After more than 50 years on the road, Elton John has officially retired from touring.
The renowned artist performed his final tour act at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena on Saturday, the final stop on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.
“I’ve had the most incredible career, beyond words. How fortunate am I to be able to play music for 52 years?” John, 76, told the audience as he finished his concert with “Your Song” and “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
“But, you know, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you. You bought the singles, albums, CDs, and cassettes, but more importantly, you bought the concert tickets, and you know how much I enjoy performing live.”
After the show, the five-time Grammy winner thanked his fans for their unending support spanning more than five decades.
“My fans have been there for me every step of the way.” They’ve remained with me, they’ve supported me, they’ve been patient, and they’ve been coming to every single event,” he stated in a post-show statement, according to Consequence.
“Tonight has been a beautiful night. I’m still processing everything, and I don’t believe it’ll take a while before I’m finally done touring. I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss the fans or how much their love has humbled me – it will live on in my heart forever.”
At one point during the event, the “Tiny Dancer” singer received a special message from Chris Martin, who was performing with his band, Coldplay, in Sweden at the same time.
“Elton, we just wanna say, from all of us here, from all the bands and artists that you’ve loved, inspired, and helped, we just love you so much,” Martin, 46, said in part. “We love you tremendously. Happy retirement and we’ll miss you terribly, dude.”
John, who has been traveling since 1970, took to Instagram earlier Saturday to deliver a poignant message before of the highly anticipated event.
“What a journey this tour has been, and now we find ourselves at the end of it,” he wrote. “Tonight is the final night.”
While John is no longer traveling, he and his management have previously announced that fans can expect to see him perform in some way in the coming years.
“It’s essential to distinguish between Elton retiring from touring and Elton not performing his very last public performance for the very last time,” John’s husband and manager, David Furnish, told Billboard last November.
“I know he will not be touring in any capacity. What you’ll see is the prospect of a spectacular one-time event or a short residency in a single place for a limited time.”
For three years, this guy carved a wooden figure of his parents.
A man named Daniel lived in a little village surrounded by whispering trees and undulating hills. His parents, Mary and Richard, were well-known in the neighborhood for their warmth and friendliness. Daniel, who has always been an artist, made the decision to set off on a poignant trip that would alter not just his own life but also the lives of people he held dear.
Daniel found an ancient oak tree three years ago that had withstood decades of storms. Inspired, he made the decision to turn this robust wood into something very unique for his parents. He dreamed of creating monuments that would capture the knowledge and love they had exchanged over the years.
Daniel would precisely shape and sculpt the wood by chipping away at it for hours every day after work. His father’s sage eyes and his mother’s soft smile were revealed as the formerly unremarkable piece of oak started to take shape. He painted with love, devotion, and a desire to convey the essence of his parents’ personalities with every stroke of the chisel.
Over the course of the months, Daniel encountered several difficulties. He began to doubt himself and felt overwhelmed by the size of the work at hand. He would sit in the wood shavings long into the night, thinking back on the many memories he had with his parents and the sacrifices they had made. His resolve to finish the sculptures was strengthened by these reflective periods.
Three years of nonstop work later, Daniel was finally able to stand in front of his finished products. The towering sculptures were evidence of his appreciation and devotion. The wood, which had before been worn and coarse, now shone with a polished sheen that reflected the warmth of his parents’ love. Every little thing was evidence of his affection for them.
Daniel gave his parents the wooden figurines on a memorable evening when friends and family were around. Mary and Richard began to cry as they understood the magnitude of the gift and the depth of their son’s devotion. The sculptures became a representation of the unbreakable tie that kept their family together and are now proudly on display in their living room.
The wooden figures were treasured family relics handed down from generation to generation as time went on. Daniel’s selfless effort not only made his parents happy but also had a lasting impact on the neighborhood. The statues served as a poignant reminder that genuine art aims to capture the spirit of love and preserve it for all time, rather than focusing just on looks.
Daniel used to sit with his parents in the calm evening hours, laughing and telling stories as the sun sank below the hills. The wooden sculptures stood quiet witnesses to the legacy of a son’s love for his parents as they were bathed in the warm glory of the setting sun.
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