Elton John says he's in 'considerable pain' after fall, postpones tour

Elton John has rescheduled the remainder of his tour dates this year following an awkward fall that will require an operation on his hip.

The 74-year-old music legend tweeted a statement on Thursday morning that the remainder of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour dates in Europe for this year have been rescheduled to 2023 after his serious injury.

"At the end of my summer break I fell awkwardly on a hard surface and have been in considerable pain and discomfort in my hip ever since," he wrote. "Despite intensive physio and specialist treatment, the pain has continued to get worse and is leading to increasing difficulties moving.

"I have been advised to have an operation as soon as possible to get me back to full fitness and make sure there are no long-term complications. I will be undertaking a program of intensive physiotherapy that will ensure a full recovery and a return to full mobility without pain."

John plans on still playing five songs at a Global Citizen charity event on Sept. 25 before taking a break for the procedure.

“Being just five songs it’s a very different physical undertaking to the demands of playing for close to three hours every night on tour and travelling overnight between countries,” he wrote. “After this I will be having the operation to ensure the tour can get back on the road in January 2022 in New Orleans.

“I know how patient my incredible fans have been since COVID halted touring last year, and it breaks my heart to keep you waiting any longer. I completely feel your frustrations after the year we’ve had. I promise you this – the shows will return to the road next year and I will make sure they are more than worth the wait."

John announced in 2018 that this will be his final tour. The combination of the pandemic and now his injury have extended it three years longer than initially planned. It was set to wrap up in December 2020, but a host of shows were postponed due to the pandemic, and now the rescheduled dates push it into 2023.

During his current touring hiatus, he will release his 32nd studio album on Oct. 22 called "The Lockdown Sessions," featuring tracks with stars like Stevie Wonder, Dua Lipa and Lil Nas X that were recorded during the pandemic while John was unable to go on tour.