A mere year ago, it seemed completely inconceivable that an artist of Sir Elton John's calibre would ever make an appearance in a place like Bathurst.
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Sir Elton's contribution to popular music is up there with the likes of The Beatles, Madonna and Michael Jackson, and he is certified as one of the highest selling artists of all time, with more than 300 million record sales worldwide.
And yet, here he was in our tight-knit community a little over 24 hours ago, and he delivered an evening of entertainment Bathurst will never forget.
From the opening lines of 'Bennie and the Jets' until his final farewell in 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,' Sir Elton took Bathurst on a journey of delight, defiance and self-discovery.
After the conclusion of 'All the Girls Love Alice,' the second song of the night, Sir Elton subtly acknowledged the Bathurst community's stunned reaction to the news of his visit a year ago.
"I never thought I'd say this, but good evening Bathurst," Sir Elton said as he greeted the 20,000-strong crowd.
As he continued through the set, it soon became apparent the accompanying visuals were helping drive the meaning of each song home.
This included snapshots of true love on 'I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues,' highways and journeys on 'Tiny Dancer,' a sad but beautiful tribute to Marilyn Monroe on 'Candle In the Wind,' and a concise reflection on Sir Elton's legacy in 'I'm Still Standing.'
At many moments throughout the concert, Sir Elton reflected on his fruitful songwriting relationship with Bernie Taupin, who has written most of his lyrics.
"The Captain Fantastic record is all about Bernie and I trying make it as musicians, and we had many doors slammed in our faces on the way," Sir Elton said before launching into that album's lead single, 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight.'
On 'Daniel,' Sir Elton explained that he "initially crossed the last verse Bernie had written out, before realising that verse held the meaning of the song."
"It's always been a bit of an enigma as to what 'Daniel' really means."
Sir Elton's band were given plenty of time to shine throughout the performance, with key highlights including Ray Cooper's remarkable percussive work on 'Indian Sunset' and Davey Johnstone's stunning guitar riffs on 'I'm Still Standing.'
There were the token crowd favourites- 'Crocodile Rock,' 'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting,' 'Your Song'- that had multiple rows of people up off their feet dancing.
But the absolute show-stopper was 'Rocket Man,' where Sir Elton and his band took Bathurst on a wondrous ride through space to see the stars.
As Sir Elton waved one final goodbye and disappeared off stage, it was clear the Bathurst crowd was left amazed and enthralled at what they had just witnessed.
Before last night, Bathurst's status as an 'events' city was largely dominated by its strong motor racing connection.
But after the immense success of Sir Elton's show [and another installment of Inland Sea of Sound on the horizon], it is clear there's more to Bathurst than Mount Panorama.