Making people happy keeps Elton going

“Excitement, energy and Elton at his very best”, the three things drummer Nigel Olsson promised Monklands music fans can look forward to when he spoke exclusively to the Advertiser.

The legendary sticksman’s working relationship with Elton John stretches back to 1969 and the pair have performed together an incredible 2229 times – so few are better placed to say what make’s him tick.

I was fortunate enough to spent some time with him as he prepared for Saturday’s show and he explained how important audience satisfaction is to the whole band.

“Elton is a perfectionist who wants everyone who comes to see him leave with a smile on their face”, Nigel explained.

“We are all blessed being able to do what we do.

“It’s a privilege to have been able to perform for as long as we have to so many people in so many places.

“A lot of the time we’re playing in countries where there are many problems and people have lots of worries. So, if the audience leave the show feeling happier, with smiles on their faces, even if it’s just for a short while, we’ve done our job. That’s important to us and part of why we enjoy it so much.”

Despite living in California for 45 years Nigel remains British at heart and says returning to the UK to perform with Elton is special to him – particularly when it involves bringing their music to new audiences, such as next summer’s Airdrie show.

He continued: “It’s always exciting to go somewhere new and Airdrie will be amazing.

“Our audiences always have a wonderful time and it’s great to look out and see generations of fans, from young kids to people of a certain vintage who’ve been with us since the beginning.

“Everyone coming to see us on June 24 can look forward to lots of excitement, lots of energy, great songs and Elton and the band at their very best.

“I’m looking forward to it already!”

Drummer Nigel Olsson