A CROWD of 15,000 is anticipated when global superstar Sir Elton John brings his farewell tour to Bathurst's Carrington Park next January.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After months of behind-the-scenes preparations, the news became official on Sunday.
Bathurst is so far one of only six regional venues on Sir Elton’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour of Australia, in which he will say goodbye to life on the road.
The music icon, known for hits including Crocodile Rock, Tiny Dancer and Can You Feel The Love Tonight, will play at Carrington Park on Wednesday, January 22, 2020, but the show will be preceded by six days of set-up.
Matthew Lazarus-Hall, the tour producer on behalf of Chugg Entertainment, said the music superstar set the challenge on each tour to play somewhere different and Bathurst fits that bill.
Sir Elton played at Queensland regional centre Mackay, which has a population of about 80,000, in 2017.
“It (Bathurst) is probably one of the smaller cities that we have gone to,” said Mr Lazarus-Hall, who has been involved in “eight or nine” Elton tours of Australia in the past 15 years.
“But it’s not as isolated.
“This (Bathurst) is a region. When we examine cities like this, it’s not just the city, it’s the surrounding environment.
“When you add that up, it’s more than Mackay.”
The other regional locations on Sir Elton’s Australian leg of his farewell tour are the Hunter Valley’s Hope Estate, Rutherglen’s All Saints Estate, Rochford Wines in the Yarra Valley, Sirromet Wines south-east of Brisbane and Victoria’s Hanging Rock.
Additional dates, including in North Queensland, are set to be announced later this year.
“On his very last tour, he (Sir Elton) wanted to return to some of his favourite cities, while also playing for fans in a couple of never-before-visited locations,” tour promoter Michael Chugg said.
The farewell tour began in the USA in September last year and will run for three years, taking in more than 300 shows across five continents.
The performer said that after the tour finishes he looks forward to “coming off the road and dedicating more time to raising my children”.
Tickets for the Bathurst show will be on sale through Ticketek from 9am on Friday, February 15.
