Houston Gets 2 Nights On Elton John's Farewell Tour

HOUSTON, TX — Say goodbye yellow brick road, the sun's going down on Elton John's touring days. The man who dubbed 'Rocket Man,' 'Bennie and the Jets' and countless other extraordinarily popular songs announced his farewell tour Wednesday, and Houston made the list with two dates.

Sir Elton John will play 300 shows across five continents and spanning three years starting this September. His first Texas stop will be in Houston's Toyota Center on Saturday, Dec. 8. He'll also play the Toyota Center Dec. 9. His other stops in the Lone Star State are one night in San Antonio and twice in Dallas.

Tickets for the Houston shows go on sale Feb. 2, click here for information. Here's the full tour schedule.

The 70-year-old crocodile rocker told the Associated Press it's his "way to go out with a bang."

"My priorities now are my children and my husband and my family," he said. "This is the end."

John made the announcement at an event in New York in which he sat at a piano and performed "Tiny Dancer" and "I'm Still Standing." He wore his signature glasses and a colorful suit jacket that read "Gucci Loves Elton," the Associated Press reported.

His final tour — dubbed "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" — starts in September. It will consist of 300 shows in North America, Europe, Asia, South America and Asia. Tickets go on sale beginning Feb. 2. John said he decided on his retirement plans in 2015 in France. "I can't physically do the traveling and I don't want to," he said. He also ruled out a residency but vowed: "I will be creative up until the day I die." At the Grammy Awards, to be presented in New York on Sunday, John is to perform alongside Miley Cyrus and will collect the President's Merit Award. His Vegas residency ends in May after six years.

His hits include "Your Song" and "Candle in the Wind." He has won five Grammys, an Oscar, a Golden Globe for "The Lion King" and a Tony Award for "Aida." He is the recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor.

John, who has sold 300 million records, launched his first tour in 1970 and boasts having performed over 4,000 times in more than 80 countries. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

He has suffered several medical setbacks of late, including a bacterial infection last year that he contracted during a South American tour and an E. coli bacterial infection in 2009. He's also suffered an appendicitis and has been fitted with a pacemaker.

From 1970-76, John released 10 original studio albums and seven consecutive chart toppers. He remained a hit maker over the following four decades, from "The Lion King" soundtrack song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" to a revision of his Marilyn Monroe ode "Candle in the Wind," released in 1997 after the death of John's friend Princess Diana and one of the best-selling singles of all time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Elton John performs live at Twickenham Stoop on June 3, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images for Harlequins)