Star going out with a big bang
BRITAIN: From performing as Reggie Dwight in a pub in Pinner in 1962 to holding a Las Vegas residency, it has been a long journey for Sir Elton John.
Now, after decades of excess, superstardom and personal anguish, he is set to take his last trip along the Yellow Brick Road. The singer announced yesterday that he is to retire from touring after a final five-continent, threeyear, 300-plusconcert extravaganza.
Sir Elton, 70, who has been touring for five decades and has sold more than 300 million albums, said he did not want to miss his two children growing up.
‘‘My priorities have changed,’’ he said. ‘‘I always thought that I was going to be like Ray Charles or BB King and be on the road forever. But having children changes your life so much.’’
Sir Elton and his husband, David Furnish, have two children, Zachary, born in 2010, and Elijah, born in 2013. The boys and a tutor will accompany Sir Elton for much of the tour.
The singer said he made the decision in 2015 to prepare for a final global tour. ‘‘I have had an amazing life, an amazing career. I have been incredibly lucky.’’
He said he would still be ‘‘creative’’ and would remain interested in photography. ‘‘But most of the time I will be taking my kids to soccer camp, which is the most important thing.’’
He ridiculed suggestions that his retirement from touring was because of ill health, saying that even after an infection ‘‘knocked him sideways’’ for seven weeks last year, he still managed 96 shows. – The Times