Elton John’s Singapore crowd was his largest since he quit touring 2 years ago

Elton John played for his largest crowd since he stepped away from touring two years ago.

The EGOT winner performed in front of 70,000 fans after the Formula One race in Singapore on Sunday night, Oct. 5.

John’s set was packed with some of his biggest songs from his historic career, including “Bennie and the Jets,” “Tiny Dancer” and the chart-topping “Candle in the Wind.”

“Singapore, you were electric! What a feeling being with over 70,000 of you @F1NightRace,“ John, 78, wrote in an Instagram post after the concert. ”Thank you for being such an incredible crowd.”

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The Singapore show came more than two years after John’s final show on his farewell tour. The entertainment icon announced in 2018 that he was retiring from music and would embark on his final tour.

“My priorities have changed in my life,” John said, per Deadline. “Ten years ago if you asked me if I would stop touring I would have said no. But we had children and that changed our lives. I have had an amazing life and career but my life has changed. My priorities are now my children and my husband and my family.”

The three-year long tour, entitled “Farewell Yellow Brick Road,” started in September 2018 but was postponed indefinitely in March 2020 because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. John’s final show on the tour was held in Stockholm, Sweden on July 8, 2023.

“This is it. I’m very glad to be in Sweden and this beautiful country,” the singer said, according to The Independent. “We better make it a good show. Here we go.”

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John has only returned to the stage one other time since he quite touring. He made a surprise appearance on Oct. 1, 2024 during the premiere of his documentary, “Elton John: Never Too Late,” as part of the 62nd New York Film Festival.

“There’s always been music through the good times and bad times. I’ve always relied on music to pull me through. Even when I was in my darkest times, I still played music, I still recorded music, so I have to say thank you to music for being the most incredible inspiration to me throughout my whole life,” John told the crowd after singing “Tiny Dancer,” according to PEOPLE.

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Despite the music legend previously being unsure if he’ll be able to make music again after losing sight in one eye last year, John said in December 2024 that planned on releasing new material. He eventually put out a collaborative album, called “Who Believes In Angels?,” with folk star Brandi Carlile in April.

“I’m very proud of what we’ve written,” John said on an episode the “Smartless” podcast. “I’ve done so much in my life, and yet there’s so much more to do, and she’s [Carlile] inspired me to go ahead with this record. And I think this is the best record I’ve made in 40 years.”

John and Carlile first joined forces to produce the title track for John’s documentary.