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Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life on Tour
In this lavish retrospective authored by the icon himself, Elton John shares his fondest memories, most unforgettable moments, and previously untold stories from his record-breaking final tour. Farewell Yellow Brick Road is a full-color celebration of Elton John's record-breaking, globe-spanning farewell tour—from Allentown to Auckland, from Sydney to San Francisco. Featured concerts include Elton’s dazzling performances at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in November 2022, the finale of which streamed live on Disney+. Fans will be treated to a behind-the-scenes glimpse into every aspect of these spectacular shows, including Elton’s legendary touring wardrobe by Gucci, the set design, official photography, and more.As the tour weaves across the world, Elton reaches back in time to reflect on key moments from his life on the road and to reminisce about the beginning of his career while sharing never-before-seen images and memorabilia. A poignant foreword by David Furnish, Elton’s husband and manager, as well as the tour’s creative director, rounds out this incredible insider’s look. Join Elton on his remarkable, career-affirming farewell.
256 pages, Hardcover
Published September 24, 2024
40 people are currently reading
309 people want to read
About the author
Elton John
375 books606 followersSir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight) is an English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist.
In his five-decade career, John has been one of the dominant forces in rock and popular music, especially during the 1970s. He has sold more than 300 million albums and over one hundred million singles, making him one of the most successful artists of all time. He has won five Grammy awards and one Academy Award. His success has had a profound impact on popular music and has contributed to the continued popularity of the piano in rock and roll. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him #49 on their list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
Some of the characteristics of John's music are his ability to quickly craft melodies for the lyrics of songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, his former rich tenor (now baritone) voice, his classical and gospel-influenced piano, the aggressive orchestral arrangements of Paul Buckmaster among others and the flamboyant fashions and on-stage showmanship, especially evident during the 1970s.
John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s and was knighted in 1998. He entered into a civil partnership with David Furnish on 21 December 2005. John and Furnish married in Windsor, Berkshire, on 21 December 2014, the ninth anniversary of their civil partnership. Hecontinues to be a champion for the LGBT social movements.
In his five-decade career, John has been one of the dominant forces in rock and popular music, especially during the 1970s. He has sold more than 300 million albums and over one hundred million singles, making him one of the most successful artists of all time. He has won five Grammy awards and one Academy Award. His success has had a profound impact on popular music and has contributed to the continued popularity of the piano in rock and roll. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked him #49 on their list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
Some of the characteristics of John's music are his ability to quickly craft melodies for the lyrics of songwriting partner Bernie Taupin, his former rich tenor (now baritone) voice, his classical and gospel-influenced piano, the aggressive orchestral arrangements of Paul Buckmaster among others and the flamboyant fashions and on-stage showmanship, especially evident during the 1970s.
John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He has been heavily involved in the fight against AIDS since the late 1980s and was knighted in 1998. He entered into a civil partnership with David Furnish on 21 December 2005. John and Furnish married in Windsor, Berkshire, on 21 December 2014, the ninth anniversary of their civil partnership. Hecontinues to be a champion for the LGBT social movements.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 16, 2025
Fab pictures and gushing text try to do justice to pop/rock star, Elton John. Fun to see close ups of some of Eltons famous costumes. Makes you miss him being on tour.
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April 3, 2025In this curtain call book that's a companion to his final tour, filled with encomiums from his fellow musicians, Elton John writes a heartfelt reflection on the things he stands up for. His music has symbolized many things to his fans, such as joyful resilience and being true to oneself. I enjoyed reading how he stands up for the things he believes in, such as donating 1 million dollars to the Australian wildfires relief effort, standing up to Putin in defense of LGBTQ groups and individuals in Russia, and advocating for HIV AIDS funding in the American Congress. He also served as a warm mentor to a lot of up-and-coming musicians who offer salutary remarks in this book.
January 29, 2025
You can tell Elton is out of touch with the common person in this book, sounding pompous in parts. I almost dnf, but pushed through. I think I'll stick with his music instead of his books.
January 30, 2025
I wish I could give this book a five-star review. It is, after all, a really fun, reflective look at Elton John's farewell tour. And I really struggled with the rating I was going to give it. First, I will go over what I liked.
In the book, Elton picks a number of the concert venues that he visited during this monstrous tour that wound up taking five years to complete. Part of the reason for that was that it was interrupted by the Covid pandemic in 2020. Then, later, he fell and injured himself, which caused further delay. It started in 2018, and finally finished, in Stockholm Sweden, in 2023.
The book is full of photos from the various venues, along with some from his earlier years, when he was getting started. There are even some photos from his first performance at The Troubadour in LA, his first shows in the U.S. There are also images of set lists, and tickets from his earlier performances, back in the seventies and eighties (with outrageous ticket prices, like $6.50). That being said, I saw Led Zeppelin back in 1975 for $8.00. That's just how much they cost back then.
There are also plenty of photos of his outrageous costumes that he wore through the years.
He said some things in this book that made me respect him even more, which is difficult, because I have always had a high amount of respect for EJ. Shoot, back when I was in high school, my best friend had a piano in his living room, and weekdays, after school, I would go over to his house and sit in there and play Elton John songs for him on his piano. My favorite one to play was "Ticking," from the Caribou album. But I digress.
When he was questioned about playing places like Dallas, Texas, because it's in a state that is politically conservative, and Russia (Soviet Union), Elton said this: "I've always believed it's important to bring my music to places around the world regardless of their politics. Even if a government holds opinions I disagree with, it's my duty to appear there anyway."
Elton was, I believe, the third western pop star to play in the Soviet Union. What he learned was this: "The only reason more people hadn't played [the Soviet Union] was simply because they hadn't asked for permission."
I also learned that Elton John and his band played back up for Long John Baldry back in 1966. In fact, when he became Elton John, he took his name from one of his bandmates, the sax player, named Elton, and the John from Long John Baldry.
As he performed on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, he still played with guitarist Davey Johnstone and drummer Nigel Olsson. That made me very happy, because I loved them in his band back in the Yellow Brick Road days.
So what did I not like enough to keep it from being five stars? The writing simply isn't very good. I'm sorry, Elton, I love you, but you should have had some help writing this. It actually got boring after a while, because he kept saying the same thing over and over again. Multiple times, he explained that he was quitting touring because he wanted to spend time with his family. I get it. But we don't need to read that a dozen or more times. I also lost count of how many of the performances were the "best show we've ever played." Or had the greatest audience they had ever had.
Overall, though, I did enjoy the book enough to give it a four-star rating. Elton was a huge part of my "coming of age" years. I was already playing piano, but I can't deny that he influenced my piano playing in my high school years. In fact, my dad once said that everything I played sounded like Elton John. That wasn't a compliment.
I recommend this book for lovers of music and live shows, and especially if you love Elton John's music. It does have a bit of "memoir" vibes to it, even though my library classifies it as biography, so if you enjoy memoirs or music memoirs, I highly recommend it. And it has plenty of "bling." Because, well, you know . . . it's Elton John.
In the book, Elton picks a number of the concert venues that he visited during this monstrous tour that wound up taking five years to complete. Part of the reason for that was that it was interrupted by the Covid pandemic in 2020. Then, later, he fell and injured himself, which caused further delay. It started in 2018, and finally finished, in Stockholm Sweden, in 2023.
The book is full of photos from the various venues, along with some from his earlier years, when he was getting started. There are even some photos from his first performance at The Troubadour in LA, his first shows in the U.S. There are also images of set lists, and tickets from his earlier performances, back in the seventies and eighties (with outrageous ticket prices, like $6.50). That being said, I saw Led Zeppelin back in 1975 for $8.00. That's just how much they cost back then.
There are also plenty of photos of his outrageous costumes that he wore through the years.
He said some things in this book that made me respect him even more, which is difficult, because I have always had a high amount of respect for EJ. Shoot, back when I was in high school, my best friend had a piano in his living room, and weekdays, after school, I would go over to his house and sit in there and play Elton John songs for him on his piano. My favorite one to play was "Ticking," from the Caribou album. But I digress.
When he was questioned about playing places like Dallas, Texas, because it's in a state that is politically conservative, and Russia (Soviet Union), Elton said this: "I've always believed it's important to bring my music to places around the world regardless of their politics. Even if a government holds opinions I disagree with, it's my duty to appear there anyway."
Elton was, I believe, the third western pop star to play in the Soviet Union. What he learned was this: "The only reason more people hadn't played [the Soviet Union] was simply because they hadn't asked for permission."
I also learned that Elton John and his band played back up for Long John Baldry back in 1966. In fact, when he became Elton John, he took his name from one of his bandmates, the sax player, named Elton, and the John from Long John Baldry.
As he performed on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, he still played with guitarist Davey Johnstone and drummer Nigel Olsson. That made me very happy, because I loved them in his band back in the Yellow Brick Road days.
So what did I not like enough to keep it from being five stars? The writing simply isn't very good. I'm sorry, Elton, I love you, but you should have had some help writing this. It actually got boring after a while, because he kept saying the same thing over and over again. Multiple times, he explained that he was quitting touring because he wanted to spend time with his family. I get it. But we don't need to read that a dozen or more times. I also lost count of how many of the performances were the "best show we've ever played." Or had the greatest audience they had ever had.
