Live At Five: Elton John retires.

On this day in 1977 Elton John announced his retirement from touring.

Elton John in 1974; Robert Knight Archive/Redferns

November 03, 2025 at 3:30 pm EST

You probably remember Elton John’s 2023 goodbye yellow brick road tour as his final farewell to the road. But what you may not realize is this isn’t the first time that he’s retired on November 3rd 1977 Elton John announced to a crowd at Wembley that he was going to step away from live music because there was “More to him than that”. Elton John was struggling with addiction and road burnout for a while but after just over a year Elton John returned to the stage today’s live at 5 was “I’m still standing” by Elton John.

Jake "Tank" Mitchell

If you asked Tank why he got in to radio he will tell you “Some kids wanted to be Zach Morris. I wanted to be ‘Dr’ Johnny Fever.” There isn’t anything else in the world that Tank could see himself doing.