NT: Sir Elton tours Darwin for the first time

AAP General News (Australia)
04-01-2008
NT: Sir Elton tours Darwin for the first time

DARWIN, April 1 AAP - Sir Elton John will play his first ever concert in Darwin next
month following an online petition to get the pop legend to the Top End.

But plans for a concert in Broome have been scrapped.

It was revealed last month that Sir Elton had hoped to tour regional Australia this
year after missing out on the Northern Territory and Western Australia during his 2007
tour Down Under.

The news prompted the NT government to call on territorians to register online in a
bid to secure a performance.

More than 500 signatures later, NT Chief Minister Paul Henderson today announced Sir
Elton would hit the tropics on May 17 "thanks to people power and determination".

The concert will be held at TIO Stadium at Marrara after his Asian tour dates.

"Elton John is a legend in the music industry and to have him perform here will provide
a boost for our economy and put Darwin on the entertainment map," he said.

The NT government will provide $60,000 in cash to help with marketing, freight costs
for transporting staging equipment and cleaning the venue, Mr Henderson said.

"We've also contributed to providing matting to protect the surface of the venue, security,
fencing and chair hire," he said.

Tickets go on sale at 10am on April 8 through Ticketek and Mr Henderson has called
on territorians to act quickly because they would be "snapped up".

Sir Elton's promoter Michael Chugg said the show would prompt other artists to rethink
the way they tour Australia and the places they include in their itineraries.

"The benefits of such a major event will flow on to the tourist sector, local businesses
and provide a boost to our economy, with thousands expected to attend the show," Mr Henderson
said.

Following Darwin, Sir Elton will perform in Perth and Sydney.

AAP tr/apm/cdh

KEYWORD: ELTON

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