IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Elton John can't wait to spend time with his kids after final tour: 'I need to be with them'

The singer, songwriter and rock icon will hit the road next year for what he insists really will be his last tour.
/ Source: TODAY

Elton John is currently enjoying yet another career upswing since dropping his latest album, “The Lockdown Sessions,” which sees him team up with a slew of current chart-toppers, as well as a few fellow music legends.

And to top it off, he’s almost ready to hit the road again and resume a tour that had to be postponed due to a hip injury, one that will allow him to bring his music straight to his fans again.

But when his 2022-2023 “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour dates are over, that really will be the end of the road where touring is concerned, because the “Rocket Man” is ready to spend more of his time as a family man.

“They're going to be teenagers soon,” John told TODAY’s Carson Daly of the two sons he shares with husband David Furnish.

And when it comes to Zachary, 10, and Elijah, 8, the proud father declared, “I need to be with them.”

“I'll be 76 (when the tour is over),” he said. “I don't know how much time I have left on this earth after that. You know, I've had enough applause. I don't want to keep traveling. I don't want to be away from my family.”

And while he’ll miss “the reaction from fans,” which he said makes his “soul jump,” he has so much more to be grateful for.

“Everything excites me, just, you know the life I've had, the career I've had, the family I've got,” the 74-year-old said. “Every day is a bonus. I'm sober, I'm clean, and I can appreciate life on life's terms."

Still, with those final shows in sight, John added that he’s “so excited to go and play again in front of people.”

And he might even have a new generation of fans packing some of those seats since the release of “The Lockdown Sessions.”

On the album, he performs with the likes of Dua Lipa, Young Thug, Charlie Puth, Miley Cyrus, Lil Nas X and more.

“I mean, you can't make life up sometimes,” John said of working alongside so many young artists. “It was just going to be me playing on other people's records, and it's spiraled into an album.”

He’s glad it did, because the classic hit-maker has a passion for contemporary music.

“New music is where the future is,” he told Carson. “There's a lot of nonsense, but there's a lot of great stuff as well, which doesn't sometimes see the light of day. So I try and give it the biggest boost as I can, and I love it.”

But his latest release also gave him the chance to work with another timeless great — Stevie Wonder.

“It's one of my favorite tracks that I've ever (recorded),” John said of their duet, “Finish Line.” “It was such a joy to work with him, because he's in such great form.”

High praise from a man who's also still in such great form.