Elton John arrived in Gainesville last night, after cancelling a previous show and postponing this one, both due to illness.
After the first few songs, he did something I never expected:
He apologized.
I mean, think about it: here is a Knight of the Realm, a cultural icon who can justifiably be called a “mega-star”, a performer with more than fifty top-40 hits (nine of which made it to number one), and a well-known composer with multiple film scores to his credit– apologizing for events that were wholly beyond his control.
“I’ll make it up to you,” he promised, and he did, giving two-and-a-half hours of uninterrupted music to a wildly appreciative audience.
Rarely have I seen such a display of grace and humility.