Elton John to 'go out with a bang' on final tour

Elton John announced Wednesday that he is retiring from touring, with the consummate showman saying he wants to devote himself to his children – but after a final, massive swing around the world.

The 70-year-old British entertainer, revealing his plans at a gala New York event, said he planned to "go out with a bang" with a global tour that will open on September 8 and last through 2021.

"It's the last time that I will be touring and traveling the world, because my priorities have changed in my life," John told several hundred journalists and guests after a mini-concert and virtual reality presentation of his career.

"I've had an amazing life, I've had an amazing career," he said, adding: "My priorities now are my children and my husband and my family."


John, who in the 1980s became one of the first openly gay major celebrities, has two children with his husband, Canadian filmmaker and former advertising executive David Furnish.

The original "Rocket Man" said he had no health concerns, despite a scare with a bacterial infection that caused him to cancel South American dates last year. He said he would stay active, hoping to record more albums and write further musicals.

"I will be creative, hopefully, until the day I die," he said.

Sporting a floral coattail jacket with sequined lapels, John promised an extravagant affair for the "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour which will open in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Anticipating 300 shows around the world, the "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour could easily become one of the most profitable in music history.

"It's a way of going out with a bang. I don't want to go out with a whimper," he said.

Source news.cgtn.com/news/7949544e7a677a6333566d54/share_p.html