After declaring his touring career over, Elton John returned to the stage for an intimate London performance followed by two farewell concerts in Mexico City, with the final shows reconnecting him with a country he had been forced to miss during his farewell tour.
by Paul Cashmere
Elton John has spent the past few years describing the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour as his final touring chapter. Yet within five days he played three special concerts, moving from a 600-capacity room at London’s Battersea Power Station to two full-scale farewell shows in Mexico City, giving fans an unexpected final glimpse of an artist who had effectively retired from touring.
The sequence began on September 28 when Elton John opened Apple Music Hall at Battersea Power Station in London. Five days later, on October 2 and 3, he played Estadio Banorte in Mexico City for two concerts specifically created to make up for the Latin American dates that were lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The London concert was particularly intimate. Just 600 people were inside the new Apple Music venue for a 12-song performance that concentrated almost entirely on Elton John’s classic catalogue. The concert was also streamed globally through Apple Music, making it the first performance in the new Apple Music Hall live series.
The choice of Elton John to open the venue was more than a high-profile booking. His relationship with Apple Music dates back to July 2015, when Rocket Hour launched on Apple Music’s Beats 1 platform. A decade later, Rocket Hour remains part of the Apple Music schedule, with Elton continuing to use the programme to introduce emerging artists alongside established favourites.
The set itself made the scale of the room part of the story. Elton moved from Your Song and The Greatest Discovery into Border Song, Bennie And The Jets and I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues, before running through Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters, Tiny Dancer and Rocket Man. He also included Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word, Take Me To The Pilot, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me.
Then came Mexico.
The two Estadio Banorte performances were not advertised as an extension of the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour. Elton’s official announcement described them as special performances created specifically for Mexican fans. They marked his first Mexico City shows in 14 years and returned him to the city where his Mexican concert history began with two 1992 performances at Estadio Azteca during The One tour.
There was also a personal reason for the return. Elton said he had been disappointed that the pandemic prevented him from touring Latin America during his farewell tour, making these performances a chance to finally give Mexican fans the goodbye they had missed.
Musically, the Mexico shows were considerably larger than the London appearance and followed a more familiar concert format. Both nights opened with Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding and moved through Bennie And The Jets, I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues, The One, Tiny Dancer, Honky Cat, Rocket Man, Levon and Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.
On October 2, Elton continued with Someone Saved My Life Tonight, Have Mercy On The Criminal and Candle In The Wind before the run of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me, The Bitch Is Back, Crocodile Rock, Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting and I’m Still Standing. Cold Heart and Your Song completed the encore, followed by fireworks.
The second night followed essentially the same structure, although Elton briefly left the stage after Someone Saved My Life Tonight because of altitude sickness. Cold Heart was performed in a solo electronic version associated with the Dua Lipa collaboration before Your Song closed the performance.
There is an interesting contrast between the three concerts. London was a compact, career-spanning recital built around the songs, while Mexico was deliberately constructed as a full farewell celebration. Together, they also showed that Elton’s relationship with live performance has not necessarily disappeared simply because his regular touring career has ended.
The Mexico concerts brought his story with the country full circle, 34 years after his first Mexico City performances. The London appearance, meanwhile, linked his past as a performer with his more recent role as a broadcaster and champion of new music through Apple Music.
For an artist who had said goodbye to touring, three more concerts were never going to be ordinary. These three were especially significant because each served a different purpose: one opened a new venue, while the other two finally closed a chapter that the pandemic had left unfinished.
Apple Music Hall, London, September 28, 2026
Your Song – Elton John (1970)
The Greatest Discovery – Elton John (1970)
Border Song – Elton John (1970)
Bennie And The Jets – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues – Too Low For Zero (1983)
Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters – Honky Château (1972)
Tiny Dancer – Madman Across The Water (1971)
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time) – Honky Château (1972)
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word – Blue Moves (1976)
Take Me To The Pilot – Elton John (1970)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – Caribou (1974)
Estadio Banorte, Mexico City, October 2, 2026
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Bennie And The Jets – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues – Too Low For Zero (1983)
The One – The One (1992)
Tiny Dancer – Madman Across The Water (1971)
Honky Cat – Honky Château (1972)
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time) – Honky Château (1972)
Levon – Madman Across The Water (1971)
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word – Blue Moves (1976)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight – Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)
Have Mercy On The Criminal – Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player (1973)
Candle In The Wind – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – Caribou (1974)
The Bitch Is Back – Caribou (1974)
Crocodile Rock – Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player (1973)
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
I’m Still Standing – Too Low For Zero (1983)
Cold Heart – The Lockdown Sessions (2021)
Your Song – Elton John (1970)
Estadio Banorte, Mexico City, October 3, 2026
Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Bennie And The Jets – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues – Too Low For Zero (1983)
The One – The One (1992)
Tiny Dancer – Madman Across The Water (1971)
Honky Cat – Honky Château (1972)
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long, Long Time) – Honky Château (1972)
Levon – Madman Across The Water (1971)
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word – Blue Moves (1976)
Have Mercy On The Criminal – Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player (1973)
Someone Saved My Life Tonight – Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)
Candle In The Wind – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me – Caribou (1974)
The Bitch Is Back – Caribou (1974)
Crocodile Rock – Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player (1973)
Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
I’m Still Standing – Too Low For Zero (1983)
Cold Heart – The Lockdown Sessions (2021)
Your Song – Elton John (1970)
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