Daniel Minty, known as Minty, waited for hours in the Pyramid Stage crowd at Glastonbury to see Elton John's final UK touring show from the very front of the crowd, to say thank you to the musician who has soundtracked his entire life. Minty, who runs a gig guide for his community of followers in Cardiff and south Wales, told WalesOnline: "My parents fell in love through the music of Elton John whilst they were in school and then got married.
"His music was a commonality - when you go dating, if it's on Tinder or Hinge, or you meet someone in a pub, music is one of the main things you ask people about, and for them it was Elton John. I wouldn't have been born if it wasn't for Elton - and when I was born in 1989 my parents wanted to call me Elton Minty! My grandparents were having none of it, so they named me Daniel after the song. My life has always been surrounded by Elton John and the music of Elton John. My dad doesn’t watch TV and just listens to music day in, day out, so Elton gets around 15 spins a day. He was the primary fixture of my musical upbringing."
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When Minty got a ticket for this year's Glastonbury Festival, he knew he had to be there when the legendary singer headlined the Pyramid Stage on Sunday night, but admitted he was "really nervous" about it, as Elton's music was so deeply ingrained in his life. He arrived at around 1pm and waited it out at the very front as The Chicks, Cat Stevens, Blondie and Lil Nas X performed - until it was time for the biggest moment of the night.
"He comes out, and it was just surreal," said Minty. "It was surreal seeing him that close, and when he's playing he's pointing at all of us at the front. It's really weird, man," he added. "Really, really surreal. The whole experience flew by - I felt like he came on and went off in a second, but it was two hours and it was glorious."
Minty had a fantastic night as Elton played hit after hit, from Benny and the Jets to Rocketman to Minty's namesake Daniel. But Minty himself was in for a surprise when he woke up the next morning. He didn't even realise there were cameras on him at the concert - but he soon found out he was front and centre of the BBC's coverage. He said: "I was wearing some funky sunglasses and was a bit dressed up... but I had no idea it would end up on the news!
"It was a real shock, and I was interviewed by Scott Mills today. I think the reason I'm speaking to everybody including yourself is to say thank you, and voice the gratitude and appreciation for Elton that I have, my dad has, and my family has.
"There are a load of families out there who named their children after Elton John's music and always had this affinity with him that my family have, and it's because he has this fierce flambuoyant persona but he's just a vulnerable guy. He's not ashamed or afraid to wear this vulnerability - it's beautiful to see, and relatable.
"That's why that field was so full; the field was so packed because everybody felt that they could relate to Elton and his music. I'm using this opportunity to say thanks to him, really, for all these years of music and for making me exist!"
Minty and his dad Ryan have shared their love of Elton over the years but neither had seen him live - so in 2019 Minty pulled off the ultimate surprise. Taking his dad to see the Rocketman movie for Fathers' Day and his own 30th birthday, he revealed that he actually had tickets to see Elton himself at the Cardiff City Stadium.
"He played Daniel, which just sends me to tears when I hear it," said Minty. "It's like an embodiment of my life. I was named after it, I have a deep affinity with it, my dad loves to remind me I'm named after it, and when he has a few beers he plays it - so hearing it is actually too much!
"With all these emotions running through my head, I felt like there was no question about me getting to the front at Glastonbury, seeing that set, singing my heart out to every song, and calling my parents so they could listen."
Minty has worked in the music industry for years. Most recently he's set up Minty's Gig Guide, a social media community across Facebook and Twitter that highlights everything going on in the music world in south Wales. He credits Elton's music with getting him on that path: "The gig guide and all these things I feel so privileged to have done and achieved are a direct impact of my musical upbringing by my parents."
This year, though, Minty wasn't at Glastonbury for work - instead enjoying it as a punter for the first time in years. "It's been 10 years since I had that perspective of seeing it through the eyes of a festival ticketholder because I'm usually here working and volunteering," he explained.
"To be fending for myself in amongst the fields with all of the amazing things that you go through as a festivalgoer - it's been phenomenal, really refreshing, and enabled me to see more of the festival."
You can take Minty out of Wales, but you can't take Wales out of Minty - and sure enough, he was keeping a keen eye out for Welsh singers and bands. "The festival had the most Welsh acts booked this year since I've been coming here," he explained, "with 15-16 Welsh artists, plus all the Welsh people involved with other bands.
"That includes some of the most exciting bands coming out of Wales at the moment, like N’famady Kouyate who won the Emerging Talent Contest, Adwaith who played on two stages, Panic Shack who played a huge show on Thursday evening - and you have Gwenno, the Manics... it has just been amazing to see Wales represented across the many stages big and small."
Outside of the Welsh acts, Minty's got a clear favourite moment from the festival: "Seeing Mel C drop a Spice Girls song! I was a six-year-old kid going to school with an aluminium yellow spice girls wristband, so I was a big fan and that was really awesome."
He added: "Lizzo was just full of fun, self-love and positive vibes and you couldn't find a sad face in that field when she performed. And I discovered a really awesome artist in The Global Collective, a mishmash of artists from different walks of life."
One of the best parts of Minty's day spent waiting for Elton was the bonds he formed with other people in the crowd: "You start talking to people and building friendships and relationships with the people that surround you," he said, "but I think it's also really cool when you chat to people and get to know them, then never see them again! That's the beauty of festivals - you have these awesome fulfilling moments and end up going your separate ways."
Being there enjoying Elton John's phenomenal performance in person felt like "a huge release" for Minty, who said it was "something that's been on my mind for months."
He added: "My dad always says he hopes one day that he can just shake Elton's hand - I just want to say thank you. We totally understand why the touring has stopped, but it is sad, it is a goodbye, and we've got a lot to remember."
