Even the wet weather could not dampen the spirits of one of Sir Elton John’s superfans visiting Dunedin today.
Auckland woman Cassie Roma - dressed in a sequin-covered jumpsuit emblazoned with the word ‘‘Elton’’ across the back - arrived in the city this morning to attend her 22nd John concert tonight. She said the miserable weather did not bother her because she was totally focused on seeing her favourite singer, again.
Tonight's concert is the first of four she plans to see in New Zealand during his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
‘‘For the past 22 years wherever I have gone in the world I have seen Elton somewhere, at least once a year.
‘‘He’s been the soundtrack to my life.’’
Roma, who also has a tattoo dedicated to Sir Elton and walked down the aisle at her wedding to wife Carly to the song Tiny Dancer, said she grew up listening to John’s music with her grandmother and admired how he told a story through his lyrics.
‘‘My grandma used to live in England and one of her younger brothers grew up around Elton before he was Elton.
‘‘So my grandma ended up having all of these Elton records in the middle of a small town of only 200 people.’’
She also admired the work he did around equality.
‘‘He walks so comfortably in his own skin, that even through my own story, when I came out and met my wife, it was easier with someone like Elton to lead the way.’’
Although she would be sad at the last concert, she was happy for him.
‘‘He’s spent his entire life giving everybody else joy, it’s time for him now’’.
Attending the four New Zealand concerts would set her back about $10,000, but it was a price she was more than happy to pay, she said.
