The Queen's Knight

Recently I was very lucky to be in the audience that took in Sir Elton John!  My first bit of luck was being local to Lethbridge Alberta.  On this trip, Sir Elton only performed 3 Canadian dates... and no it wasn't Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver... he played Lethbridge Alberta, Red Deer Alberta and Grand Prairie Alberta.  That's right... skipped right over Calgary and Edmonton as well.  My second bit of luck came in the form of getting tickets... you can imagine how quickly Elton John tickets for small venues sell... hell, they sell quickly for large venues!  The third bit of luck was that I was able to enjoy it with my musicians sons... They're only 18 but they have a great appreciation for music legends such as Elton John.  And my fourth bit of luck was getting floor seats... great floor seats (13th row) - no scratch that... that wasn't luck... that was due to intelligence.

We're not quite sure why Elton decided to only play the three small venues in Alberta.  I have heard through the grapevine that his husband does have family in Alberta... perhaps they were here for a wedding or something... who knows?  But I would have never guessed in a million years that I would take in an Elton John show at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge Alberta.  The Enmax with standing room and festival seating doesn't quite hold 8,000 people.  Tickets sold out in less than an hour... not a big surprise that a lot of fans were disappointed at not getting seats.  I did not get tickets due to standing in line over night (does anybody do that anymore?) or by having quick typing hands and dialling fingers.  In fact I bought my tickets the day before tickets went on sale!  You might think it's because I'm a world renown blogger and get special privileges... if you think this...firstly, awwww thank you!! and secondly, I'm very sorry, that's not even close.

No... I got my tickets the day before they went on sale by joining Elton John's fan club, the rocket club.  I know... it's genius... but I can't take all the credit.  A friend of mine got killer seats to the Chris Cornell show when he came through by jumping on the pre-order option for fan club members, so... when it was announced Elton John was coming to town (and I knew tickets would go fast!) I went online to see if he had a fan club with member benefits... sure enough!  For $40 I got a year long membership in the Rocket Club...along with this I was able to pre-order Rocket Club tickets (best seats in the house - well second to VIP tickets, which can also be pre-ordered through the Rocket Club) for less than the ticket price...let's just say I got my $40 back in savings.  I was also sent an Elton John DVD... bonus!!

The one thing about the Rocket Club is you can only pre-order two tickets and there were three of us that wanted to go.  As it turned out, one more ticket became available the morning of the concert and was auctioned off by a local radio station... $425 later, my other kid was able to attend as well. So much for savings! By the way, the proceeds of that auctioned ticket went to an animal shelter so it was all good.
The show itself was absolutely incredible!  Just Sir Elton and his piano.  No pyro, no big light show... just a digital curtain behind him, flashing scenes relevant to the songs he was performing.  When I saw it was only going to be him and his piano, I knew he would play hits like Nikita, I Guess that's Why They Call It The Blues and Candle in The Wind...these are favourites of mine and he did not disappoint, but more than that he still fucking rocked!  He also performed Crocodile Rock, Philadelphia Freedom and Bennie and The Jets and no sissy ballady versions either... I repeat, he fucking rocked!
Sir Elton himself just seems like the sweetest guy ever... I wanted to take him home with me, so I could pull him out any time at my convenience for a cuddle.  He was so cute.  After every song he stood and gave the audience a standing ovation and the audience was only too eager to return the favour!  He signed autographs for people in the first row and I had a twinge of regret that I hadn't sprung for the VIP tickets.
The highlight for me was when he performed my all time favourite Elton John tune, Tiny Dancer.  I bawled.  Before that moment I never understood why girls screamed and fainted during Beatles and Elvis Presley shows back in the 60's.  I was so moved by the fact that I was there hearing my favourite being performed by the legend himself.  I couldn't hold back the emotion that built up inside me and I cried... and cried.  I'm such a chick!

I'm very happy I didn't let the opportunity to catch this show slip by me.  Thank you Sir Elton for decades of great music and an incredible intimate show in Lethbridge Alberta.  God knows you didn't do it for the money, and this fan is very grateful that you're not too big to come to the back country and perform for fans who might not otherwise have a chance to get to a big city to see your show!  Rock on baby...... ; )