Last Night

I spent some time with an old friend that I haven't seen in over forty years last night. I wasn't sure if I would remember him the way he was and wonder who the old guy is that's standing before me. I know that I have changed on the outside, but I am the same guy that I was all of those years ago. Oh sure, things have changed. Some of my dreams have fallen by the way side, some have been attained and others were found to be lacking or actually stupid.

I was a little nervous and he may have been as well, but when the house lights went down and the band started playing "The Bitch is Back", I knew everything was the same as it was all of those years ago. I was thrilled to be entertained and he was obviously thrilled to be entertaining. It was as if time had stopped forty years ago and somehow it just started again.

We talked about our old friends Bennie, Levon, Mona Lisa and the Rocketman, they were the same yet subtly different. Good in a different way than they had been. I travelled back in time to remember what I was doing and who I was with the first time Elton sang those songs for me. He sang "Your Song" which like millions of other people, I consider to be my song. Thanks for that.

He talked about the writing of these songs and some of the history behind them. He sang "Empty Garden" which was written for his friend John Lennon's assassination and most of us in the audience could relate to. He told of being asked to perform at the 911 concert and how he eventually played "Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters". It must have been a powerful concert!

Elton John is a part of my life and he shaped who I am as much as the Beatles and all the rest of the bands I listened to all of those years ago. The music is a time machine for me and many others. He didn't recognize me, or maybe he did and just didn't want to embarrass me in front of all of those people.

"Hey! Aren't you the guy that coughed so loud at my Massey Hall concert in 1972 that I forgot where I was in the song?"

"Maybe..."

I'm glad he forgot about the incident, or just chose not to mention it.

 

If you get a chance to go and see Elton in Las Vegas, then you should do so. Keep in mind that it is a show and not a concert, there is a subtle difference. Plus at the end of the concert, you can go and lose some money in the casino.

His set list from last night :

The Bitch Is Back

Bennie and the Jets

Rocket Man (I Think It's Going to Be a Long, Long Time)

Levon

Tiny Dancer

Your Song

Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters

Better Off Dead

Indian Sunset

Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues

Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

Philadelphia Freedom

(Elton John Band song)

I'm Still Standing

Crocodile Rock

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

Encore:

Circle of Life