Sir Elton’s mammoth farewell world tour to stop off in Dublin

SIR Elton John will perform in Dublin during a three-year farewell world tour as he bows out of live performing to spend more time with his children.

The 70-year-old hitmaker — who has been touring for almost 50 years — announced his retirement last night ahead of a celebratory concert next week at Madison Square Garden in New York.

He will kick off a mammoth 300date Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour in the US in September before arriving in the UK and Europe in April 2019.

The tour will arrive at 3Arena Dublin on June 12, 2019. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, February 9, at 9am.

Announcing the decision, Sir Elton said his “priorities have changed”, adding that his and husband David Furnish’s two sons, Elijah and Zachary, had changed their lives.

“In 2015 we sat down with a school schedule and I thought I don’t want to miss too much of this ... My life has changed, my priorities have changed and my priority now is my family.” He added it was a chance “to say thank you to all my fans around he world and then to say goodbye. It doesn’t mean I’m not going to be creative any more.

“I have had a good run ... I want to go out with a bang,” he added during the press conference in New York which he opened with a performance of Tiny Dancer and I’m Still Standing.

Asked if he could later reconsider his decision, Sir Elton vowed not to do a “Cher”, adding: “This is the end.”

He rejected claims it was down to health problems he had experienced in recent years.

His current Las Vegas residency is scheduled to run until May 19, while he is also billed to play two dates in Georgia in June and July before embarking on the tour in September.

On Sunday, the veteran musician is to perform one of his classic hits alongside Miley Cyrus at the Grammy Awards where he will collect the President’s Merit Award.

Meanwhile, a special tribute concert, Elton John: I’m Still Standing will see tributes from Cyrus, Kesha, John Legend, Chris Martin, Sam Smith as well as a performance from Sir Elton himself.

Last year, Sir Elton was forced to cancel a series of shows when he contracted a bacterial infection.

It was not the first time ill health stopped the veteran musician from taking to the stage.

In 1999, he was fitted with a pacemaker when doctors found he had an irregular heartbeat, while in 2013 the star performed 10 concerts in pain before cancelling the rest of his tour, including London’s Hyde Park, after being diagnosed with appendicitis.