SINGER Daniel Thompson will be in Bathurst in March to pay homage to a star in the country music firmament.
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It’s fitting, then, that he will always associate the Bathurst region with a trip he made on a year five primary school excursion in 1986 that also involved a star or two.
“I have very vivid memories of that trip as Halley’s Comet was visible in the sky at the time and it was an incredible experience for a kid from the city to lay out in a field under that amazing night sky and be able to see not only the comet, but the whole Milky Way stretching across the sky so clearly,” he said.
“We also visited the goldfields in the surrounding region and learned a lot about the history of the area.
“That Bathurst trip remains one of my fondest school memories.”
Thompson, a country singer with years of experience performing Cash’s songs, admits he’s not much of a motor racing fan but always watches the Bathurst 1000.
“There’s just something about it that fascinates me,” he said.
“It is always exciting and it is amazing to see how the weather on the Mountain can affect a race over such an enormous distance and time and in the end it can come down to seconds between first and not only second but third, fourth and fifth.”
He says he can’t imagine visiting Bathurst without doing a lap of Mount Panorama.
“Not only is it an Australian icon in itself, the view from up the top is awesome. It’s just an amazing circuit and driving around it gives you some idea of the skill of Peter Brock, Dick Johnson, [Craig] Lowndes and [Mark] Skaife and all the other Australian motor racing legends that have driven thousands of laps around there with their foot to the floor.
“The corners after Skyline and then the drop into Forrest’s Elbow and into Conrod Straight are a real eye-opener. You don’t get that on TV.”
Thompson will be in Bathurst with Golden Guitar-winning Australian country musician Stuie French, along with backing band The Tennessee Express, to perform Johnny Cash The Concert Revisits Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison.
The show features the At Folsom Prison album in its entirety, as well as a set of The Man in Black’s greatest hits.
The show will play at Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre on Friday, March 9 at 8pm.
For tickets, phone 6333 6161 or visit www.bmec.com.au
