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One reason Elton John wanted to do such a lengthy Farewell Tour is that he wanted to be able to personally say goodbye to all the fans in all the cities around the world who’ve supported him over the years. But, he admits that when it comes to certain cities, he says good riddance.
In a cover story for the new issue of Rolling Stone, Elton says, “There are some places you think, ‘Thank f*** I don’t have to come back here! Yeah! Bye!’ I’m not going to say where, though. Oh, my God. No.”
But he’s quick to declare that he’s “really enjoying” the tour, adding, “If I wasn’t, it would be an awful long way to go without enjoying something. There’s something about the American audiences. They’re more effusive. More stoned.
“Ten years ago I never thought I’d be saying goodbye on the road. But I didn’t have a family, and I love it more than anything else,” Elton continues, as part of a conversation with alt-pop singer Lana Del Rey.
“If we hadn’t had children, [my husband] David [Furnish] and I would have been two very wealthy gay guys going around the world, but to what purpose?” he asks rhetorically. “The purpose now is to make sure that our boys have the best education, the best chance of doing things, and, most of all, they’re filled with love.”
He adds, “And that they have fun. Because, boy oh boy, do they give us a lot of fun.”
As for Del Rey, Elton’s a big fan. He tells the critically acclaimed singer that female artists like her, teen pop sensation Billie Eilish and Grammy-winning country star Kacey Musgraves, “are leading the way.”
“They’re writing about their life,” he explains. “That’s what moves me.”
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