His music
“changed our lives”.
US President Joe Biden paid a stirring tribute to Elton John on Friday, ahead of a White House concert by the British pop legend - of whom Donald Trump was a big fan.
The American president surprised him by decorating him with the National Humanities Medal.
"I'm never flabbergasted, but here I am flabbergasted,"
commented the singer, very moved.
Read alsoJoe Biden invites Elton John to the White House on Friday to celebrate the “power of music”
“The President of the United States awards this National Medal of Humanities to Sir Elton John for stirring our souls with his powerful voice
,” a statement praised,
“With his compositions, Elton John has crafted a defining songbook.
He is an icon and a defender of civil rights of absolute courage.
He defied convention, broke stigma and promoted a simple truth: everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
»
Under a huge transparent tent erected in the gardens of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the American executive had invited some 2,000 guests: activists, in particular activists for the rights of LGBTQ + people, nursing staff, teachers … In the audience bipartisan, Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, former First Lady Laura Bush with one of her daughters and former tennis champion and activist Billie Jean King.
“What a dump here!”,
joked Sir Elton John, in a glittering black suit and glasses with orange lenses, opening his concert and putting himself at the piano.
Behind him, the residence of the American president all illuminated, and a military band in full dress.
Playing in this setting is
“the icing on the cake”
, he said before singing “Your Song”, an essential ballad in his repertoire.
A thought for George W. Bush
The singer recalled his commitment to the fight against AIDS and thanked America for the help given in this fight.
He made the audience laugh by reporting an exchange with George W. Bush.
The former Republican president would have asked him, in colorful terms, to help convince France to give more money for the fight against AIDS: "
Get the French to give more fucking money".
Elton John, who at 75 is on a major tour of the United States, thanked Joe Biden for his invitation.
“I just wish America was more able to cross partisan lines,” he said.
Before resuming his concert of about forty minutes, concluded with another planetary success, “I Am Still Standing”.
It was, according to the White House, to celebrate the unifying power of music.
But as in Washington everything is always political, difficult, when the musician sang "Rocket Man", one of his countless hits, not to think of the former Republican president.
This is how Donald Trump had nicknamed the North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. The Republican used to play songs by Elton John during his rallies, in particular "Tiny Dancer", another hit that the artist performed Friday night.
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