Concert Aftermath
Backstage with Elton John: Singer shares new CD and the plane truth with Houston friends
Backstage before the Elton John concert Thursday night, the singer mingled "with a lot of friends in Houston I know and a lot I don't know," he told the sold-out audience near the end of the two-hour-and-45 minute show.
And, indeed, John spent a lot of time with some old —and new — friends in a private area at the Toyota Center before the show.
"He said, 'I have a present for you. Guard it with your life,' " Wyatt told CultureMap in an exclusive interview.
He whipped out his iPad to proudly show photos of his children's Easter egg hunt to a group from AIDS Foundation Houston and gave his close friend Lynn Wyatt an advance copy of his new CD, which comes out in September.
"He said, 'I have a present for you. Guard it with your life,' " Wyatt told CultureMap in an exclusive interview.
A tireless fundraiser for AIDS research, prevention and education, John accepted the AIDS Foundation Houston 2013 Humanitarian Award from AFH CEO Kelly Young. She presented the singer with a piece of artwork in the shape of a gold brick by Laura Lark and donated by gallery owner Devin Borden.
Also on hand were Elton John AIDS Foundation board members Barron Segar and Sarah McMullen, CAMAC Foundation president Eileen Lawal and philanthropist Margaret Alkek Williams.
Before the show, John also met privately for about a half-hour with Wyatt, whom he referred to during the concert as a "heavenly body." During the show Wyatt sat on the front row, where she boogied and munched on a gigantic bag of popcorn. When John paid a heartfelt tribute to her near the end of the concert, "I had my hands over my face, I was so touched," she said.
After each concert, John "walks off the stage, gets in his private plane and goes to Atlanta (where he owns an apartment). It's worth it to him to sleep in his own bed."
Wyatt had previously been with John and his spouse, David Furnish, last month in Los Angeles on the night before the Academy Awards, where they had dinner. Wyatt also spent time with the couple's two children Elijah and Zachary, whom they call "Aunt Lynn."
John did not stick around in Houston afterwards. Wyatt said after each concert, he "walks off the stage, gets in his private plane and goes to Atlanta (where he owns an apartment). It's worth it to him to sleep in his own bed."
But she talked to him by phone on Friday, before he flew to Baton Rouge for a show that night. When she asked him about the Houston audience, which included exiting Houston Texan Connor Barwin, John said, "They were fabulous. They never sat down. They knew every song and they were so excited."
"The energy that he has — oh my goodness," Wyatt said.
