When you think about something as seemingly dry as retirement planning, legacy rock artists are not the first things that come to mind. But the more you turn it over in your mind, the more logical it becomes.
Stars like Elton John and The Rolling Stones certainly don’t seem to be retiring, and many of their fans aren’t either.
That is the simple equation that prompted The Alliance for Lifetime Income to partner with The Rolling Stones on their last tour. After covering that event previously, I was intrigued to chat again with Jean Statler when I saw the announcement that Elton had likewise signed on.
Jean (CEO at ALI) was joined in our call by Chief Communications Officer at ALI, Cyrus Bamji. Cyrus pointed out there is a great overlap with Elton in this partnership, “in fact Elton and the Alliance are even more aligned than with the Rolling Stones. Elton has announced that he is retiring from touring and is ready to go into the next phase of his life with his kids and that is exactly what the Alliance wants the rest of us to think about.” Indeed, Elton has done a great job consistently collaborating with younger artists and releasing his Lockdown Sessions LP.
Jean pointed out that with the current baby boomer generation heading into the traditional age of retirement, it is becoming evident that retiring from a job is not the end of activity and with proper planning all these bucket list activities can actually occur.
Elton’s “Yellow Brick Road” motif is synonymous with the Alliance’s message. In comparison to the Stones’ fan base, Elton’s is certainly broader and definitely includes more females. And this brings up an interesting aspect, which is that the distaff side is often overlooked when it comes to planning for retirement. In other words, females are often left too far or too late out of the equation when it comes to financial planning.
As for the proposed activation on site at the concerts, Jean indicated activation will occur later in the tour and mostly at stadium shows. The theme will be built on the Yellow Brick Road and bucket list idea, to track Elton’s wish list of retirement activities. In terms of key art and merchandise, the Alliance is looking into the motif of eyeglasses (they had previously integrated the Rolling Stones tongue). Elton and Walmart already have a partnership around eyewear, and the Alliance expects to triangulate and include the Elton John Foundation in some aspect.
Jean and Cyrus hinted about a live feed at the Grammy awards. Elton’s tour has dates scheduled into the summer of 2023.
We concluded our conversation noting that Elton’s last gig in North America will be in November at Dodger Stadium, where Elton has had several memorable performances over the course of his career. And of course, his career in America started in Los Angeles at the Troubadour.
The Alliance for Lifetime Income
Elton John Tour Schedule and Tickets
https://www.eltonjohn.com/tours
All other photographs by Ben Gibson. © 2022 HST Global Limited. Rocket Entertainment
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