Elton John and his band will perform for the first time ever in Allentown at 8 p.m. Sept. 27 in the PPL Center as part of a nine-city concert tour that will feature iconic hits and classic album tracks from throughout his five-decade career, as well as selected tracks from his latest album, “Wonderful Crazy Night.”

The public on-sale tickets begin at noon April 8. Information: PPL Center.

“The simple truth is I want to spend more time with my family and less time touring,” said John in press release statement. “I am all too aware of how precious the time ahead is. My sons are growing up so quickly. Their early years are just flying by and I want to be there with them.”

Elton John’s band features Nigel Olsson, part of John’s original three-piece band, drums; Davey Johnstone, who first recorded with John in 1971 and joined the band a year later, guitar; John Mahon, percussion; Kim Bullard, keyboards, and Matt Bissonette, bass.

John, one of the most successful artists on the road today, and his band will perform his much-loved classics such as “Your Song,” “Rocket Man,” “Bennie and the Jets,” “Philadelphia Freedom,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and many more.

“We are truly honored to host Sir Elton John, who is one of the most successful performers of all time,” said Spectra’s Gunnar Fox, General Manager of PPL Center, in a press release statement. “In a short amount of time, PPL Center has been very fortunate to host some incredible names in the music industry, and we are thrilled to welcome Sir Elton to Allentown.”

The career of international singer-songwriter and performer Elton John spans five decades. He is one of the top-selling solo artists of all time with 35 gold records and 25 platinum albums and 29 consecutive Top 40 hits. He has sold more than 250 million records worldwide.

John holds the record for the biggest selling single of all time, “Candle in the Wind ’97,” which sold more 37 million copies.

Since his career began in 1969 he has played more than 4,000 concerts worldwide.