Overall, though, I did enjoy the book enough to give it a four-star rating. Elton was a huge part of my "coming of age" years. I was already playing piano, but I can't deny that he influenced my piano playing in my high school years. In fact, my dad once said that everything I played sounded like Elton John. That wasn't a compliment.
I recommend this book for lovers of music and live shows, and especially if you love Elton John's music. It does have a bit of "memoir" vibes to it, even though my library classifies it as biography, so if you enjoy memoirs or music memoirs, I highly recommend it. And it has plenty of "bling." Because, well, you know . . . it's Elton John.
October 10, 2024
Let's admit that this farewell tour was a marketing ploy that all the older bands and singers are doing. If they're alive then in 5 to 10 years there will be a reunion tour or a few really expensive limited shows. It works since older bands are making millions doing this while many other bands are struggling to make a decent profit.
Elton John is a family heirloom passed from my dad to me where I shared it with my husband and passed down to my daughter. It's fitting that one of the memories of my dad's funeral involved Elton. If you ask my husband though he'll claim he always listened to Elton he just wasn't a big fan. So, it's no surprise that when this tour passed through our daughter kept telling us she wanted to go. Most of the bands she wants to see are old, dead or close to dead, or way too expensive. This tour fell in the way too expensive but when she learned that one would be on a tv app she was happy. Sadly being on so late she ended up falling asleep after about an hour and she was sad she missed the rest.
I didn't read it cover to cover because I have an impatient daughter asking me over and over if I'm done yet. I loved the photos and learning all about the different stops and of course all the outfits. It's a good book for lovers of Elton John and will also be one to pass down.
Elton John is a family heirloom passed from my dad to me where I shared it with my husband and passed down to my daughter. It's fitting that one of the memories of my dad's funeral involved Elton. If you ask my husband though he'll claim he always listened to Elton he just wasn't a big fan. So, it's no surprise that when this tour passed through our daughter kept telling us she wanted to go. Most of the bands she wants to see are old, dead or close to dead, or way too expensive. This tour fell in the way too expensive but when she learned that one would be on a tv app she was happy. Sadly being on so late she ended up falling asleep after about an hour and she was sad she missed the rest.
I didn't read it cover to cover because I have an impatient daughter asking me over and over if I'm done yet. I loved the photos and learning all about the different stops and of course all the outfits. It's a good book for lovers of Elton John and will also be one to pass down.
October 7, 2024
I’ve always loved Elton John. His was the first rock concert I ever attended. So he is a big part of my life. I enjoyed his book of memories on his life on tour. I attended 2 of the 3 farewell tour concerts in Pittsburgh. I was disappointed he didn’t mention them in the book, especially the last one at PNC Park, which was fun, fabulous, and unforgettable. Hearing Elton’s thoughts in his own voice in this book made me feel even closer to him. See you soon Elton, doing some other wonderful thing!
January 26, 2025
This is a gorgeous coffee table book full of photos (and a lot more text than I was expecting), showcasing Elton's farewell concert tour. He writes about his memories of many of those tour dates, as well as flashing back on many of his previous concerts, highs and lows. The book is organized by the farewell tour locations, such as London, Los Angeles, Paris, and in each section he talks about other memorable times he did a concert there. The photos are gorgeous, consisting of many closeup and detailed photos of Elton on stage or with celebrity friends and guests, his tour outfits (then and now--wow! Having Gucci design new jackets based on the original Bob Mackie designs?? This is also a fashion show book!), old ticket stubs (gah! Concerts in the 70s were so cheap!!), sketches and photos of the farewell tour's stage design, and so on. There are tons of great quotes from various concert reviews over the years, which could have been overkill but in this case are all well deserved and add to the excitement of the book. He does talk about times he flopped or didn't give the best performance he could have, but mostly he repeats how much joy he gets out of performing and how much he treasures the love given back by his audiences. My favorite surprise in the book was to see scans of several postcards Elton sent to friends and colleagues from places on tour, back in the 70s and 80s--he could be pretty funny! And to see his handwriting is really cool. This is a really nice love letter from Elton to his fans. A fabulous book for a fabulous musician, my favorite musical artist since 1983 or so. I got to see him live in concert twice, once with Billy Joel, and they were both awesome experiences. What a truly talented and remarkable musician and humanitarian.
