Knight to remember for two legends of Rock

Sir Elton John performs at Victoria's Hanging Rock. Picture: Brett Schewitz

From Crocodile Rock to Hanging Rock — Sir Elton John’s farewell to his Australian fans took him to one of the nation’s most spectacular and exclusive concert venues.

Victoria’s Hanging Rock, northwest of Melbourne in the Macedon Ranges, was the stunning backdrop for just two nights of John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. About 20,000 people on Sunday took in John’s epic three-hour set, studded with songs celebrating his half-century songwriting partnership with lyricist Bernie Taupin.

Performing on an outdoor stage, John kept the hits coming, with renditions of Bennie and the Jets, Crocodile Rock, I’m Still Standing and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

The musical picnic at Hanging Rock was unusual because John is only the eighth pop and rock act to be granted a brief concert season at the beautiful and — because of the association with Joan Lindsay’s novel and Peter’s Weir’s film — atmospheric location.

A decade ago, the Macedon Ranges Shire Council granted music promoter Michael Gudinski limited use of the adjoining East Paddock site for outdoor concerts. The first artist to perform there was Leonard Cohen in 2010.

Since then only Rod Stewart, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel and Ed Sheeran have performed in the rock’s shadow.

John’s two concerts at the weekend caused the Kyneton and Hanging Rock Racing Club to postpone its Australia Day race meeting until Monday.

On Saturday John put on an oversize head of a koala costume in a show of support for victims of the bushfire crisis. The singer has already pledged $1 million to bushfire relief.

He is midway through the ­Australian leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour. He took a quick trip to Los Angeles earlier this month where he and Taupin accepted the award for best ­original song — written for the biopic Rocketman — at the Golden Globes.

But there is still some way to go on his lengthy global farewell that started in September 2018 and will not conclude until next year.

When he finally retires, the planet-circling tour will have seen him give more than 300 shows on five continents.

John has said he is retiring from touring so that he can spend more time with his family. He and his husband David Furnish have two children.