When did Elton John first retire?
Somewhere in the masses of the Glastonbury 2023 crowd, I stood, marvelling at the sheer size of Elton John‘s audience. I’ve never confessed to being the biggest Elton fan, nor have I ever expressed the contrary. In fact, I stand somewhere in the middle. Maybe it was because it was a Sunday night, or maybe it was because I desperately needed a wee, but as he wheeled out his fourth special guest, I caught myself thinking, “When will this end?”
After all, it was meant to be the swansong of his farewell tour, which, in keeping with his performance that night, seemed endless. Look, he’s undoubtedly an icon and deserves the slot on the big stage, but not at a point in his career where he can’t get up off the piano stool.
Having said that, I have tremendous respect for how he approached the age-old festival expectation of his special guests. The intense speculation every year at festivals of which artist the headliners will bring out is arguably the saddest indictment of modern music, for it’s nothing more than a dopamine hit and completely undermines the purpose of celebrating a global artist on music’s biggest stage. And while rumours of Elton’s collaborators swirled from Dua Lipa to Mick Jagger, he bucked expectations and shared his mammoth platform with future-makers of the industry.
As he jostled between greatest hits and artist introductions, it was a fitting end to a literal glittering career, bringing the curtains down for the last time before beginning the now public role of tastemaker for future generations. Whether it’s calling Grian Chatten the best front man in the world or celebrating the vocal range of Jalen Ngonda, Elton is admirably turning his fans’ attention from dusty records to contemporary reels.
And we can only assume that his dedication to this new role of gatekeeper is the fact that his call to retirement this time is for good. Because Elton has embarked on more than one farewell tour in his time, and frankly, who can blame him? While he’s a picture of safe and loving stewardship now, he was once an artist of pure hedonism, hoovering up any drug within arm’s length.
In 1977, due to a burnout induced by incessant partying and a broken relationship with his co-writer Bernie Taupin, Elton saw it as his chance to call it quits. During his concert at Wembley Empire Pool in London on November 3rd, 1977, he announced to the crowd he was retiring.
“It’s very hard to put it in words, really,” he told the crowd, “but I haven’t been touring for a long time, and it’s been a painful decision whether to come back on the road or not.” At this point, the crowd cheered in anticipation of a renewed love for the stage. But their bubble of excitement burst as Elton continued. “I’ve made a decision tonight, this is going to be the last show. There’s a lot more to me than playing on the road, and this is the last one I’m going to do.”
Did Elton John announce a retirement again?
In 1979, he picked up his touring boots again and performed a two-man show with percussionist Ray Cooper. His reenergised love for touring led to a 1980 world tour with a full band, including original members Dee Murray and Nigel Olsson.
Then, during his 1984 Breaking Hearts tour, he reportedly told crowds most nights a similar line to the fateful one in Wembley, only for another show to rip through another city the following night. So it seems that Elton is an artist constantly wrestling with the idea of touring and what it means for his identity as an artist, which is only heightened by his innate ability to play on stage.
Many are convinced that his grand finish at Worthy Farm is merely another chapter in the story of false retirements. Following his recent Disney+ documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, he has just announced a whole new album with Brandi Carlile, with whom he collaborated on the documentary’s title track. It seems he just can’t help himself, and with a whole new catalogue of songs to boot, will he once more head out on the yellow brick road?
