Elton John vows to continue farewell tour after pneumonia forces him to abandon show
Sir Elton John performs at Mt Smart Stadium on February 16, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Dave Simpson/WireImage)
Despite a bout with pneumonia, Sir Elton John is still standing – and promoters have insisted that his tour will continue after he was forced to abandon a show mid-concert.
The singer, 73, is currently embarking on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which is intended to be his retirement tour.
However, Sir Elton’s return to the road after his victory at the Academy Awards got off to a rocky start on Sunday, with a concert in Auckland, New Zealand, abandoned mid-show when he lost his voice.
The singer has since revealed he has been diagnosed with walking pneumonia.
Still standing after all this time, the music legend’s tour will continue
However, the singer’s reps have made clear that the show will go on.
Chugg Entertainment, which is handling his dates in Australia and New Zealand, said: “Elton John was disappointed and deeply upset at having to end his Auckland concert early last night. At this stage, all remaining shows will go ahead as planned.”
Sir Elton John performs at Mt Smart Stadium on February 16, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Dave Simpson/WireImage)
In his statement, Sir Elton said: “I want to thank everyone who attended tonight’s gig in Auckland.
“I was diagnosed with walking pneumonia earlier today, but I was determined to give you the best show humanly possible. I played and sang my heart out, until my voice could sing no more.
“I’m disappointed, deeply upset and sorry. I gave it all I had. Thank-you so much for your extraordinary support and all the love you showed me during tonight’s performance.
“I am eternally grateful. Love, Elton.”
Sir Elton John nearly died during his last world tour.
It is not the singer’s first bout with illness while touring – revealing in his memoir last year that he nearly died during his 2017 tour after complications from surgery to treat prostate cancer.
Sir Elton wrote: “In the hospital, alone at the dead of night, I’d prayed: Please don’t let me die, please let me see my kids again, please give me a little longer.”
He continued: “The doctors told [husband] David I was 24 hours away from death. If the South American tour had gone on for another day that would have been it: brown bread.”
In the spirit of oversharing, the singer also revealed he was left incontinent by the prostate surgery, explaining: “I’ve worn some ridiculous things onstage in my time, but never a giant nappy.
“I don’t know if you’ve ever stood in front of 4,000 cheering fans, singing ‘Candle In The Wind’ while literally pissing yourself, but if you haven’t, I can tell you for a fact it’s quite an odd experience.”
