Elton John
I was ligging a gig in Paris where Elton John was playing. My ex was the lighting tech for the gig and I'd whizzed over to join her for the French part of the tour.

As I was familiar with all of the lighting kit I was helping Liz out where I could and during the gig I was at the side of the stage with the backup lighting deck with a headset on listening to the crew chatter. The gig was going well, the lights show was spectacular and Elton was really working the crowd. (BTW, contrary to what you hear in the press I found Elton to be a really nice bloke. Generous, thoughtful, polite - a pleasure to work with. bent as nine-bob note but a really smashing bloke.)

And so the gig went on. Then, suddenly I heard my GFs voice over the mike:

"Just lost all Vari-Lites. Decks dead"

And then the tour managers laconic voice:

"Elton's down. Elton's just collapsed"

As soon as I heard my GF say she'd lost the lights I'd jumped into action and was readying the backup deck. I ripped the cover off and then unscrewed the multicores that led to the main deck and started to power it up and go the the diagnostics while keeping a running commentary up on the lighting radio channel to my GF who was making her way through the crowd with the lightshow on a floppy disk. One by one the lights reported back that they were online and ready to rock and roll. Just as the final bank reported in as ready Liz appeared at my side with the vital floppy. She shoved it into the deck and loaded the pre-sets and the deck burst into life and all the Vari-Lites went through their reset routine.

"Vari-Lites back online" says Liz over the radio

"Elton's back on his feet" says tour manager

And with that, the show went on.

I still swear to this day that Elton John is really a robot and he's controlled by a Vari-Lite lighting desk.

Cheers
( Legless Mister Stabby - shanks for the memory, Fri 2 Dec 2005, 12:37, Reply)