Sir Elton John Gives AIDS Awareness Concert in Kyiv

You would have had to have been hiding under a metro station not to know that Sir Elton John was in Kyiv last night to give a free concert on Maidan square.

I debated all day whether to actually try and go and see the concert or not. I hate crowds and knew that standing in one for what would probably be at least three or four hours would make me miserable. I sort of wanted to skulk around the back of the crowds to be able to listen but in the end it was a hot evening and I decided to stay at home and watch it comfortably on TV with the fan blowing on me. I am not a huge Elton John fan, but I am starved for music and a free concert given by someone with his level of musical stature is obviously a big deal. Ukraine is a country where hit pop lyrics go something like this, "yes, yes, yes, I love you my sweet little belly button....."

Before the concert started, there were several interviews with Ukrainian pop stars on the importance of using condoms, being aware of how the AIDS virus is transferred and then several clips were run showing AIDS statistics in Ukraine and stories on people with AIDS. One of these clips showed the orphanage where Marianna and I would visit and spend time with AIDS babies.

It was very weird in the middle of all this information blaring at you about buying condoms, don't reuse needles, practice safe sex, etc and suddenly there's the faces of little girls you used to play with and they are talking about how these girls are living with the AIDS virus. The first girl had not grown much since I had last seen her and she was almost unrecognizable to me in the beginning of the clip. The other girl is older and I noticed that she also had not developed much physically. She did not look right to me and the left side of her face was drooping. She grew up in a hospital and is now living at this "baby" orphanage which also will eventually (as these children grow older) become Kyiv's AIDS orphanage. The clip also showed workers outside on the grounds of the orphanage with babies swaddled in baby buggies and five or six babies to a play pen. I was literally bouncing off the wall at this point. I hope that with all this "AIDS awareness" the caretakers there will be taught to not pick these babies up under the arms.

Afterwards, Sir Elton performed and everyone seemed to really enjoy it except for the Orthodox Church which had been protesting his appearance. I never thought I would ever hear "Philadelphia Freedom" being played on Maidan's Square. Shows you how much life can change around you.

(photo by Sergei Chuzaukov)