Elton John Performing Live Spotify Playlist

This week renowned musician Elton John announced his final tour and pending retirement. While the 70-year-old pianist left ample time and opportunities to see a final live concert — the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour will span over 300 shows over the next three years — John’s retirement from touring closes a significant chapter for one of rock’s most notorious live performers.

This installment of Saturday Stream presents a Spotify Playlist made up of recordings of Elton John playing live throughout his illustrious career. The playlist doesn’t provide an accompanying visual display of the colorful and larger-than-life costumes often worn by the vibrant musician, but it does showcase his undeniable talent behind the keys.

The 50-song set spans John’s career, beginning with his landmark first live album 17-11-70, which, as the name implies, was recorded in New York City on November 17, 1970 for a radio broadcast on WABC. There are also selections from a live show held on December 22, 1973 at London’s Hammersmith Odeon 1973 that were included in a deluxe edition of John’s landmark album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The playlist then continues with tracks from the 1976 Here And There live album which was recorded at shows held on May 18, 1974 at London’s Royal Festival Hall and on November 28, 1974 at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, which features special guest John Lennon.

John is backed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on a number of tracks which were recorded live on December 14, 1986 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Australia. Those recordings are followed by two songs from John’s appearance at the June 30, 1990 concert made up of British rock all-stars in Knebworth, England. A few of the songs issued on the One Night Only – The Greatest Hits live release, recorded on October 20 and 21, 2000 at MSG help bring the playlist to a close. The final song presented jumps ahead a decade and was recorded with the late great Leon Russell for the October 20, 2010 T-Bone Burnett Presents The Speaking Clock Revue: Live from the Beacon Theatre concert and subsequent release.

Stream the 50-song set (with no repeats) below: