The 24 Songs Elton John Will Play On His Farewell Tour
By | March 7, 2019
Elton John performs in concert circa 1975 in London, England. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
When he announced that he was retiring from music, Elton John's farewell tour became one of the hottest tickets worldwide. The three-year Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour will see him play his most loved songs night after night, all over the globe. Each stop of the tour is being treated to a handpicked set list that covers Sir Elton’s greatest hits, from the big stadium rockers to those torch songs that will definitely have you singing along at the top of your lungs.
Elton John released his first album in 1969, so the farewell tour coincides with his 50 years as a recording musician (although he toiled for most of the '60s in backing bands and as a songwriter). He established himself as a major artist in the '70s (and an outrageous dresser), releasing classic albums and chart-topping singles, and he continued to be relevant through the '80s and beyond. If you're a fan of John's music from any era, The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour is a spectacle that you absolutely cannot miss, as Elton John's farewell tour setlist attests.
How does one put together the perfect set list for a final tour? Is it possible to make everyone happy without playing your entire discography? Even though you can’t please everyone Elton John sure as hell tried with his set list for the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. Over the course of two hours, the singer and piano virtuoso will remind audiences why he was put on this planet.
The Setlist
Elton John at the Musikhalle Hamburg, in March 1972. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Don’t take our word for it, check out the setlist below and even give it a listen before you head off to one of the shows.
Wow, look at these tunes:
Bennie and the Jets
All the Girls Love Alice
I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues
Border Song
Tiny Dancer
Philadelphia Freedom
Indian Sunset
Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)
Take Me to the Pilot
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Levon
Candle in the Wind
Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding
Burn Down the Mission
Believe
Daniel
Sad Songs (Say So Much)
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
The Bitch Is Back
I'm Still Standing
Crocodile Rock
Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
Encore:
Your Song
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
The Tour Takes Its Title From Elton John’s Most Influential Album
It’s fitting that the album Elton John is structuring his album after is the 1973 masterpiece Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, his seventh studio album. While recording the album - first in Jamaica and then in France - John created the music to sound like what he wanted to hear at his funeral. That’s what makes the tour setting so special.
The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour is essentially a long goodbye to the career of Elton John, which makes it all the more magical that he’s able to go out on top playing the songs that he loves.
Elton John Is Allowing His Fans Mix Their Own Live Sound
One of the more interesting aspects of this tour is the way that Elton John is partnering with an app company called Peex which allows fans to customize the concert experience to their liking. No, you can’t choose what songs he’s going to play, but you can make your own audio mix of the show when you use one of their wearable devices.
Sir Elton’s been working with the company for a few years now because he’s “passionate about giving my fans my best possible performance and making sure they get the best possible experience.” So if you want all vocals and piano you can do that, or if you're just really into the drums you can do that too.
The Tour Covers More Than Just Elton John’s ‘70s Work
Don’t let the tour name fool you, John’s not simply performing work from his seminal album, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. He’s playing his biggest and most loved songs from across his career in a set that ebbs and flows like something of this magnitude should.
The concert even veers into the ‘90s for the track “Believe.” Don’t worry, you won’t have to spend too much time thinking about what you were up to when you first heard Made In England, following the brief foray into the ‘90s John takes the audience right back to the ‘70s with “Daniel.”
The Set Is A Perfect Encapsulation Of John’s Career
Everyone has at least one Elton John song they go to when they want to feel some very big emotions. Whether you imagine yourself singing “Tiny Dancer” with a bus full of your best friends, or if you like to get pensive with “Rocket Man” before going on a road trip, Elton John has a song that strikes a direct hit to your heart.
The set list for the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour makes sure to hit every note that you want to hear and even a few that you aren’t expecting. It’s clear from the set list that John knows exactly what people want to hear, and it’s wild that he has so many touching songs that span three decades.
You’ve Got Three Years To See This Tour
If you want to see Elton John perform this beautifully structured set of material then you’ve got plenty of chances to see him play. The first leg of the tour began in late 2018, with the singer tackling North America, and after he leaves the states he’s going off to Europe before returning to the states, hitting Australia, and then finishing up with England.
The entire tour is going to going to take him just over three years to complete, so you don’t have any excuses if you want to see this tour. Did he already play your city? Then take a trip to see the Rocket Man, he’d do it for you.
