Rocket Man: Elton John's farewell shows have taken him to the very top of touring pop

Rocket Man: Elton John's farewell shows have taken him to the very top of touring pop

2/2/23 7:00PM

Music to Elton’s ears

‍‍Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, his last outing before retirement, has become the highest-grossing tour of all time, taking a total of $818m according to new figures from Billboard. That haul surpasses the previous record of $776m held by Ed Sheeran for his Divide tour.

However, even after 5 years and 278 shows, the Rocket Man is not done yet — with 51 more European dates and a final sign-off performance headlining the iconic Glastonbury festival to come. Despite that longevity, it’s unlikely John will beat Sheeran's record of most tickets sold on a single tour, as the Divide Tour delighted some 8.9mSheerios (roughly equivalent to the entire population of New York City).

‍Still standing

‍The tour hasn't been without its challenges, though. Initially commencing in 2018, Elton's tour has had to navigate the pandemic, his hip surgery and then his battle with Covid in January last year. Still the show went on, meaning that Elton will have now performed 1,573 shows dating back to 1986, grossing in excess of $1.8bn — the highest-grossing touring solo artist of all time.

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