Paolo and Elton John

I never realized it until recently. Weird how things unfold as we tread forward on this thing we call life. To gain a better idea of what I'm taking about I need to take you back to 1986 or thereabouts. My family was gathered at my cousins' house one night. We were standing around for some reason when my cousin Paolo asked if he could go see Elton John at the old Montreal Forum.

I was 14 at the time, which meant he could not have been more than 17. Like any young teenagers, his brother (who was my age at the time) and I expressed interest in going also. Our parents were not convinced that they should let the three of us go on our own into the city. Luckily for us, my uncle was interested in going to the concert and was willing to take us. Paolo was persistent and he was not going to be denied. Permission was eventually granted.

It was to be our first major concert and we were thrilled. We may have been kids but we were sufficiently exposed to classic rock thanks to my older sister. I was aware of who the giants of rock were back then. I was not easily impressed by the sound of the 80s. But Elton John. Wow. Tumbleweed Connection was a favorite album back then and remains so until this day. Same with Madman Across the Water.

Paolo, who was a piano player, liked Sad Songs very much. I liked it also and one day I borrowed his 45 to record the song on my tape recorder. We didn't burn CD's in those days. Of the older classic penned by Bernie Taupin and composed by Elton John, Someone Saved My Life Tonight also held a special place in his musical heart.

The concert was everything we thought it would be. Elton John was as flamboyant as ever, wearing his signature wild costumes as he emphatically hammered away on his legendary piano. We were high up in the nosebleeds - as they were called - but we brought along and shared a pair of binoculars. It made no difference to us. The binoculars were powerful enough for us to see those famous gapped teeth.

Paolo was ecstatic before and after the concert. It was the last outing we would ever share together. Several years later Paolo was driving along a road when he mysteriously decided to pull over. Right then and there his life ended. Just like that, without warning. A doctor noticed him as he lay motionless in the car. The kind man tried to revive him but was unsuccessful. Paolo was 25 years old.

Not so long ago I brought some CD's with me into my car. I usually just grab the first CD that comes into my hands to insert in the CD player. The first song that came on that day was Someone Saved My Life Tonight. I had not heard the song in quite some time. Prior to this, I had listened to it a million tomes but that day it had a special meaning. I immediately thought of Paolo. The irony of the words was not lost on me. No one could save him that day. The angels had different plans for him.

I never had a chance to return the 45. In fact, I still have one of his books. I plan to keep them. The title may be Sad Songs but something tells me he is in a happy place.

For Paolo Calabro