Elton John, Queens Hall, Leeds, 18 June 1984
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A month later, and back in the Queens Hall, Leeds. This time it was Elton John in the all-standing arena. The good news was he was playing 2 nights in succession, and I had tickets for each night. Tickets were £9.50. For that I got within a metre or so of the stage. That was less than 5% of the amounts I would pay nearly 4 decades later on his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour.
The plan was to try and get the camera in the first night, and that plan succeeded. I managed to get within a few feet of the stage. I knew it could get a bit rough in there, but I had been in that position before, albeit without the camera. I was large enough to look after myself and there were only a few occasions when the audience got a little over-enthusiastic.
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He swirls the jacket round in his right hand before hurling it into the crowd with his Herculean prowess. It was such a throw that it landed right beside me, although the baying fans alongside me decided to rip it to shreds in their efforts to grab a souvenir. I decided not to partake, fearing my camera may get caught up in the melee. Fortunately a kind soul beside me noticed my predicament and handed over a piece of yellow fabric, perhaps around 4 x 1 inches. I treasured that part-jacket until I lost it, probably in one of my subsequent house moves. Having achieved a fairly even distribution of that jacket amongst maybe 20+ people Elton decided discretion was the better part of valour and he carefully dismounted the piano.
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It was to be some time before I would get another opportunity to head along to more concerts and in particular take my camera along. My final accountancy exams were approaching and I also ended up in hospital early in 1985 with a detached retina, which has left me with slightly distorted vision in the right eye. Of course I could still look through the viewfinder with my left eye so it was not too much of a hindrance to my photographic exploits.