Tour partners Elton John and Billy Joel have cancelled plans for a summer 2010 leg of the on-going and ever-popular Face 2 Face Tour. After the duo completes its current winter itinerary, Joel will reportedly begin a year-long break.

John announced the cancellations during a series of satellite interviews with Chicago media on Friday. A full summer schedule had not been announced yet, but John and Joel were expected to play a July 7 show at Wrigley Field in the Windy City.

“Billy just wants to take a year off,” John explained to NBC Chicago, but did not go into details of the situation. Since that Friday announcement, Joel has not made any public statement about his plans for a break.

The cancelled summer gig would’ve been the pair’s third performance at the baseball stadium in a year. During its 2009 run, the Face 2 Face Tour made two stops at the home of the Chicago Cubs on July 16 and 21.

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“I’m so disappointed because when we came to Wrigley Field last year…and it was like playing in the church of baseball. I was so delighted to be there, and we had such a wonderful two days,” John said to NBC Chicago.

The announcement signals the latest in a series of cancellations and postponements for the co-headliners. A dozen dates were axed from the pair’s late 2009 calendar when John was hospitalized for a case of the flu and an infection, and Joel later called out for his own undisclosed “medical reasons”.

All but one of those postponed concerts were ultimately rescheduled for early 2010. John and Joel have five make-up dates left on their itinerary, which continues on February 25 at Fox Center in Oklahoma, OK.

The Face 2 Face Tour will end with a March 11 performance at Times Union Center in Albany, NY, and the addition of any dates beyond that is unclear.

“As far as I know, there will be no more Billy and Elton shows after the Albany show in New York on March 11,” John said in a separate Friday interview with Chicago’s WGN-TV.

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