Elton John‘s new book, Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life on Tour, is out now. It includes Elton’s detailed reminiscences of his touring career, both from the past and from his final trek, which wrapped up last year.
The book includes a forward by Elton’s husband and manager, David Furnish, and an introduction by Elton in which he gives a bit of background on his five decades of touring, as well as his decision to stop.
“Imagine this book as a montage of moments from my distant and recent past, like a convergence of flashing memories,” he writes. “It will give you a glimpse of what it was like to say goodbye to the road and hello to whatever is next.”
That’s followed by a section in which Elton talks about conceptualizing the tour, from the sets and costumes to the set list. Each subsequent chapter in the book is titled after a different city or country that Elton visited during the tour, which, due to COVID-19, spanned from 2018 to July 2023. From the U.S. to the U.K. to Australia and back, Elton recalls what it was like playing in each place, both in the past — if applicable — and during the Farewell tour.
There are also Concert Flashback chapters, where he recalls specific and memorable shows, such as Live Aid in 1985, where he shares his memories of hanging out with his friend Freddie Mercury backstage. There’s also a chapter on what he did when COVID-19 put the tour on hold for months.
Throughout, there are plenty of photos documenting Elton onstage and off, plus set lists, photos of Elton with his celebrity pals and their quotes about the tour, wardrobe and memorabilia photos and more.
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