Elton John’s Tour Arrives in Florida

Elton John has been a top name in pop music for five decades, and in that time he’s become an unabashedly loud and proud gay icon and has provided the musical soundtrack to the lives of

entire generations. His music still resonates with millions of fans throughout the world even today. Just weeks before he starts a residency at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, he will be finishing up a tour of the United States, and Miami and Orlando are on the list for upcoming performances. Elton John will be performing at Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena on Friday, March 6 at 8 p.m. and at Orlando’s Amway Center on Saturday, March 7 at 8 p.m.

Elton John first became a worldwide sensation with the release of his eponymous album in 1970. The single “Your Song” became his first hit in the United States. The 1972 album Honky Chateau was his first to reach #1 in the United States, spawning such hits as “Rocket Man” and “Honky Cat.” His first #1 single in America came in 1973 with “Crocodile Rock.” Later that year, the album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was released, cementing Elton John’s place in pop and rock superstardom. The 1970s were a noteworthy decade for Elton John in the U.S., with his Greatest Hits album having been certified diamond in 1974, and his album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy debuting at the top of the Billboard 200 in 1975, which was the first time a singer ever had an album debut at #1.

The 1980s were also a very successful time for Elton John, as he transitioned out of his “glam rock” image to pursue pop songs and ballads once more. Top ten songs for Elton during this period include “Little Jeannie” (1980), “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” (1983), “Sad Songs (Say So Much)” (1984), “Nikita” (1985), and “I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That” (1988).

In 1991, he earned his first U.S. #1 hit in 15 years with the song “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” Other well-known hits followed, such as “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (1994), from The Lion King soundtrack, and the double single “Something About the Way You Look Tonight” and the Princess Diana tribute “Candle in the Wind 1997.” That particular single release went eleven times platinum in the U.S.

Throughout his career, Elton John has sold more than 300 million records, easily securing a spot among the best-selling artists of all time. Since 1970, he has earned 58 Top 40 hits on the Billboard pop charts, and between the years of 1970 and 2000, at least one Elton John song was on the pop charts in any given year. His single “Candle in the Wind 1997/Something About the Way You Look Tonight” sold over 33 million copies worldwide and became the best-selling single of all time. He has won six Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award.

Elton John is particularly known for his work in fighting HIV and AIDS. He started the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 after he was personally touched by the deaths of Ryan White and Freddie Mercury, who both died in the two previous years. Since 1993, his Academy Awards Party has raised over $200 million alone on behalf of the Foundation. To date, funds from the 

Tickets are on sale right now for both the Miami and Orlando performances. Tickets start at $36 per person for his Miami tour date and $37 for his Orlando tour date. VIP packages are available for both performances as well and start at $178 (VIP packages and tickets sold separately). The VIP “Behind the Piano Backstage Experience” starts an hour before showtime. Fans who buy the VIP package will be treated to a backstage tour by one of Elton John’s crew members, a photograph with Elton John’s piano (taken with a camera provided by the fan), a commemorative VIP tour program, exclusive discounts at the Elton John Shop, and a free Rocket Club subscription to EltonJohn.com, which will entitle you to discounts on tickets to future concerts. Tickets and VIP packages can be purchased by going to tour.eltonjohn.com.

For more information on Elton John, visit eltonjohn.com. Follow him on social media as well at facebook.com/eltonjohn, twitter.com/eltonjohndotcom, and youtube.com/eltonjohn.

Mike Halterman

Mike Halterman has been the editor of Hotspots Central since its launch in July 2016. He joined the Hotspots Media Group family as editor of Hotspots' South Florida magazine in June 2013. A former "40 Under 40" honoree in The Advocate magazine, Mike lives in the Tampa Bay area.

See Full Bio