Elton John in Abu Dhabi!

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Elton John.

Hate, because my mom loved him. When I was younger, parental approval of a band/TV show/book instantly made it less appealing.

Love, because there was some invisible turning point where I stopped disliking his music on principle, and actually started listening to it.

Since then, he has been, and is, one of my favorite performers.

So when I heard he was coming to Abu Dhabi, I had to go see him. I was on my computer the minute the tickets came out, because if I were in the states, he would be sold out within the hour.

Not so much in Abu Dhabi.

That had its advantages. We got to the concert fairly early, and there was no one really there at that time. Which means we got right at the barrier between the Gold section and the plebian section (ours).

He started with “The One”, a song I hadn’t really heard before, then moved on to “Sixty Years On”, which held a lot of power because he had just turned 65. (And was another song I didn't recognize. Though I have 11 of his albums on my iPod, I haven't listened to all of them). 

Very soon after was “Your Song”. Easily one of my favorites (Along with “Sacrifice”, and “Rocket Man”, which has so much more meaning to me now after living in Abu Dhabi for college).

He played classics, and some new songs as well. Partway through the concert Ray Cooper joined him on drums, and then his encore (just him and his piano) was “Crocodile Rock” and finally, “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”.

It was a beautiful night. My eyes may not have been dry, especially during “Your Song” and “Rocket Man”, and the next day my voice was gone from singing and cheering.

<3

P.S. If this sounds very schoolgirl fan-ish, it is because it is.