So. Worth. The. Drive.

Yakima. Google it. I’m pretty sure the definition reads as follows:

Yakima (yak’·uh·maw) a city in BFE. Cow town. *cue “One Horse Town*

I really didn’t think I would be able to score a ticket to this show. And being as it’s in the aforementioned BFE, a good 2 and 1/2 hour drive over the mountains to get to, never mind my previous front row experience which has spoiled me forever, I had no intention of considering anything less than Row 3.

My day before the concert started bad. I got up, said something that *I* thought was nice, and got yelled at about it. Screw it. Went back to sleep. Got up again, said something (different) *I* thought was nice to someone else, and got yelled at about it. Screw it. While I’m curled up in the corner, feeling sorry for myself, I might as well make it really pitiful and check for tickets to Elton in cow town and wallow in the fact that I won’t be getting my gig fix anytime soon.

I type in “1″ under ticket quantity, faithfully reproduce the jumbled captcha letters, and hit “find best available ticket” and wait. The screen pops up that a ticket is available, so I read the location, fully expecting the same seat I’ve been finding for the past few weeks: on the floor but “way back” in row 12.

*blink*

I reread to make sure I’m not misreading.

LEVEL: Floor SECTION: 1 ROW: 1 SEAT: 4 Row 1…

Row 1???? Seriously… Row 1!

“Purchase”

OMG PURCHASE!!!

Concert Day

The drive there is uneventful, though I did learn a few things.

1)My car does indeed, like to go fast. And it likes to do so even while, and perhaps even more, when it’s climbing a hill/mountain. I’d be traveling with cars that were all doing 70-75 and when we’d hit an incline, they would all slow down as their cars pulled up the hill, and I blew right past them. No struggling at ALL.

2) Once you get out of the Seattle area, where the roads are thick with cops ready to pull your ass over for anything they can come up with, you’ll be lucky to see one. I saw one. On my entire 360-mile round trip.

I drive past miles and miles of Tumbleweeds, anxious to make my Connection (oh stop groaning, I had to). Upon reaching cow town, my GPS leads me to the SunDome. You know how when you see something in the distance it looks small because it’s so far away and as you get closer it gets bigger? I first see the Sundome when I am half a block away. There really wasn’t much closer I could get, except to pull in the parking lot, which, and I am NOT joking here.. had 7, yes SEVEN rows of parking and a whopping $7 to park. My jaw is dropped and I’m laughing hysterically. Oh yes, this is going to be good.

There were people a couple cars away having a tailgate party which made changing into my concert outfit in my car just a TAD BIT more difficult than it should’ve been. Tank top into halter. Nuff said.

With proper paperwork (ticket confirmation) I go to Will Call and get my actual ticket. I maintain my composure and resist the urge to jump up and down screaming (yet).

Already my previously ridiculously comfy (walked 5 blocks in them after the last concert) platform concert shoes were betraying me and I had to apply pre-emptive first aid (bandaid). I laugh as I fall in line.. ONE big long line roped off weaving back and forth like… cattle.

Once inside, I am again in awe. This place is… well one friend who saw the pics asked if it was a high-school gym. And it felt a little like that too. People were running into other people they knew.

There are only 2 entrances; one in the back on the left and one in the back on the right. I bought a coke (for $3) and a slice of pizza (for $3).

I wander around but well quite frankly there’s not a whole lot to see. I scope out the concession stand and decide I need a program but don’t want to have to hold onto it while I’m standing up at the stage later, so I ask the woman if they’ll be open after the show. She says yes, but quantities are limited, so I might want to come during the intermission that they’ll most likely have. I stifle a laugh and tell her “Elton doesn’t take a break”.

I check out the sound booth multiple times but Clive (the soundboard god) isn’t there. I do see him later right before the show starts, rushing off somewhere. I’m thinking this little dome-hut must be a bitch to get the sound right in.

I go over in front of the piano and take a pic. I make nice with the lucky 3 guys whose seats are directly in front of where Elton will be sitting. We exchange pic taking and I tell them to save me a spot because I intend to make my way over when we’re allowed to go up.

Returning to my seat, I ask one of the (FEW!) security guys what the “go” song is. He looks at me blankly. “The what?”

Why do I know more than them??

I explain that the go song is the song where people (in Rows 1-3) are allowed up to the stage. Ah, there we are. Some recognition of what I speak. He still has to ask the other security guy though, who answers “Bennie and the Jets”.

