While Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, sons of bankers, sons of lawyers
Turn around and say good morning to the night*
I still haven’t quite gotten used to the idea of concerts at Wrigley Field. Tonight, Elton John and Billy Joel did a concert there. There will be another concert next week. Tonight’s show looked like a good time, from the photos and video clips I’ve seen so far.
In junior high school, I used to joke about how great it was that a short, chubby person like Elton John who wore glasses and played the piano could find huge success. Being a short, chubby person who wore glasses and played the piano (badly, not like Elton John), I meant it.
I didn’t get any better at piano playing. I did see Elton John twice, though, in two totally different phases of his career. The first time was in Honolulu in 1973, during my sophomore year in high school. That would be the tour for “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” with Kiki Dee as the opening act. Elton was in his glam rock phase with the super outrageous sparkly huge glasses frames and impossibly tall platform shoes. Back then, I wanted “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” to be played at my own funeral. I think I still do.
For unless they see the sky, but they can’t and that is why
They know not if it’s dark outside or light*
The next time was in 1979 at Chicago’s beautiful and historically significant Auditorium Theatre. This was light years away from the 1973 show. It was just Elton, his piano, and percussionist Ray Cooper. It was not quite what I expected but it was a good show.
I’ve never seen Billy Joel in concert, but his song “You May Be Right” set the tone for the soundtrack of my life during my twenties.
Even rode my motorcycle in the rain
And you told me not to drive but I made it home alive
So you said that only proves that I’m insane**
Yeah, I wonder how I survived that decade as well.
You may be right, I may be crazy
But it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for**
I think I’ve left the lunacy behind for the most part, and I don’t say good morning to the night that often any more. But the soundtrack of my life will always have some good strong keyboards running through it.
* “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters,” Honky Chateau, 1972, Elton John and Bernie Taupin
** “You May Be Right,” Glass Houses, 1980, Billy Joel
(NaBloPoMo | July ’09: 16 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 173 of 274)