Elton John – ‘Burn Down The Mission’ from Tumbleweed Connection

I’ve had the privilege of meeting Elton John backstage. It might have been at the Brits, and it was early ’90s, so ’94 maybe. We had a little giggle because his was the first concert I ever went to... he was my first. Yes, it was incredible and we were in the standing only area and I think I was eleven or twelve. I went with a girl a bit older than I was, she could have been fifteen or sixteen. We wriggled our way into getting down front, just able to squeeze through and make our way to the second row from the front. And, I’ll never forget this, he threw water into the crowd and I jumped up with my left hand and the sprinkles from the water hit my left hand. Later, when I told him that, Elton said, “I want my left hand back!” Anyway, it’s really great when you’re able to say to someone like Elton, “You were my first concert,” and the two of you have a giggle about it.

I’d been listening to this record because in ’93 we went out to Taos in New Mexico with Eric Rosse and we were producing Under the Pink in this old hacienda in the town which is above Santa Fe. The town was surrounded by missions, or pueblos, so the environment was really evocative. As was being able to listen to this album while travelling around New Mexico.