Elton John to play the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney more than three decades since his last gig there

HE has been playing the big gigs here for decades and now Elton John downsizes to an arena he played in the 1970s for one more concert in December.

Elton John adds historic small gig

ELTON John will go back to where his live love affair with Australian audiences began, adding an intimate concert at the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney to his December tour.

The veteran entertainer first toured Australia in 1971 playing outdoor venues, but was commanding multiple nights in our biggest arenas by his third visit in 1979.

Elton John opened that run with four shows at the Hordern Pavilion, and last performed at the hall in 1982.

His 2015 tour is punctuated with final gigs at some of his favourite Australian venues, including the last ever concert at Qantas Credit Union Arena — the old Sydney Ent Cent — before it is demolished.

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He will open the national celebration of his greatest hits with a farewell concert at the Hope Estate in Hunter Valley after signalling he would make less frequent visits down under to devote more time to his young sons Zachary and Elijah with husband David Furnish.

“I thought that since we are closing the Entertainment Centre in Sydney, it would be only right to add the Hordern Pavilion to the 2015 December schedule,” he said.

“This is another piece of my long history with Sydney, the Hordern was our original ‘go-to gig’.

“I have played there so many times over the years, before the Sydney Entertainment Centre was around, and I can’t wait to return.”

That gig will be the smallest on the December visit, and will also feature a special dinner in a nearby hall catered by Matt Moran, with John’s longtime Australian promoter Michael Chugg dishing the dirt on touring the legendary entertainer down under.

Elton John is acclaimed at his concert at the Royal Theatre, Madrid, Spain, on July 20, 2015. Picture: Carlos Alvarez / Redferns via Getty Images

Tickets go on sale from September 3 via ticketek.com.au

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Originally published as Elton John to play the Hordern Pavilion in Sydney more than three decades since his last gig there