Elton John has confirmed he’s moving two of his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ headline shows to avoid preparations for the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

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John was set to play at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on April 22 and 23 2023 but following the news that the venue will be hosting Eurovision 2023, the shows have been shifted forwards to March 23 and 24. Original tickets remain valid.

In a statement, the venue said: “Following the exciting news that Liverpool will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Concert, Elton John’s ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour show, due to take place on Saturday 22 April 2023 & Sunday 23 April 2023, has been rescheduled.”

The pair of shows in Liverpool will now kick off Elton John’s 2023 European tour. “Given the electric reception that Elton received when he played to a sold-out Anfield Stadium earlier this year, he couldn’t wish for a better place to start the final leg of his ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour,” continued the statement.

“Elton, his management team and everyone involved with the ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ tour wishes Liverpool the best of luck in delivering the Eurovision Song Contest and are glad that they were able to assist in their own small way by working with us to move their dates to accommodate the show. We are grateful for their hard work and enthusiasm in working with us to help make this special moment happen for our city.”

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Elton John’s ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ tour was originally announced back in 2018 before it was pushed back to 2021 due to COVID and then rescheduled to 2023 after John needed an operation following a fall. Earlier this month, John added a handful of new dates to the run. 

Remaining tickets for the shows are available here while the tour dates are as follows:

MARCH
23 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
24 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool

APRIL
02 – The O2, London
04 – The O2, London
05 – The O2, London
08 – The O2, London
09 – The O2, London
12 – The O2, London
13 – The O2, London
16 – The O2, London
17 – The O2, London
19 – Resorts World Arena, Birmingham

MAY
30 – The O2, London
31 – AO Arena, Manchester

JUNE
02 – AO Arena, Manchester
03 – AO Arena, Manchester
06 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
08 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
10 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
11 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
13 – P&J Live, Aberdeen
15 – P&J Live, Aberdeen
17 – The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
18 – The SSE Hydro, Glasgow

Earlier this month, Liverpool was announced as the host city for Eurovision 2023, beating Glasgow to stage the contest on behalf of Ukraine, who organisers deemed unable to host the event due to their ongoing war with Russia.

Following the news, accommodation costs in Liverpool for the weekend of the contest (May 13, 2023) skyrocketed, with some reporting fees of up to £20,000 per night. The Mayor of Liverpool, Steve Rotheram, has since criticised those “grossly inflated” accommodation prices.

Both North Macedonia and Montenegro have announced they would be withdrawing from the competition due to increased costs. Bulgaria has also pulled out, though is yet to share a reason for their decision.