I love a good spat between uber famous people and was licking my lips when Rod Stewart branded Elton John’s retirement tour as ‘dishonest’ and just a marketing ploy to sell more tickets. Unfortunately, the flamboyant Rocket Man hasn’t taken the bait so there’s probably nothing to be seen here.
For my own tuppence worth, I think his final tour is dishonest for another reason. He’s been turning up to chat shows saying he’s bowing out to spend more time with his children, which is indeed a commendable ambition. However, His Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour starts this September, will take in more than 300 shows across five continents and go on for three years, reaching its conclusion in 2021 (when he’ll be 74). So, no real hurry then to spend more time with the kids.
If he really wanted to be a devoted pop with a hands-on presence he could stop now while the two boys are very young and perhaps more in need of both parents in their lives. Or carry on touring but scale back the workload massively and enjoy a good work/life balance like many families try to do. Anything else is just selfish.
