When I was four or five in the late '80s my mother had a '70s compilation cassette featuring The Rocketman's 1972 classic about "something shocking" and "when your feet just can't keep still".

I never worked out how one does the crocodile rock, but the simplistic, yet catchy ear worm of "la lalalala la lalalala la lalalala la" stuck and opened the doors to the joys of pop music.

I flogged that song in the car until inevitably the tape spat forth from the cassette like a tangle of black spaghetti.

Eventually my mum, a life-long John tragic dating back to his 1973 album Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, introduced me to the icon's extensive back catalogue.

Candle In The Wind, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Your Song, I'm Still Standing, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me, Don't Go Breaking My Heart, and so many more. All undeniable classics.

Bernie Taupin's lyrics, too, opened a world of colourful imagery for a young mind. There were tales of a "howling old owl in the woods, hunting the horny back toad", "blue jean" babies and "electric boots, a mohair suit".

For years John was the soundtrack to many an eight-hour road trip up the NSW north coast to visit grandparents for Christmas, along with other '70s heavyweights like The Eagles, ELO and Fleetwood Mac.

Eventually I branched out and discovered my own musical tastes beyond '70s pop-rock, but John's music and Taupin's words have always maintained an nostalgic appeal.

Finally after more than 50 years Reginald Dwight is drawing the curtain on his ground-breaking career, which has attracted sales in excess of 300 million, placing him fourth on the all-time best-seller's list behind The Beatles, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.

In true John style, the Englishman is farewelling his fans with an epic finale. This is a man renown, of course, for his flamboyant glam fashion, over-sized coloured glasses and questionable hairstyles.

The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour began in September 2018 in Allentown, Pennsylvania and is expected to cover more than 300 shows before John takes his final bow in early 2021.

The tour includes 34 shows in Australia, taking in regional areas such Coffs Harbour, Bathurst, Townsville, Sunshine Coast, Geelong and Yarra Valley, plus our own Hunter Valley on January 11 and 12.

Understandably at 72, John's voice lacks the upper range of his halcyon days, but reviews from the first half of the Australian leg have been full of praise.

Michael Bailey, of the Australian Financial Review, wrote of his December 21 Sydney show that, "voice aside, John played that piano as dexterously and inventively as ever. The pure joy of jamming was etched on his face."

The Guardian's Bob Gordon described the opening show at Perth's HBF Park on November 30 as "stuff of Hollywood."

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road is the appropriate ending, as Sir Elton John bids farewell and band credits roll, movie-style, on the video screen. It was a pretty good film, but it's much better in real life."

If you're heading along to one of John's sold-out Hope Estate gigs, you'll know what to expect. Unfortunately John and his band have been performing an identical 25-song set since the tour kicked off 18 months ago.

The good news is, it's a cracker. Expect a '70s-heavy focus with classics like Bennie and The Jets, Tiny Dancer, The Bitch Is Back, Daniel and Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) interspersed with some surprises.

Lesser-known tracks like Indian Summer and Levon from Madman Across The Water (1971) and Burn Down The Mission from 1970's country record Tumbleweed Connection have also been met warmly by critics.

Long-time fans will also be pleased to know that guitarist Davey Johnstone and drummer Nigel Olsson, who both played on John's early-70s classic albums Honky Chateau, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Caribou, have returned for the farewell shows.

Of course Elton John is arguably more popular now than he was in his '70s prime. Last year's biopic Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton in the lead role, made $US 195 million globally at the box office and introduced John's music to a new generation of fans.

From baby boomers to millennials, his music continues to connect.

It hasn't hurt, that unlike many of his contemporaries, he's continually kept engaged with modern music. When in Australia John often visits his favourite music shops like Red Eye Records in Sydney searching for albums from new local acts.

One such discovery is 29-year-old Sheridan Tate from Port Macquarie. John was so impressed he invited Tate to open shows on his 2015 tour and Tate's been booked again for all outdoor shows on the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, including the double-header in Pokolbin.

So get ready for an nostalgic ride down the yellow brick road. We're unlikely to see the likes of Sir Elton John again.

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