Over the weekend, Elton performed his 46th concert at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, in a special event that also marked the venue’s final gig.
The beloved establishment, which was built in 1983, will be demolished to make way for new apartments.
The star was a fitting choice to close out its stellar live entertainment history, as he holds the record for the most individual performances delivered at the centre.
The set list featured plenty of hits, including Bennie and the Jets and Candle In The Wind.
“I have played this place 46 times now, it’s been part of my life,” he told the rapturous crowd.
“I want to send it off with a big bang.”
Centre general manager Steve Hevern said prior to the show:
“It will be both a sad yet historic moment when the curtain comes down for the last time, but 27 million people will have many wonderful memories from the 4,000 shows here over the past 32 years.
“It’s a day of mixed emotions for me. I’ve spent a lot of time here. But it’s a celebration of all that tonight, and I’m looking forward to the exciting times ahead.
“It’s a true multi-purpose venue, if not one of the better ones. It certainly has served the live entertainment and indoor sporting sectors really well.
“It’s not state of the art, and that’s probably one of its problems – it hasn’t kept up with the technology that’s available today. But it’s simple, and it has high customer service.
“Before this came along we really only had outdoor venues, which is the whole reason why it was built, because the rain affected the concerts at the time.
“It has nurtured young talent through our talent development project, it has nurtured Australian talent, it has welcomed international talent, and it has just given Sydneysiders and Australia just somewhere to see their favourite acts for a long period of time.”
