Over the last couple of days, I've been remembering, and reliving, something I was fortunate to experience this past Friday night.
An Elton John Concert.
Alaska is one of five states that Elton John had not visited yet in his career and he stated in an interview last year that he was determined to visit all five of those states this year.When I heard he was coming to Anchorage, I was happy to hear it, but I had decided not to purchase tickets.
One problem was the physical act of purchasing the tickets. I certainly am not interested in camping outside of a stadium to be the first to buy tickets to a concert. Since the tickets were going on sale at 9am, the other dilema was that I was at work at the time. I couldn't sit at my desk and keep dialing a phone number in hopes of getting a ticket. And, I certainly couldn't sit at my desk and deal with trying to order tickets on the web. I knew my brother Tim was going to purchase some tickets, but I had forgotten to tell him whether I wanted any or not. So I was resigned to the fact that I wasn't going to get any tickets.
The tickets sold out in less than an hour!
The first concert was this past Wednesday in Anchorage. There were over 8,000 fans that packed themselves into the Sullivan Arena. Elton was by himself. Just him and his piano. The reviews were excellent and I was feeling a bit sad about not being in the crowd. (Note: I didn't take this "Daniel" video, I found it on YouTube.)
The next night he wowed the crowd in Fairbanks. Then it was back to Anchorage for a Friday evening show. This show was added after the Wednesday evening show sold out so quickly.
Friday afternoon, I received a call from my brother Tim, who happened to have two tickets behind the stage. The seats were not together. I thought about it for about 30 seconds and agreed to buy one of the tickets. I realized it was behind the stage and wouldn't be the best seat, but just being in the Arena to share in the experience was enough for me. I was happy.
When I arrived at the Sullivan Arena and found my seat, I was overcome with excitement. This seat was THE BEST. The only place better would have been the first couple of rows right in front of the stage. But my seat behind the stage was only about 20 steps away from where he would be sitting at his piano. No one was in front of me, as I was in the first row. Since I was on the end of the row, I would only have one person sitting next to me. It was roomy and perfect.
Elton came out at 8:15, waved to the crowd, sat down and when his fingers hit the piano keys, I knew this was going to be good. The sound coming out of the piano was so clear and so loud. Then he started singing "Your Song." The sound was great. It didn't hurt that we had speakers right in front of us just for our backstage seats. (Note: I didn't take this "Your Song" video, I found it on YouTube.)
After each song, he stood up and walked the stage, thanking everyone in the crowd. Quite often, he pointed to specific fans in the crowd and said thank you. He paid a lot of attention to us behind the stage as well.
This went on for 2½ hours. Hit after hit. Most concerts I've attended have not lasted that long, even with an opening act!When I look back over the years, Elton John hits have been with me since my teenaged years. I've grown up listening to Elton John. I still remember the summer when "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" was the big hit. Every time I was in a car, I hoped that song would begin playing. And it usually did. I spent that summer in Indiana. It's funny how certain songs define a time in ones life. Some of those songs take me back to my hometown, when I spent the summers there. Others, to this day, take me back to my days in Germany attending high school in Würzburg.
Elton is already down in Las Vegas doing his Red Piano show, most likely playing as I type this.
I have come to realize that I should not procrastinate when such a star comes to Anchorage again. I need to just get the tickets so I won't regret not getting them. Life is short and we should enjoy our time on this earth.
It was an excellent show. I'd rate it up there at the top of the list, and I've seen A LOT of concerts in my life.
The very top of the list is the Cat Stevens Majikat concert that I attended with my friends Tammi, Bobby, Willie and Rob in 1976. I almost didn't make that one either, for a couple of different reasons. That's another story for another time.
I suppose the next post should explain who "Tatum" is, since there are so many videos of her posted here!!! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment