Coldplay’s previous visit to Atlanta had involved a hurricane and a cancelled show. Despite all their efforts to make it up to people, the band still felt some duty to make it up to the folks who didn’t get a show last time around. When Elton invited the band over for tea not far from the arena – the answer seemed obvious.
Nobody was quite prepared for the reaction. The entire place literally exploded – and they didn’t really calm down much until the song was over.
When the band were growing up, Elton would have been omni-present. He was one of the uber-stars from the time when British acs first went and conquered American arenas and stadiums. He (and Bernie Taupin) wrote spectacularly well-crafted pop songs that even people who scoffed at him couldn’t help secretly adoring. He also spent his young life consumed with a ferocious work ethic.
In many ways, it was no surprise that he and the band found each other and that they shared a huge mutual respect. It was a relationship that would continue long into the future.