Elton John cancels Dallas concerts after positive COVID test

Elton John canceled his Dallas farewell concerts set for Tuesday and Wednesday at American Airlines Center after testing positive for COVID-19.

The announcement came Tuesday morning, hours before what would have been the Rocketman’s first Dallas show as part of his goodbye tour. In a statement, representatives for the tour said new dates will be announced soon and fans’ tickets will be honored at the rescheduled concerts.

The singer’s symptoms are mild, representatives said, adding that he is fully vaccinated and boosted against the coronavirus.

John, 74, plans to return to the stage this weekend in North Little Rock, Ark. His last appearance was in Houston on Saturday, where he told the crowd his keyboardist was out sick with COVID-19.

It’s the latest twist in a long series of scheduling changes for John, who’s had a hard time saying goodbye to live performance.

In 2018, he announced a goodbye tour including two shows at American Airlines Center, saying in a statement he was “looking forward to closing off that chapter of my life … I need to dedicate more time to raising my children.”

But after bidding goodbye to Dallas-Fort Worth that year, he extended the tour, booking two more shows at the AAC.

When COVID-19 hit, he pushed those shows to Jan. 25 and 26 — the dates that have now been canceled.

Later this year, he’s due at Globe Life Field, as part of a separate stadium tour that wraps up in mid-2023. That appearance remains set for Sept. 30.

John was down a player, informing the crowd his keyboardist (presumably Kim Bullard) was out with “the Covid.” But I found the ever-so-slightly stripped down ensemble of John plus five reveled in its leanness. One of the five was Nigel Olsson, whose collaborative tenure with John predates the name “Elton John.” Guitarist Davey Johnstone’s time in John’s band is shorter by a whisper, but still at a half century.