It doesn’t sound like Rod Stewart will be bidding his old friend and rival Elton John a fond farewell when the Rocket Man hits the road for the very last time.
In January, Sir Elton announced a 300-date ‘Farewell Yellow Brick Road’ world tour, confirming it would be the last time fans would ever get the chance to see him on stage.
But Sir Rod has labelled Elton’s plans “dishonest”, saying the tour “stinks of selling tickets”.
The ‘Maggie May’ singer spoke out during an appearance on a US chat show when he was asked by a fan what he thought of his friend’s plans to retire.
Rod said: “I did email her and said, ‘What, again dear?’ And I didn’t hear anything back.
“I’ve never spoken about retirement, and if I do retire I won’t make an announcement. I’ll just fade away. I don’t think this big deal, ‘I’m going to retire’… It stinks of selling tickets.”
He added: “It’s dishonest. It’s not rock and roll.”
At the press launch for the three year tour, which kicks off in September, Elton said: “My priorities have changed in my life. We had children and that change our lives.
“In 2015, David and I sat down with a school schedule and I thought, I don’t want to miss too much of this.
“It doesn’t mean i’m not going to be creative, I’m just not going to tour anymore.”
One thing the 70-year-old star won’t miss is overzealous fans. Earlier this month, video footage emerged of Elton telling a fan to “f*** off” during a performance in Las Vegas, before he stormed off stage.
The singer later issued a statement explaining that the man in question had been trying to put his hands on his piano and take pictures.
