Elton John concerts present chance for McDonald Jones Stadium to become major player in Australian music scene

A crowd of more than 28,500 is expected to pack into the Broadmeadow venue on Sunday, and again on Tuesday, as the rock icon begins the Australian leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour.

Not since 1990's Newcastle Earthquake benefit has the home of the Knights and Jets hosted a concert, and promoters in the live music industry will be monitoring the events closely.

Mr Mantle said the stadium can host up to five non-sporting events per year and dates were pencilled in for potential concerts later this year and early in 2024.

"This will be a huge test event," Mr Mantle said. "Ultimately if we get this one right, it sets us up long-term for multiple events per year. The summer significantly changes for us based on what we have here. There's a fair bit riding on it."

Of the 50,000 tickets sold for the two shows, Mr Mantle said 11,000 were bought by people from outside Newcastle, 2000 from interstate and about 120 by international visitors. It is estimated the shows will inject $10 million into the local economy.

Concert promoter Michael Chugg said everyone in the Australian music industry would be watching the success of the shows closely.

"Everybody is always looking for possible [venues] for when they've got big acts," Mr Chugg said.

"With Elton we've set a lot of new heights for everybody. Last tour we played Bathurst and the Sunshine Coast and even went up to open the Townsville Stadium. So us being here, it'll get national media, certainly it'll get a few people thinking about it."

The 66-metre wide and 25m high stage constructed for Elton's shows is unlike anything seen in Newcastle before. It contains 44 semi-trailer loads of production and staging equipment, of which nine shipping containers worth was sea freighted to Australia after the final USA show at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium on November 20.

There is also 700 square metres of LED screens, 192 speaker boxes and 270 people employed to construct the stage.

Elton's tour manager of 25 years, DC Parmet, was at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday to oversee the final stages of the venue's conversion into a rock'n'roll arena.

"We're just making sure everything plays nice and it all works," Mr Parmet said. "He delivers his part and we need to deliver our part."

Since making his live debut in Australia in 1971, the 75-year-old piano-rocker has played 238 concerts in this country - including gigs at Pokolbin's Hope Estate - but Elton's never performed in Newcastle.

"Elton likes to challenge himself, whether that be playing in a new place like Newcastle or recording an album of duets during COVID times," Mr Parmet said.

"He really likes to keep busy, so it was natural to come here as we had concerts in Auckland to make up. He loves it here, so why not come back."