The long-running drought was grinding on in the Bathurst region, the Sydney Roosters were the defending premiers after the 2019 NRL season and the "novel coronavirus" was still confined to the Wuhan region of China.

At Carrington Park, on a spectacular summer evening, 20,000 people squeezed into the rugby league ground to watch global music superstar Sir Elton John present hit after hit after hit.

REVIEW: How our journalist saw the Sir Elton concert

Over a set that clocked in at close to three hours, the then-72-year-old led the crowd through rousing renditions of Crocodile Rock, Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer and many other classics.

"I never thought I'd say this, but good evening, Bathurst," he said after the conclusion of the second song of the night.

As Sir Elton announces a return to Australia for the first time since 2020, do you remember that special night at Carrington Park? Were you there?

FLASHBACK:

The music superstar is set to return to New Zealand in January 2023 to perform two rescheduled Auckland shows as part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour and has announced five "encore" performances: new shows at Newcastle, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Christchurch.

The Newcastle concert, at McDonald Jones Stadium, will be held on January 10, 2023 - just over three years since Sir Elton waved one final goodbye to the Carrington Park crowd at Bathurst and disappeared off stage.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: