Farewell Yellow Brick Road

 

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Sir Elton John's seventh studio album, was released in 1973 and is regarded as his one of his best bodies of work.  In 2020 Rolling Stone ranked the album 112 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time and it is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.  The album features several of his biggest hits, including Candle In The Wind, Benny And The Jets, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting.  Considering the album's initial success and enduring legacy, together with his professional and personal journey on his own yellow brick road, it's no surprise that he referenced the album in the title and concept of his farewell tour almost 50 years since its release.

The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour was officially announced in January 2018 and was intended to be a three-year tour before he retired from touring altogether.  The tour was postponed in 2021 due to Covid and finally resumed at the beginning of 2022. I was fortunate to experience the show at the impressive Metlife Stadium and was blown away by the show's production, the electrifying atmosphere and of course, the legend's vocals, not to mention the non-stop energy he exuded.  Goldmine Magazine summed it up perfectly when they said that "the man responsible for the soundtrack of many of our lives has poured his heart and soul into an incomparable show" that serves as "a classy way to bid farewell to the yellow brick road he’s been on all his life".

Stevie Chick from The Guardian refers to Sir Elton as a "human jukebox", a "craftsmanlike singer-songwriter" and a "pop Prospero", all of which proved to be 100% accurate.  The show featured an awe-inspiring setlist of bangers and ballads, each of which was performed with passion and pride.  Besides the unending parade of big hits spanning his illustrious career, the show also showcased lesser-known songs from his early albums which was refreshing.  The encore was a perfect trio of songs to mark his farewell to his fans: his most recent number one hit, Cold Heart (featuring Dua Lipa and remixed by PNAU), his first number 1, Your Song, and the emotionally-charged Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

The complete setlist was as follows:

Bennie and the Jets

Philadelphia Freedom

I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues

Border Song (which he dedicated to the late Aretha Franklin, who recorded the song)

Tiny Dancer

Have Mercy on the Criminal

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

Sad Songs (Say So Much)

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters

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:

Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)

Your Song

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road