I wouldn't say I'm a superfan of Elton John but he has had quite a few memorable hits to say the least and for that I must pay him homage. Ah yes indeed, 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' was on my playlist back in my youth spent sunning myself in my parents garden in 1973 along with Bowie and Ferry. Anyway what with Elton John day coming up on March 22nd (did I just make that up?) I went to a private screening of 'Elton John -The Million Dollar Piano' the other evening and sat through Elt's film due to be screened on the above date for one night only at cinemas across the UK, if that doesn't make it Elton John day I don't know what does.
Don't expect a repeat of david Furnish's 'Tantrums and Tiaras', do expect a full blown Las Vegas, live from the Colosseum, Caesars Palace full on camp concert for an hour and forty five minutes. It went really quick btw, that's cause Elton has got song after song, (with a bit of banter thrown in and more than a few visual delights), of amazing material that spans over four decades! He's influenced many it has to be said and it's quite apparent that Elton looks most at home on the stage even though he's quite private, dare I say it, shy in his personal life... well he's just fiercely guarded, of course he is a man of his stature.
I used to know his hairdresser in the 90's so I got to go to a concert with a VIP pass on one occasion, that was a lol, witnessing side stage the great man singing his maje hits. Then one day I got a call to dj for Donatella Versace at a launch in Lake Como for an exhibition of the late Gianni Versaces frocks. I walked into the Versace household and lo and behold there was Elton sitting in the middle of Donetellas parlor dressed in an ornate jacket and sitting on an ornate chair. (*gasp!) We all sat around chain smoking and hung on his every word. What a moment... Gianni's ashes on the mantlepiece, Donatella chit chatting away, Rupert Everett and I passing a few comments, a lot of scented candles and all set in the luxurious Versace home of picturesque Lake Como!
Anyway I diverse... back to the concert and the million dollar piano, I was fascinated to hear Elton talking about how he and Bernie Taupin constructed their songs, never together at one time but via notes and more recently emails, Bernie writes the lyrics and Elton conjures up the tunes around his prose. I was touched when Elton dedicated 'Blue Eyes' to Elizabeth Taylor and then went on to say how he names all his piano's, this one's called Blossom after one of his favourite jazz singers Blossom Dearie and not Madonna lol!
He then went on to work the audience into a frenzy with 'Crocodile Rock' and a stage invasion. His band members consist of an original cast, some new comers in the form of rather dishy housewives faves duo 2Cellos and backing singers Rose Stone, Tata Vega, Jean Witherspoon and Lisa Stone, all diva's in their own right. Elton is a true professional and although he said he'd had a little break sometime ago, a moment I never noticed. As far as I can see he's a workaholic and has never actually stopped rather prolifically creating music and performing since he first found his vocation. All hail Elton John I say... he really should have a day created in his honour.
Princess Julia
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