The illustrious British Elton John says goodbye to the stage. The one on these days, May 22 and 23, at Sant Jordi in Barcelona (9:00 p.m.) is the only stop in Spanish territory on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which has lasted longer than expected due, first of all, to the pandemic and , later, to a hip operation that the rock star had to undergo. This long series of concerts began, in fact, in September 2018 in the United States.
The definitive shelving will not take place until July 8, in Stockholm, but for the Barcelona public the moment of truth has arrived. Especially for those who have been following him since that exciting debut at the Pavelló del Joventut in Badalona, ​​on March 10 and 11, 1979, when he was already an idol of the masses, “a prodigy of respectable commerciality”, in the words of the criticism.
Elton John arrived in the Catalan capital 44 years ago in an intimate format. He was alone at the piano with only Ray Cooper on percussion, that iconic musician who still accompanies him on his farewell tour today: elegant and dressed, vibrating the tambourine with the same magic as four decades ago. By then, the already extraordinary composer and pianist Elton John, whose musical talents more than made up for his apparent lack of appeal in that glam rock scene of the ’70s, had suffered a heart attack. And a few months later he made his first appearance in Barcelona.
He and Bernie Taupin, his lyricist, had been put aside for the moment. And it had been with lyrics by his own producer, Gary Osborn, who had recorded the unexpected and confessional A single man, his album number and the novelty he brought under his arm before his Barcelona audience. And there were neither stage jumps, nor jumps on the keyboard, nor cartoon Tommy-style glasses, the rock-opera that catapulted him as the histrionic showman he was playing… No, here he appeared with an old-fashioned cap, a sweatshirt and some pale pink bloomers. It was the most honest and least sweetened version of him that the people of Barcelona had the privilege of seeing.
On that occasion, he started singing many of the songs that will also be heard this Monday and Tuesday at the Palau Sant Jordi: Your song, Rocket man, Candle in the wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Don’t let the sun go down on me, Sorry seems to be the hardest word or that tremendous Take me to the pilot. Of course, in that historic appointment he ended with Funeral for a Friend, a theme that his fans repeated on their record players since the fundamental album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released in 1973, which would end up selling more than 30 million copies and which would give title to his current farewell tour. At Sant Jordi this theme will sound with the classic pairing of the album, followed without pause by the rock self-confidence of Love lies bleeding.
A little more than 44 years will have passed between that first meeting with the Barcelona public and his total farewell to the Spanish stages. It puts an end to six decades of concerts. The reason, as he puts it in the speeches between songs on this tour, is that he wants to spend more time with his family. However, as the end approaches, Elton himself qualifies: yes, he will continue to give occasional concerts, although he will not embark on major tours that will keep him away from his family for long periods of time.
Reginald Kenneth Dwight, known worldwide as Elton John, has collected 817.9 million dollars in 278 concerts with this tour. There have been more than five million tickets sold, which is a record in the history of rock.
Their shows are still massive and in this case also very emotional. His popularity has crossed decades and generations, with 38 gold records and 31 platinum and multi-platinum albums, more than 50 Top 40 hits. His production adds up to 31 studio albums, 5 live albums, 9 soundtrack albums and 22 compilation albums. . And it has more than 300 million records sold worldwide. In addition to holding the record for the best-selling single in history: 33 million copies of Candle in the Wind 1997, a version of the song that originally inspired the life of Marilyn Monroe and with which that year he said goodbye to his friend, the ill-fated Lady Di “Goodbye Norma Jean…” became “Goodbye England’s rose…”
Elton will appear dressed like the rest of his band, whose members still include some of his faithful squires from those fabulous times: Davey Johnstone on guitar, the aforementioned Ray Cooper on percussion and Nigel Olsson on drums, who together with the late bassist Dee Murray formed the incendiary rhythm section from the very first records. Right from the irresistible Amoreena of the Tumbleweed Connection, 1970’s album inspired by the old west. The lineup will be completed by bassist and vocalist Matt Bissonette, keyboardist Kim Bullard and finally, seconding Olsson, percussionist and also vocalist John Mahon.
Yes, Elton will wear his eccentric glasses and lapels full of diamonds for the last time at Sant Jordi. And he will move restlessly on the piano bench for the last time, precipitating the rhythm of the song with his devilish fingers. There will have been more than 4,000 performances in 80 countries since his first tour in 1970, the one that took him to the United States and, from there, straight to heaven.
Five Grammys, two Oscars, two Tonys or two Golden Globes… and also awards for his altruistic vocation. In 2018 he received the Crystal at the World Economic Forum in Davos, and his Elton John AIDS Foundation, founded in 1992, has raised more than $400 million to date.
“I don’t know why I survived while everyone around me was dying of AIDS,” he once said, recalling nights of misdeeds and sexual rampage. “I should be dead too.” He probably wasn’t aware of the force of nature that comes with being Elton John.