My First Krystal (3.16.13)

What do you do at midnight after the first and best epic concert of your life?  You must go to Krystal to celebrate.  I'm not sure who was more surprised.... the waitress who couldn't believe our kids had never eaten a Krystal burger before, or us, when she brought the tray out to our table to serve us.  I don't know that we'll ever have the experience of meeting Elton John again, but, I can say that Harrison's pretty certain he will never eat a Krystal again!  Picky picky.

Media buzz (3.16.13)

Even before we had left the Fed Ex Forum, the tweets, Facebook posts, texts, and calls started pouring in.  Action news 5 on their 10PM newscast had already announced that Tiny Dancer was dedicated to Harrison!  This crazy media buzz had only just begun.

Tiny Dancer (3.16.13)

I'm amazed we made it to our front row seats, considering the unbelievable encounter we just experienced.  Harrison was seated right underneath the piano, and after every song, EJ would make eye contact or point and smile at our boy.  With undivided attention, Harrison sat there taking in every note.  As he began playing songs from Mad Man Across the Water, Sir Elton delivered an unexpected dedication.  Listen to the sound of 18,000 cheering fans.

Concert Shots (3.16.13)

Autographs and Swag (3.16.13)

Sir Elton himself gave the kids a pile of goodies.  CDs, DVDs, T-shirts and each an Elton sweatshirt. Harrison had his Mad Man Across the Water vinyl and his dad's old Elton Songbook (featured in the Dream Big Harrison video) signed.

At the end of the concert, the kids were pushed right up to the stage. Here's EJ signing Harrison's sweatshirt (which, by the way, he hasn't taken off since the night of the concert).

Extraordinary Kindness (3.16.13)

This started as a lesson in dreaming big.  But beyond that, this taught us what can happen when you show someone extraordinary kindness.  Why would a man with such an agenda (and only 10 minutes before the show) take the time to meet us and make a young boy's dream come true?  Extraordinary kindness.  Why would he jump up to meet Grayson and give her a hug as to not leave her out of the attention?  Extraordinary kindness.   Why would he give the kids such gifts and encouragement?  Extraordinary kindness.  I pray that our children learn that no matter who you are, taking a moment to show someone kindness can change their world.  Pay it foward! 

Hall of Fame (3.16.13)

We have a handful of famous musician stories in our family.  Tom Petty and George Clinton to name a few.  But, I believe this story will top all others and this picture will hang in our own hall of fame.  

Great Expectations (3.16.13)

If receiving great compliments from the piano man himself wasn't enough, he also offered Harrison some sage advice.  He told our son that because he has perfect pitch, he can "sing like a bird".  And, when he plays and sings at the same time, he will "be fantastic".  To know Harrison, this could not have been a more perfect form of encouragement.  His parting words were "Now, I know you can play like me, but, I want you to see if you can sing like me, too.  And, I guarantee you can do it."  Great expectations!

Autographs and swag mean nothing compared to the fact that after the concert, Harrison came home and started playing and singing at the top of his lungs.  How do you thank the man that just gave your child his voice?

Meeting Legends (3.16.13)

Just when we thought we were going to be led to our seats, Jon came and got us.  He asked if Harrison was ready.   "He wants to speak with you."   I wonder what went through his head as we passed through multiple security guards to reach Elton's green room.

In just a matter of seconds Harrison had hugged Elton John and shook hands with the Motown legend Jack Ashford who happens to live in Memphis.  Alex Coleman, a reporter from WREG Channel 3 was seated to his left, and recorded some of our interaction (click on link below).

News Channel 3′s Alex Coleman Lands Exclusive Interview With Sir Elton John

We were completely blown away.  

V.I.P.s (3.16.13)

We found ourselves being led by Jon Howard, Elton John's manager, backstage to the hospitality suite.  There were probably 20 people or so, including Kim Bullard, Elton's keyboardist, and Kim Cattrall, who plays Samantha on HBO's "Sex and the City".  We chatted with both Kim's-- one about the fact that Harrison's science teacher bears his same name (that's Harrison getting Kim's autograph for her), and the other and her companion about Memphis Barbecue.  Nothing like making the stars feel welcome in our city....

John 3:16 (or, consider Elton John 3/16)

We had not told Harrison anything about this potential meeting, although Grayson was beginning to get suspicious.  When we visited "will call" our tickets had been upgraded to front row seats and we were given VIP passes to the hospitality suite.  At this point, Harrison (and the rest of us, actually) was (were) wide-eyed.

Six Degrees of Separation (March 2013)

What began as a shot in the dark, started to take hold in early March. As you might be aware, "six degrees of separation" is the theory that everyone is connected by way of introduction to another person by just six steps.  Lloyd's partner made a call to a friend of Elton John's former manager.  A friend owned a radio station and knew influential people.  Another friend sent Harrison's story to a local news station.  Yet another friendship from the 7th grade reconnected Lloyd with a pal radio D.J. who tried to pull some strings. With all these connections, though, we were still told that there would be no meet and greet.  Nice video, kid, but, not a chance.  "Elton doesn't do 'meet and greets'".

I believe it wasn't by chance at all... meeting Jon Howard through any of the above connections would be a far stretch-- but explainable.  But, having his own mother call him and ask him to introduce Harrison to E.J?  Now, that's beyond our imagination.

Dream Big Harrison (February 2013)

It started with a dream of mine.  I woke up to actually remember that I had been present in a pitch black concert hall with the crowd going crazy to the piano ringing Elton John's "Tiny Dancer". When the lights came up, there was our ten year old.  When I shared my dream with my husband we smiled, knowing the talents that God has given our son.  A few days later, we learned that Elton was coming to Memphis.  It must be a sign.

With help from our friend Preston Davis, Harrison's lesson on dreaming BIG began: