Unexpected changes to the much-anticipated all-star line-up at the 'Sounds Better Together ' concert at Mallacoota on January 30 did not dampen the excitement of the large crowd.
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Mallacoota was included on the list for the final show of the tour, which started on January 23 on the Surf Coast in Victoria and was presented by Visit Victoria and Mushroom Group.
The nationally televised event was an enormous success, with 2000 people in attendance.
Former Noiseworks and INXS musician Jon Stevens replaced Daryl Braithwaite at the last minute, who was scheduled to perform but cancelled due to illness.
Braithwaite posted on social media, saying he was "incredibly sorry to cancel as I was really looking forward to returning to Mallacoota where I spent some time recently".
Promoter and Mushroom Group chairman Michael Gudinski it was a great event made special by the surprise appearance of Kylie Minogue.
"I signed Kylie when she was 18, I call her our queen. I knew she was coming to see family," Mr Gudinski said.
"She's never lost the Australian in her, even though she spends most of the time in England. I spoke to her and said we're doing this because of everything they've been through (at Mallacoota) said I would love to see her come up.
"On the night it was very emotional and a great thing to do. You could just feel the love in the area," he said.
Mr Gudinski stressed that Ms Minogue, who had flown in from the UK, had gone through the full quarantine measures.
The live broadcast from Mallacoota oval also included performances from Mia Wray and Vika & Linda.
Mallacoota resident Kerri Warren said it really felt the town was united for the night .
"For everyone to come together like that was amazing," Ms Warren said.
"Tickets had been handed out to people who lost their homes in the fires and it was a great coup for Mallacoota.
"It drew a lot of tourists in, from Gippsland and the Far South Coast, people who came back especially for the concert.
"The organisers had paid a lot of attention to the setup and made sure all the COVID issues were addressed.
"It was sectioned off, if you had bought tickets as a group the chairs were tied together and spaced from others. They had really ticked all those boxes.
"Mia Wray was a great artist, people absolutely loved her... and then Vika & Linda got people moving a bit more," she said"
Ms Warren said although Kylie Minogue didn't sing, she danced onstage with Mia Wray during Reyne's perfomance of Boys Light Up.
"Jon Stevens certainly stole the show though, he sang a lot of INXS and everyone knew the songs and got up and danced," she said.
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