Elton John's farewell tour to skip Canada next month over COVID-19 restrictions

Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour will bypass Canada next month.

Expressing "great regret,'' a terse update to concert listings on the superstar's website cites "COVID-19 restrictions'' for the cancellation of four appearances in Montreal and Toronto.

They include two shows planned for Montreal's Bell Centre on March 9 and 10 and two slated for Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on March 12 and 13.

Pandemic control measures in Ontario and Quebec limit venues to 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity on those dates. Both provinces are set to lift their limits March 14.

Shows planned for Toronto's Rogers Centre on Sept. 7 and Vancouver's BC Place on Oct. 21 remain on John's website.

The Rocket Man singer is in the midst of a massive global tour that he says will be his last, but it has been beset by various postponements and cancellations since the pandemic began.

Most recently, John postponed farewell concert dates in the United States after contracting COVID-19 earlier this year, despite being vaccinated and boosted. He has also postponed European dates until 2023 so he can have an operation on an injured hip.

John is just the latest high-profile star to shift plans to visit Canada.

Last month, Billie Eilish postponed shows planned for Toronto and Montreal in February, citing "local guidelines and an abundance of caution.'' Dua Lipa had also planned to play Montreal and Toronto in February but rescheduled the shows for July 25 and 27.

"It is with great regret that this show been cancelled due to current COVID-19 restrictions,'' a notice on John's website read Friday. It added that refunds for the Montreal and Toronto shows are available at point of purchase.