped an incredible chapter in my life,” John wrote on Instagram. “As well as the stories and memories, not just from this tour but from throughout my career.” A press release added that the book will offer “a rare glimpse at Elton’s personal archive of posters, sketches, and never-before-seen photographs and postcards” alongside a foreword by David Furnish, John’s husband and the tour’s creative director. Hyperion Avenue will publish the career-spanning book.

John announced the tour in January 2018 at a New York press conference hosted by CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “I’m not going to be touring and traveling the world,” he said. “My priorities have changed. I have young children. That doesn’t mean I won’t still be creative. But I won’t travel any more…I don’t want to go out with a whimper. I want to go out with a bang…It’ll be the most produced, fantastic show I’ve ever done.”

The tour largely stuck to the set he played in Allentown on opening night, which focused on big hits like “Tiny Dancer,” “Your Song,” Candle In The Wind,” “I’m Still Standing,” and “Crocodile Rock.” He did make room for a handful of deep cuts like “Indian Sunset,” Believe,” and “Burn Down The Mission.” The show was forced off the road for nearly two years between 2020 and 2022 due to the pandemic. By the time it resumed, John’s Dua Lipa collaboration “Cold Heart” – which mashed up several of his old songs – had become his biggest hit in decades. It was added to the encore set.

The final show in Stockholm, Sweden was an emotional night. “I’ve had the most wonderful career, beyond belief,” he told the crowd before wrapping up the tour with “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” “Fifty years of pure joy playing music. How lucky am I? But I wouldn’t be sitting here and talking to you if it wasn’t for you. You bought the singles, the CDs, the albums, the cassettes…More importantly, you bought the tickets to the shows. You know how much I love to play live. It’s been my lifeblood to play for you guys. You’ve been absolutely magnificent.”

The book is not the only bit of recent nostalgia for John. In 2022, he announced that the official documentary Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: The Final Elton John Performances and the Years That Made His Legend, will have a limited theatrical release before heading to Disney+, though no official release date has been set.

When John inducted Bernie Taupin into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame late last year, he revealed that they had just finished an album together in Los Angeles. “It is going to surprise the shit out of you,” he said. “And it’s absolutely wonderful, and it’s full of youth, and it’s full of vitality. It’s a wonderful place to be after we’ve been together for 56 years.”

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