Elton John Books Two Mexico City Shows to Close Out Farewell Yellow Brick Road

Two nights at Estadio Banorte in October fulfill a pandemic-era promise to Latin American fans.

Elton John will play two concerts at Mexico City’s Estadio Banorte on Oct. 2 and 3, closing out his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour with shows that were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Presented by AEG Presents, Cardenas Marketing Network, and Enso Music, the dates mark John’s first Mexico City performances in more than a decade and bring a formal end to a touring chapter that grossed $939.1 million and sold 6 million tickets.

A Promise Kept After Pandemic Disruptions

John wrapped the main run of the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour on July 8, 2023, nearly five years after launching it in September 2018. The tour was originally presented as a three-year goodbye, but COVID-19’s global shutdown pushed the timeline out by two years. Along the way, John also missed a string of dates due to injury and illness. The Mexico City concerts are described as fulfilling the commitment to Latin American fans who never got their farewell shows.

“Mexico City has always held a special place in my heart,” John said in a statement. “I was truly disappointed that the pandemic kept me from touring Latin America during my Farewell tour which makes this return especially meaningful. I’m thrilled to finally share this very special moment with my fans after all these years.”

A Long Gap Since His Last Mexico City Appearance

John’s history with Mexico City stretches back decades. His most recent appearance in the capital came 12 years ago, when he played a pair of Elton and Ray Cooper dates at Auditorio Nacional in 2012. Before that, his first Mexico City performances came 34 years ago at Azteca Stadium as part of The One tour.

The October shows at Estadio Banorte are framed by organizers as “a heartfelt celebration honoring both the artist and a city that has held onto the memory and celebrated his music for years.” General on-sale begins Thursday, July 16 at 12 p.m. local time in Mexico City.

Where Things Stand on John’s Retirement From Touring

John announced his retirement from touring in January 2018 alongside the Farewell Yellow Brick Road announcement. He has maintained that he does not want to tour again, though he has not ruled out playing sporadic events in the future. The Mexico City dates fit that framing: two standalone nights rather than a resumed global run.

The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour’s final figures, as reported to Billboard Boxscore, place it among the highest-grossing tours in concert history. At $939.1 million across 6 million tickets sold, the run set a benchmark that few artists at any stage of their career have approached.

What we know

• Elton John will perform at Estadio Banorte in Mexico City on Oct. 2 and 3.
• The shows are presented by AEG Presents, Cardenas Marketing Network, and Enso Music.
• The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour grossed $939.1 million and sold 6 million tickets, per figures reported to Billboard Boxscore.
• John wrapped the main tour on July 8, 2023, nearly five years after launching it in September 2018.
• John’s last Mexico City performances were in 2012 at Auditorio Nacional, a pair of Elton and Ray Cooper dates.
• General on-sale begins July 16 at 12 p.m. local time in Mexico City.
• John announced his retirement from touring in January 2018 and has said he does not want to tour again, though he has not ruled out sporadic events.

The take

The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour was already one of the most commercially successful concert runs in history before these Mexico City dates were announced. At $939.1 million grossed, it sits in rarefied company alongside Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and the Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang tour in terms of sheer revenue scale. The pandemic complicated the farewell narrative for a lot of legacy acts, but John’s situation was particularly pointed: Latin America was effectively cut out of a tour that was explicitly framed as a final goodbye. Playing two stadium nights in Mexico City to close the book is a tidy resolution, and it fits a pattern seen with other artists of John’s stature who have found ways to honor postponed commitments without reopening the door to a full touring cycle. The framing here is careful. These are not billed as a tour extension or a comeback. They are positioned as the completion of an existing promise, which allows John to maintain his stated retirement posture while still delivering for fans who were left out. For a catalog as deep and beloved as his, the demand in markets that never got a proper farewell was always going to be there. Estadio Banorte is a substantial venue, and filling it twice suggests that demand is very much intact.

Why it matters

For classic rock and pop fans in Latin America, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour was a once-in-a-generation event that the pandemic effectively cancelled before it arrived. These two Mexico City dates represent the formal closing of one of the longest and most lucrative farewell tours ever mounted. They also signal how legacy artists and their management are navigating the post-pandemic backlog of cancelled shows: targeted, market-specific dates rather than full tour restarts, preserving the retirement narrative while honoring the original commitment.

What’s next

Tickets go on general sale Thursday, July 16 at 12 p.m. local time in Mexico City for both Estadio Banorte shows on Oct. 2 and 3. No additional dates beyond the two Mexico City concerts have been announced.

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