NORTH’S GRANDEST WEEKEND AWAITS

ANOTHER trip to Sydney and another step closer to unlikely NRL glory. Cowboys star Michael Morgan and the other returning heroes received a rock-star reception at Townsville Airport yesterday after earning their place in the grand final against Billy Slater’s Melbourne Storm. With the big footy showdown on Sunday night and Elton John’s Once In A Lifetime concert at Cazalys on Saturday night, the Far North is already preparing for a spectacular weekend.

MUSIC legend Sir Elton John has his sights set on the Far North after wowing a 15,000 strong crowd in Mackay.

And if his set was anything to go by, Cairns is in for a magic night.

His line-up included crowd favourites such as Rocket Man, Tiny Dancer, Saturday Night’s

Alright and Benny and the Jets. But he also played some of his own favourites from early in his career and even threw in his version of Waltzing Matilda.

Sparkling from head to toe in a blue suit and a pair of his signature glasses, Sir Elton John and his Band delivered in spades. Sitting at his piano the 70-year-old showed no signs of having tired.

Preparation are under way at Cazaly’s and as the stage is built more tickets could become available.

Sir Elton used the Mackay concert, and the first in his regional Australia tour, to hit out at terrorism and spread a message of love. He dedicated his song I Want Love to people who had suffered at the hands of, or been affected by, “brainless nightmare idiots”.

“We live in strange times ... People being mown down by cars and people being blown up,” he said.

As Sir Elton and his band played the hit, the big screen sent a message of love to cities that had been hit by terrorism.