Having my intel, I take my seat.

Finally the show starts with Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. Always a great opener. They’re really rocking it and Bob Birch, the bass player, walks over behind Elton and while I couldn’t see exactly how, as the piano was in the way, he was right up against Elton, facing him, down at his level doing the posing/playing thing and then said something to Elton, they were laughing and then he kissed Elton’s neck laughing and returned to his spot.

The next song was Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting and this time Davey went over behind Elton for a little posing interaction. The boys were really rocking it tonight and the crowd was into it. He then played 3 songs from Madman Across the Water, including a different piano solo ending to the title song than I’ve heard him play before. After that, you’re on your own. It’s all a blur. Lots of songs. Lots!

Between songs during the applause/cheering I’d hold my jacket up above my head, hoping to catch his eye. His glasses are dark and there’s no facial expressions that giveaway that he sees it but I can’t imagine that he doesn’t, since I am directly in his line of sight as he sits at the piano. More than a few times, he’s hammering on the piano making faces as he does, while I play air piano making similar faces as we egg each other on.

<so worth the drive… so worth the drive>

  At one point, a guy in the second row was recording video on his phone and the security guy stopped him. Pics are ok but video is forbidden. I make note of this and will be more careful when I start taking video, which I fully intend to do. Which happens relatively soon as Elton announces his next song will be from his new album due out in October that he made with Leon Russell. VIDEO OP! Always… ALWAYS get the rare songs. So I whip out my camera and start recording, being careful to cover the telltale red blinking RECORDING light. I get quite a bit before security spots me and says no video. I act all surprised. “Oh! Really? Ok.” and sit down with my camera in my lap… STILL ON RECORD. Granted, it’s aimed at total blackness but I am still getting the audio. I suddenly remember that there is a screen above me and to the right so I attempt to aim the lens towards it, but having absolutely no way of knowing exactly where it’s aimed. I miraculously aimed spot on! Msg me if you want to see it.

Davey notices me and acknowledges me a few times. There’s no mistaking it, he smiles at me, nodding his head. There’s also no mistaking it when he sees my jacket. He does kind of a double-take, laughing, kind of “wow” look and looks over at Bob like “do you see that?”

<so worth the drive… so worth the drive>

I keep waiting for that unmistakable first chord to Bennie and the Jets, but song after song is NOT Bennie. My coke is getting low and while I don’t feel the overwhelming urge to use the little girl’s room, I’m concerned that if I don’t remedy it, it may become overwhelming while I’m up at the stage and there is no way in hell I’m leaving THERE. So I calculate my trip and leave the second a song starts after making sure it’s not Bennie. Daniel starts and off I dash. Did I mention this place only has TWO bathrooms? Fairly empty at the time though. *PHEW* Dash back to my seat *just* as they play the last line.

*pant* *pant* *pant*

More songs. Not Bennie. What’s going on?? It’s nearly 10 o’clock! Is Bennie going to be the last song of the night or what?? Everyone sits as he dives into a lovely piano solo, that I know will eventually end up rocking into Take Me To The Pilot, and sure enough I’m right. What was really weird was when it did? Everyone, except me, of course, *stayed* sitting. Even the drunk girl 4 seats down who at one point (during the concert, not during this song) seemed to think she was at a rodeo or something, waving a scarf around in circles above her head like a lasso.

Eventually, I’m standing, applauding whatever song just played and Sad Songs starts so I stay standing. Then I notice people in front of the piano are going up to the stage. I pause for a milisecond as thoughts run through my head.

What are they doing?

That’s not Bennie

They’re going to get sent back to their seats

It’s not time yet

Wrong song

Wait

They lied to me

Or too stupid to know

Nobody’s stopping them

OMG

Why are you just standing here you idiot

GO!!!

NOW!!!

I go like the wind. I make it to the crowd and realize there is no hope of getting in front of Elton so I fall in up against the stage. Elbows on the stage, I’m pretty much in front of Bob, between Davey and Elton. And again, oddly enough… directly in Elton’s sight.

<so worth the drive… so worth the drive>

I turn on my camera and start recording video. The secret, besides having a nice crowd of people as a buffer between me and security, is that I don’t aim at one thing non-stop. So, apologies for all the movement in my videos. You KNOW I have rock-steady video camera skills (see my previous videos) but I had to make it look like I was shooting still pictures.