Elton John鈥檚 鈥淔arewell Yellow Brick Road鈥� tour will bypass Canada next month.

Expressing 鈥済reat regret,鈥� a terse update to concert listings on the superstar鈥檚 website cites 鈥淐OVID-19 restrictions鈥� for the cancellation of four appearances in Montreal and Toronto.

They include two shows planned for Montreal鈥檚 Bell Centre on March 9 and 10 and two slated for Toronto鈥檚 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鈥檚 Rogers Centre on Sept. 7 and Vancouver鈥檚 BC Place on Oct. 21 remain on John鈥檚 website.

The 鈥淩ocket Man鈥� 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 鈥渓ocal guidelines and an abundance of caution.鈥� Dua Lipa had also planned to play Montreal and Toronto in February but rescheduled the shows for July 25 and 27.

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

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 11, 2022.

The Canadian Press