Sir Elton John will ''definitely'' go back on tour once the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

The 73-year-old music icon had just finished the first leg of his 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road' tour when the global health crisis forced him to cancel the rest of his shows for this year, which were supposed to see him play over 40 shows across the US and Canada.

Elton's tour was supposed to consist of over 300 shows taking place between 2018 and 2021, and was designed to be his last ever tour.

When asked if it was heartbreaking to cancel his shows, the 'Rocket Man' hitmaker said: ''I mean we were half way through the tour and then you know, that was it and we're on a hiatus and it's like marking time but we're no different to anybody else.

''And as hard as it is and as frustrating as it is for me and the band it's much more frustrating for the people who are in the crew, who depend on their livelihoods for working like that and for people at the venues and you know it just rolls, trickles down to people who do the catering - everybody's affected by it and unfortunately we're going to be the last people to go back to work because we play in large venues.''

But Elton has vowed to be back on stage to complete his tour as soon as the pandemic has eased.

He added: ''Oh of course I'm going straight out there again. When and where, I don't know. I mean know where - but I don't know when. I'll definitely be out there yes.''

The 'Tiny Dancer' singer also spoke about the fate of small music venues around the world, as several of them are facing financial hardship as a result of the pandemic.

When asked about famous UK venues including The Cavern and Ronnie Scott's, he told Matt Everitt on BBC Radio 6 Music: ''Well I know the lady who owns Ronnie Scott's and I'm sure she's going to put up a battle. You can't lose places like that. We lost the Marquee, the 100 Club is still going but it's very difficult in this day and age with COVID to sustain. It's expensive to run. You can't keep staff on. It's vital that these places stay open for new artists. It's absolutely vital. The small venues are the life and soul of music and they have to be kept afloat some way or another.''