February 7, 2025
I was obsessed with Elton John as a teen in the 70's and those early songs carry so many memories and emotions. How many people still know the words to "Pinky?" The best part of this book is the photos and the reflections on his early days. I appreciate the breadth of his career and it is definitely highlighted in this recap of his multi-year final tour. Have seen reviews mentioning that the writing is not great but don't we get enough greatness from this guy without wanting even more? Highly recommend reading this while listening to your favorite EJ songs - it's a great way to enjoy the trip.
July 31, 2025
Fantastic book!!! I've been an Elton John fan since I was 10 (I'm 62 now). I got to go to his first Dec. 2018 Houston show on the Farewell Tour and it is one of the best concerts I've ever seen. I wish I had been able to go see Elton earlier in his career, but the concert beyond exceeded my expectations. The book is a great source of telling about the various shows and pictures and things behind the scenes. I love that Elton did the tour and the book for his fans. He is an artist who I will love as long as i inhabit this rock. Whether you went to the Farewell tour or not, if you're an Elton fan you will want to have this book in your collection.
October 14, 2025
Part of my wishes that I had read the print version of this book--especially wondering whether it included photos. Another part wishes that it had been narrated by the author! I was fortunate enough to have seen him in concert twice, once on his tour with Billy Joel. I love his music and imagine several of his songs as part of the soundtrack of my life. Anyway, it was interesting to hear about life on the road, particularly contrasted with memories of tours when he was younger. Elton John is definitely an artist who put in the work. But it was a little jarring that his story was being read by someone else.
October 19, 2024
While not quite as personal as his previous autobiography, this was a fun trip down memory lane for Elton John fans. As with the previous one, either Elton John or his ghostwriter comes across as likeable and balanced in terms of confidence/pride and humility. There are threads of self-deprecating humour and a genuine admiration for his fans and fellow musicians. I did the audiobook, and though Richard Armitage did a fantastic job, I think this book would be much better in print for the accompanying photos (though the accompanying songs were a nice touch).
December 11, 2024
A very pretty book, vibrant colored cover and nice photographs inside.
Elton takes us on tour to select concerts for his finale' tour Farewell Yellow Brick Road. He gives his view through his glasses of what happens during his concerts as well as reminiscing on some things that happened on tours in that city from the past. It surprised me that he remembered so much from so many years ago considering the time and amount of touring he has done since 1970.
I think the book is well written and its nice to 'read' the farewell tour from his viewpoint.
Elton takes us on tour to select concerts for his finale' tour Farewell Yellow Brick Road. He gives his view through his glasses of what happens during his concerts as well as reminiscing on some things that happened on tours in that city from the past. It surprised me that he remembered so much from so many years ago considering the time and amount of touring he has done since 1970.
I think the book is well written and its nice to 'read' the farewell tour from his viewpoint.
October 1, 2025
Reading 2025
Book 194: Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life on Tour by Elton John
Book 17 of #30booksin30days is a nonfiction audio book about the final tour of Elton John’s career. Found this book looking for memoirs to read during my quest for 30 books and audio books under 11 hours.
Quick Take: This was a trip down memory lane with Elton on his farewell tour that lasted way longer than anyone hoped, since the pandemic caused a shutdown before he could finish the tour. Enjoyed the audio because I got all the musical interludes. My rating 4⭐️
Book 194: Farewell Yellow Brick Road: Memories of My Life on Tour by Elton John
Book 17 of #30booksin30days is a nonfiction audio book about the final tour of Elton John’s career. Found this book looking for memoirs to read during my quest for 30 books and audio books under 11 hours.
Quick Take: This was a trip down memory lane with Elton on his farewell tour that lasted way longer than anyone hoped, since the pandemic caused a shutdown before he could finish the tour. Enjoyed the audio because I got all the musical interludes. My rating 4⭐️
November 30, 2024
This book is a bit of an exercise in how many ways Elton can say why he's retiring from constant touring and just how sure he is it's the right decision. Almost as if he's trying to convince himself.
The photos and info about who made his costumes is nice, as are the various snippets about past tours and concerts interspersed in between. It's not the most riveting stuff and not as uproariously fun a read as the previous memoir, but it's still enjoyable and a worthy memento for a fan to have.
The photos and info about who made his costumes is nice, as are the various snippets about past tours and concerts interspersed in between. It's not the most riveting stuff and not as uproariously fun a read as the previous memoir, but it's still enjoyable and a worthy memento for a fan to have.
December 20, 2024
After enjoying his memoir from years back, I was hesitant to read this expecting it to feel repetitive. This read completely differently, but was repetitive in its own way. The beautifully colored photographs drew me in though! Full of concert stories, memorable outfits, and love for his family and fans. Highlights stops on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, but it would have been considerably lengthier to describe all five years' worth, so clearly chose highlights.
