Elton John is bringing his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour to Jacksonville on Saturday, April 23. This is probably your last chance to see the rock legend before he retires but, of course, Elton fans have heard it before.
I didn’t know Elton John was coming to town! Did they just announce it?
You could be forgiven for forgetting about this show. Tickets for the show – which was originally scheduled for June 3, 2020, but postponed by the pandemic – went on sale October 18, 2019. This means fans who bought tickets on day one will have held them for 919 days when the show actually happens.
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Are tickets still available?
Yes, but they aren’t cheap, mainly because they’ve been on sale for so long. The cheapest tickets available through Ticketmaster are $213.25, the most expensive $1,631.25.
How long is this Farewell Tour on the Yellow Brick Road?
Long enough for him to be his second time playing in Jacksonville (the first was in 2019). The tour kicked off on September 18, 2018 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It was originally scheduled to end on December 16, 2020 in London, after more than 300 shows. Due to the pandemic postponement, the tour will now end in July 2023 in Sweden.
Will it play my favorite song?
Good luck. His setlist for this tour is filled with his greatest hits. If you’re the type of person who likes to spoil the surprise, you can see the songs he played on setlist.fm.
Who is in his group?
He toured with six band members, including guitarist Davey Johnstone, percussionist Ray Cooper and drummer Nigel Olsson, who began playing with Elton on the 1971 album “Madman Across the Water”. are bassist Matt Bissonette, keyboardist Kim Bullard and percussionist John Mahon.
Has Elton John ever played in Jacksonville?
He certainly did. In fact, he was the first act to play Jacksonville (now VyStar) Veterans Memorial Arena, in 2003. According to setlist.fm, a website that tracks such things, Elton has played at least eight shows in Jacksonville:
• March 15, 2019, Yellow Brick Road farewell tour at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
• March 13, 2015, All the Hits tour at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
• March 2, 2009, Face to Face Tour (with Billy Joel) at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
• November 21, 2003, at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
• September 12, 2002, Songs from the West Coast Tour at Jacksonville Coliseum
• September 23, 1999, first show of the Medusa Tour, at the Jacksonville Coliseum
• November 24, 1972, Honky Chateau Tour at the Jacksonville Coliseum
• May 30, 1971, Tumbleweed Connection Tour at the Jacksonville Coliseum
How many albums has he released?
He has released over 30 studio albums, four collaboration albums with other artists, nine film soundtracks, four live records and a holiday album. From 1970 to 1976 he released 10 albums, most of which are considered classics today. “Elton John’s Greatest Hits”, released in 1974, has sold over 17 million copies.
What’s his biggest song?
He had 57 Top 40 singles in the US, second only to Elvis Presley, and is said to have sold over 100 million singles. But one song eclipses all others in terms of record sales. ‘Candle in the Wind 1997’, released as a tribute to Princess Diana, went No. 1 literally all over the world and is the best-selling song in US and UK history somewhere around of 33 million.
What honors has he received?
What honors has he not received might be a better question. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1992, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, and earned a Kennedy Center Honor in 2004. He is in the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has an Oscar , a Tony, five Grammys and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
What’s next for Elton?
Well, he retired (in 1977), but we think this one will stay. He is 75 and said he wanted to spend more time with his family once the tour was over.
Elton John
8 p.m. Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
$175 to $1,449