December 29, 2024
This is a beautiful coffee table book with fantastic pictures from his last tour and also his tours from the 1970's. I enjoyed reading his thoughts about the various cities he talked about in this book. He was not able to talk about every city, or the book would have been enormous, but highlights of some of his favorite cities, and what the cities were like when he first toured there in the 1970's.
February 2, 2025
Beautiful book. Rich, heavy pages. A very classy, put together book, on first look. Much work and thought was put into the "look" of this book. The author is Elton John. That being said, it didn't read like Elton John's words, exactly. It read like someone assisted him perhaps with the help of AI? There was a lot of repetitious and filler information. Worth checking out, not worth purchasing.
February 13, 2025
Listened to this on Audible and found it an engaging read. Some of the stories were new and entertaining to hear. It’s not an exceptionally well written book, so may have worked better on Audible.
I do also have the hard copy book, which is essentially a beautiful coffee table book. I’m unsure I would have read it, but the listen was solid.
I’m giving it 5 stars because across these two media, it had a good amount to offer.
I do also have the hard copy book, which is essentially a beautiful coffee table book. I’m unsure I would have read it, but the listen was solid.
I’m giving it 5 stars because across these two media, it had a good amount to offer.
February 22, 2025
eBook + Audio
Nonfiction / Music / Biography / Memoir / Autobiography / LGBTQIA+ / Pop Culture
⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5 🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Using for Prompts
Storygraph Genres: Biography, Memoir, & Music
Storygraph Rainbow Reads 2025: Yellow
I was left sobbing! I am happy I read it and that his music exists in the world. I enjoyed how he used lines from the songs so often, I found myself watching for them like a scavenger hunt.
Nonfiction / Music / Biography / Memoir / Autobiography / LGBTQIA+ / Pop Culture
⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5 🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Using for Prompts
Storygraph Genres: Biography, Memoir, & Music
Storygraph Rainbow Reads 2025: Yellow
I was left sobbing! I am happy I read it and that his music exists in the world. I enjoyed how he used lines from the songs so often, I found myself watching for them like a scavenger hunt.
August 6, 2025
This book honestly just seemed like a compilation of Elton John facts and statistics, thrown in with descriptions of the song lists, costumes, and movie clips shown during the farewell tour. The rest of the book just stated over and over again how much Elton John loves his fans and wants them to be happy. I would have preferred a more personal book as this book told me nothing about Elton John as a person, husband, and father.
October 10, 2024
There are some great pictures and some decent stories told here. Coming not too long after his autobiography, it's not too surprising that there aren't a ton of more personal stories. They all discuss memories of playing specific concerts and cities throughout his career. Of course, much of it becomes repetitive, as Elton declares his love for the fans of city after city.
January 23, 2025
Elton John was born a performer! He truly cared about his audience and their experience and made sure they were fully entertained. Unfortunately I never went to his farewell concert and based on his description it was spectacular! One of the great ones. My only disappointment was that Elton John did not narrate this audiobook. It would have made listening to it over the top 10 fold.
April 13, 2025
I really enjoyed it, especially the mixing of historical tours (before my time) with current times. Fabulous photography and inclusions of items from the archives. My only complaint was the formatting, where a sentence would be started on one page and then pick back up 3-4 pages later after some photo insets or other extras. Recommend to any fan.
October 21, 2024
Enjoyed learning about his wonderful career. As a family of 5 we attended two of his concerts and still talk about what a fabulous artist and singer he is. The photos and the history made this a nostalgic read.
January 18, 2025
The book was so-so interesting. It is just about the farewell tour and some reminiscences from previous tours. He liked to travel and mentioned some of his favorite spots, but I wish he had talked more about why he liked the different countries he visited.
January 28, 2025
An excellent memoir from an extraordinary man who is humble, talented, caring and a performer & songwriter for all people. His legend will go down in history. But he's not done. We will have more art from this brilliant human.
February 11, 2025
I was lucky to see EJ in concert when I lived in San Diego 20 some years ago - he was so awesome. His music always makes me smile. I enjoyed this audio book, which he narrated much of it and some of his music was played in the background.
March 27, 2025
As someone who likes Elton John but is not a huge fan, this was definitely a well done memoir that simultaneously provides a tour report from his farewell, but also connects the dots to his entire career. I think fans will like this. And it is obviously a quick read.
July 24, 2025
Wonderful overview of Elton John's farewell tour that also gives great stories (histories) of memories of other times he had played in the cities highlighted in the book. If you saw any stop on his final tour or are an Elton John fan this book is worth picking up.
October 20, 2024
The photography is beautiful. I'm glad I got my hands on a copy even though I listened to this one.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews